Passion With Action


Rise, let us be going, my betrayer is at hand. Mark 14:42

These few words that came from Jesus to his disciples following his time of intense and agonising prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane are filled with determination, courage and action. He knew all along the Father’s plan for his life on earth. He knew that his death was crucial to the plan and he knew the time had come to face this hour that would bring hope and deliverance from the power of Satan to the Kingdom of God, to those who would believe.

Throughout his ministry Jesus had been a man of action. He made it His purpose to fulfil his life’s mission as foretold by the prophets. He was intentional about the whole of his life. At the beginning of his ministry he boldly proclaimed the words of the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:18) and then went about doing what had been prophesied.

He could be a man of passionate, and compassionate, action because he knew his life’s mission. He did not back off from the task he’d been given even though it was going to cause him great pain and anguish of soul in death as he took upon himself the sins of humanity and as he experienced the acute and desperate pain of separation from God his Father with whom he had been from before time began.

In his humanity he had prayed to be released from this final but vital mission but he submitted to the will of God no matter what the cost. He knew there was no back-up plan, no other way for us to be restored to fellowship with God. His passion for our future brought bold action as he rose to meet his betrayer, the one who had been his friend.

I believe God wants to reveal to each one of us His purpose for our life. It may be big, it may be small, but God’s plan is important and only we can do what He has planned to do through us. We have a daily mission as well as a life mission.

Not only will He reveal His plan for us, but He will give us a passion for the plan if we allow Him to. For of him and through him and to him are all things (Romans 11:36). As we rely on Him, receive from Him and act for Him, He gets the glory and we get the joy and fulfilment.

James 2:26 likens faith with action to a body without a spirit – it is dead. Our action shows that our faith is real and living. Our action demonstrates that we have faith. There is a needy world waiting for the love of God, the message of the gospel, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a friend, a shoulder to cry on…… What is your mission from God for today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, increase my passion for you and for your purpose in my life. Thank you for your passionate action in laying down your life so that I may live the Life your planned for me in all its fullness. Help me not to waste this gift of Life you gave, at such great cost to yourself. Amen

Passion For His Purpose


“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord,” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

This is one of my life verses that I love and believe with all my heart. It invariably comes out of my mouth when I encourage, counsel or pray with people. God does have plans for us – His plan for us is always to bring hope, and for us to live a life of purpose. Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life” has been amazingly popular, and I believe it is because people want the hope of a purpose-filled life.

The most purposeful life we can live is one that is energised by the purposes God has for us because 1) they are safe, and 2) they will be sure to fulfil us in the way that only our Creator can really know, because He created us for His particular purpose.

Having a passion for His purpose will not mean that every day will be “high” with expectation, excitement or even a feeling of purpose. Our passion needs to run strong and deep. It will be developed as we learn to live in Him, the true vine (John 15) and as we learn to let His life flow into us and through us. It is a life of loving God and loving people; with a determination to walk in obedience until He reveals His purpose. Then continuing to walk in faith and obedience until He brings circumstances to pass that lead us into His purpose at the right time.

Sometimes we may feel that we’ve missed it but if we are open to God and walking faithfully with Him, He will not allow us to miss His purpose. We need only to rest in the knowledge that He will, indeed, fulfil His purpose for my life (Psalm 138:8).

How can we develop a passion for His purpose? First we have to believe He has a purpose for me and to know that it is a process. It will not happen overnight. Christian growth takes time. Preparation time will depend upon the task God has prepared for us to do and how much work He needs to do in us. The book of James uses the example of a farmer who patiently waits for the harvest and for the rains (James 5:7). A farmer first must plant a seed and then wait for the first shoots to show up, then he waits and watches it grow and finally it’s time for the harvest. I know from experience that God is never in a hurry, He is a patient farmer!

Then we pray, “God give me a passion for your purpose for me.” Then we need to regularly plant the seed of God’s word in our heart and walk in obedience to that word, whether people are watching or not! We have to believe what God’s word says and hold onto the promises that He gives us. Then we wait, and wait, and wait some more. God WILL fulfil His purposes for me, possibly at the time I least expect it.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please give me a passion for the purpose that You have for me. Give me patience to faithfully plant your word in my heart, to believe it and to wait for the harvest. Amen

Passion for His Presence


As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

One of the marks of “being in love” is the desire to be with the one you love. You long for the sound of their voice on the telephone but better still you want to be near them, you just can’t get enough of each other. If marriage follows there is “the honeymoon” then life settles into a more ‘balanced’ pattern. Hopefully there is a growing satisfaction in intimacy as adjustments are made, trials overcome, disappointments shared, conflicts resolved and deeper levels of trust and understanding grow.

I am blessed to be able to say that after more than forty years of marriage (and many of the struggles mentioned above), I still very much look forward to my husband’s presence, and thankfully, he still enjoys being with me. We give God praise for His goodness to us in helping us to do the work of marriage that’s necessary to maintain a joy in intimacy together.

I believe that a good marriage is a good example of the kind of relationship that God wants to have with us. The more time we spend in fellowship with Him, in prayer and Bible study, the more we will find joy in times of intimacy with God. However, these times we spend with God must not be done out of a sense of duty or obligation but rather out of a genuine love for God and a desire to please Him.

Relationships grow and deepen and stay strong so long as we have regular contact with each other. Separation, either physically or emotionally will weaken any relationship. God is a relational being and we are made in His image, therefore we too are relational by design. We were made with an inbuilt desire for relationship with Him. Some people speak of us having a “God-shaped” hole inside of us which only God can fill. Nothing else will satisfy that desire apart from God Himself.

It is possible for us to develop a passion for God’s presence which cries out with the psalmist, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord.” Psalm 84:1-2.

I encourage you to spend regular time with God in His word and in prayer. Take time out to be quiet with Him and let Him speak to you. He really wants to have a relationship with you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to have a passion for your presence. I want to long for that intimacy that will satisfy the deepest places of my soul. Help me to find that place I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.