Greg Austin│22 July, 2007 

Passion is the Fuel of Life; it is the ingredient that brings Success, Satisfaction, Significance. Without Passion, life is dull, work is drudgery, days are monotonous.  Without Passion, the question looms without rejoinder . . . "Why?"

History is cluttered with mountains of bleaching bones of unfulfilled, unproductive lives; lives lived in bland and drab barrenness. Perhaps the saddest of epitaphs is “he passed by here, and no one noticed.”

The author of Hebrews records the spiritual heroes of history in chapter eleven of his Book. If we can find the key to the exploits rendered by that list of spiritual giants, we discover the key to our own, personal catalog of exploits.

Over and again in this chapter we encounter the word “faith.” “By faith” men and women achieved greatness – through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. . .

So much energy has been focused on the “faith” ingredient of the equation.

Faith is essential to the conqueror, but faith must be accompanied, embraced and directed by focus. A high-powered rifle, constructed with a capacity to drive a bullet at lightening speed toward a target must have a sighting system in order to be effective. So our lives must have a spiritual “sighting system” – a means of focusing our aim on a desired target, goal, objective; and that “sighting system” is the thing called “Purpose.”

But Purpose is not born of barrenness; Purpose is the child of Faith. Then Passion becomes the propellant, launching us into the adventure of overcoming.

                                       

Not barren or self-centered, earthly passion, as one might find for some social cause or a passion for the arts, or a passion to travel the world, but a passion, borne of the Holy Spirit of God in the very councils of the Highest, proceeding forth from the heart of God, from the Center, intended to carry the Seed of His desire to its fruition in the unfolding panorama of Eternal Destiny.

The echo of His word rings through the ages: "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth."

Always there is an end; a cause, a purpose established. He moves with unclouded direction, “know ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?”

God has given us the facility to receive of Him the desires – the passions – of our hearts. His Son promised, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. The crux is “if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you.”

And if we abide, we find Purpose, and finding Purpose, Passion erupts, breaks out like a Serengeti lion, caged by his tormenter, who suddenly discovers an unlocked gate.

Passion explodes and leads; it guides and gives context for faith, it frames the canvas of eternity and produces the magnificent Tapestry of Purpose, the thing absent in so many otherwise promising and potential-filled lives.

“Potential,” a word formed by the root word “potent,” “having, or wielding force.” Sad, to have, to wield force but to never unsheathe potential, to never engage the enemy with force, the ability to triumph.

Alas, so much sword-rattling, and so little conquering.

Faith Reveals Purpose, and Purpose produces Passion

The first secret is to “abide.” To “live in,” to find the “resting place,” the abode, the dwelling place in Him. Abiding, we discover our identity, an identity that finds expression in the character, the heart of God exposed through Jesus.

Then Passion comes, in effortless descent as in the Genesis, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. He moves upon us, settles upon our hearts, giving meaning, value, direction to life.

Passion becomes the white-hot laser that burned through the eyes of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Esther, Jeremiah, Mary, Jesus, Peter, Paul, Timothy.

This one thing I do . . . . could be spoken by them all:  

This one thing I do, 

        forgetting those things which are behind,

             reaching forth unto those things which are before,

                        I press toward the mark

                                     for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

The Apostle understood; Passion exists to fulfill a Purpose.

The Man of focus, the Man of Purpose declared, "if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." The key is singleness of sight – focus – A single eye: The aim of life and the intention of the heart; by the eye we set our end before us, the mark we shoot at, the place we go to, we keep that in view, and direct our motion there; in every thing we do in relationship with heaven; there is something fixed, something pre-determined, something to be obtained, to capture.

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. . . and reaching forth."

Always stretching, reaching, aspiring, hoping, desiring, and determining to finish with focus, with passion, with purpose.

For too many, salvation is merely a state of being rather than a doorway to the Great room of Eternal Purpose.

We are “saved” by faith in the finished work of Christ. We are “born again” – but to what? Born again merely to obtain residence in heaven? No! Born again to live a different life! Born again to inherit a place and to obtain a power to live as citizens of another, a heavenly Kingdom.

At the New Birth, we depart, forever, the realm and the kingdoms of this present, flawed and selfish world. We gain entrance into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. We become citizens of a holy society, and we “obtain.”

We have “place” and position in another realm. We are now Ambassadors, Official Envoys; Agents of chief rank sent out to represent another, over-arching Government; the government of heaven.

How many have “perished” because of the lethargy borne of fear? But Passion pushes fear into the abyss and throws open the windows of faith to reach out, to stretch out; to obtain the promises of God.

Queen Esther discovered truth: Her uncle, Mordecai declared it concisely: Esther was ruled by her fear of death should she speak what she knew, and a godly man instructed: "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish."

The ancient words hang, crowded with potential, in the air: Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Too few ever find answer to the question.

The eternal purpose God has written upon our hearts remains unseen, unrealized by those who will not seek out, who will not search with all their beings what it is about, what their lives are intended to become – to find meaning, purpose, and so find passion, zeal.

The prophet promises a coming One; ". . . unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever."

And what power accomplishes it all? The zeal (the passion) of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

And where is the zeal? The passion? Will you ask? Will you seek? Do you know Your Purpose? The Purpose?