Passion

by Pastor Sharron Scott

March 28, 2011

(From Sisters of Faith Workshop September, 2008)

How is it that Father God has brought you to this place? Look outside! Take in the breathtakingly, incredibly beautiful creation! A place where people plan all year, saving up their money to come! Quail, eagles, deer, foxes; hundreds of species of birds, raccoons, bears, lions-- all are a normal thing! Do you not see this? If not, why not? I believe this is why: The enemy would have us dulled and complacent. Our faces covered. Our eyes glazed. That’s NOT God’s will for us. We have stopped trying.

The uncomfortable name for this is SLOTH. We cannot save ourselves from it… We lack PASSION in our churches, our jobs, our marriages, our teachers, our Board of Supervisors, this town, this county, this country! We keep changing jobs, churches, spouses, and/or lifestyles because we need another fix. We can no longer feel passion in the daily routine. We need an instant fix—a high. Eventually we fall back down into complacency. Remember 9/11?? Of course you do!! Remember the passion it stirred within you? You saw everything more clearly! The trees were greener, hugs were more important. Suddenly you had to hear the voices of your loved ones and tell them you loved them. Remember the big fire? I don’t’ even have to tell you which one. Remember the bonding that took place?in our families and our community? Suddenly all the petty differences faded away, and all that mattered was helping each other. Safety.

PASSION.

Where did it go? Passion is a choice. We were each created with a unique passion for something. In God’s great and perfect plan, the earth would be functioning without flaw if we would have lived according to His plan—each according to our unique passion. In perfect balance. Our sin nature destroyed that. If you could start over, wipe the slate clean; have any resource available to you, what would your passion be? Are you living it? For many, it is not possible due to age, finances, health, etc. But you do not need to change your life drastically to live passionately! Like I said before, passion is a choice! It is seeing God in all things…even everyday routine! Look around you and inside of yourselves. This goes deeper than counting your blessings. Stop yourself. Dare to be passionate! What makes you pound your fist in righteous indignation? Christ did not endure torture and an unthinkably horrible death on the cross so that we can get emotional on Christmas and Easter! Dare to get excited about his saving grace! SAVOR the knowledge that YOU are a HIGHLY FAVORED CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD!! Carry your passion for living EVERY DAY as the “fragrance of Jesus”. Look at where you are! Whose you are! Be passionate about what He has done for you!

We are not called to slothful complacency, but to live life passionately!! FEEL. GIVE. LOVE! Yes, you can do this quietly. But get the sparkle back in your eyes! BLESS SOMEONE TODAY! Be His fragrance! When you leave the room, may people know Christ was present, and NOT scrunch up their nose and frown, thinking 'what's THEIR problem?'. We must stop expecting God to bring us more than we already have. Revival is here, now, within us. How can we regain that passion? Be filled with the Holy Spirit. How? We are commanded by God to do so. How? How does the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit become a reality in each of our lives? Simply ask. God is waiting. Just ask. Know that the answer is always 'Yes, and Amen!'.

Just a note to myself…. Right when I think I am filled with the Holy Spirit and I don’t need to learn how to do it any more, I see how very wrong I have been. THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM TO LEARN. There is always room for more. MORE, GOD. MORE!