Pas-sion-ate adj. Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.

Monday

Think about your passions. Do they come to mind easily, or is this something you haven’t pondered on before? I love the word passionate because it makes me feel like there are adventures ahead for me if I look at how incredible God has created me to be.
Passion often marks someone to stand out from the crowd. It moves you to be or do something extraordinary. When I think of passion I think of the deeper parts of myself that have longing and colour and texture to them. Passion is a place where I have the strongest emotions and protect the most intensely.
What does passion mean to you? If you’re still not sure look at the meaning above. Think about a cause or idea that takes you out of a safe place and into the realm of risk.
Give some of your time now to journaling your response to passion from others. Does it inspire you or put you on the defensive? Why?
This week may confirm or challenge your idea of being passionate. But if nothing else, I hope it gives you a new perspective into God’s character and what He longs to see come from you as His beautiful, amazing daughter!

Tuesday

After Solomon had completed building The Temple of God and his own palace, all the projects he had set his heart on doing, God appeared to Solomon again, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
And God said to him, “I’ve listened to and received all your prayers, your ever-so-passionate prayers. I’ve sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always. As for you, if you live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and action, living the life I’ve set out for you, attentively obedient to my guidance and judgments, then I’ll back your kingly rule over Israel, make it a sure thing on a solid foundation. The same guarantee I gave David your father I’m giving you: ‘You can count on always having a descendant on Israel’s throne.’ 1 Kings 9:1-5 (MSG)

It was interesting looking at the passages in Scripture about passion - both from God to His children, and from God’s children to Him. The passage that struck me was this one about Solomon. A wise and accomplished king - one who would be surpassed by no other in history! Now here we see that Solomon had completed all the projects laid within his heart and yet there was room for him to enter into a place of prayer that evoked the hand of God. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here so let’s go back to what I think is the start of all this. Solomon has a unique and deep relationship with God. He is made king at a young age and looks to God to supply all his needs and fulfill the mandate given to him from the Lord. It was almost like Solomon had an open heaven over him and that God would give him blessing and fruit in all that he did and hoped for. (You can read about it in 1 Kings 3.) All this took place at Gibeon where God appeared to Solomon in a dream - and this is where the hand of God moved in the life of Solomon to set him apart from all others. Notice when God appears and Solomon encounters the supernatural, it establishes more glory and blessing and presence of God in his life. Now again, God appears to Solomon just like He did at Gibeon. The passage is very clear about this and I believe it’s to emphasise the nature of this encounter as special, even revolutionary, to the path Solomon will take. Just as it was the first time!  What has all this got to do with passion? What precedes this radically distinctive moment? Passionate prayer. Solomon has ticked all his ‘wish list’ boxes but still, we find him in this passage praying to God with a fervent passion that moves into the heavenly realms and evokes a visitation from the God of the universe! When I think about that, it gives me a kindling spark in my spirit of what I can encounter with God through passion. Firstly, as a result of Solomon’s desire for relationship, we see God listen to him. God is in tune with the prayers of His chosen and especially the heart behind them. It’s probably time we stopped trying to fool God with prayers and hearts that aren’t authentic. This has been a personal revelation to me over many years of praying from the wrong side of the Spirit. But for Solomon, in this time, he was in tune with God and the Spirit of God in him. When we pray from the place it is drenched in passion and attractive to God - so attractive that He can’t help but turn up! This brings us to the second point - God responds to passion. He is drawn to it because it is a reflection of His own character. God is passionate, and He longs for that to be reflected in us. Solomon did this and reaped a whole new crop-load of blessing because of it. Lastly, the rest of this passage shows you that there are long term ramifications to being a passionate person in the kingdom of God. Solomon was going to be inundated with blessing after blessing based on the passionate prayers he uttered in the intimacy of a relationship with God. There is no one better to be passionate with than God! He always gets it and seems to reward it. He is a proud Dad and if you reveal the passion (that He put there in the first place), then you can be expectant for a response in the same ball park as Solomon! What an exciting adventure. . .

Wednesday

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. ” It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.” John 12:1-7 (NIV)

I love this story where Mary’s pure adoration of Jesus moves her from an observer to an initiator. Remember, Mary has sat at His feet, seen her brother raised from the dead and visited with Jesus on other occasions when He’d stayed in Bethany. What was this moment about? Why did Mary choose this visit to do what she did? It’s actually Judas that points out what I think are the major and minor reasons when he whinges about the costly perfume being wasted. He states that it is worth a year’s wages. Now, while I believe Mary, Martha and Lazarus were comfortable financially, they probably still needed to be wise, and here is Mary pouring out a year’s wages onto the floor! The upside is that her hair smelled great, but her actions were offensive to some in that room. Only Judas? I wonder? But back to the year’s wage. This tells me that Mary had premeditated her actions based on a growing passion manifesting inside her heart. She did not grab her expensive perfume on a whim and throw it around the house - she knew exactly what this was going to be used for - to bless her Lord. There would have been cheaper options in a household such as theirs, but she didn’t compromise. Her previous encounters with Jesus had left their mark on her heart and her spirit. She had witnessed personal miracles, as well as the other ‘regular’ interactions with Jesus. Can you imagine sitting at His feet and listening to Him in a one on one situation!!! Or how about seeing your brother walk out of a tomb days after his death. Mary had been given precious opportunities to deepen her relationship with Jesus and this is the result. Mary demonstrates in this passage exactly what you can expect if you’re open to the passion of God pouring into you, fermenting there for a while and then producing something exquisite as a response. So what is the major reason? I believe it’s the arousal of feelings and passions within her coming out of a safe and perfect relationship with Jesus, based on many, many wonderful moments. And the minor reason is the proof she desires to communicate to Jesus mirroring the depth of her affection. What does she do with that perfume? Well, she doesn’t give it to a servant to administer - she does it herself. Ordinarily an honour would be bestowed on a guest by anointing their head with oil, but Mary takes her demonstrative love to a whole other level! She lowers herself to the floor and anoints the least desirable part of Jesus body - His feet. Remember, He walked from town to town wearing sandals through dust, dung, mud and many other gross things, I’m sure! Eww. But this is the most touching part. . . Mary’s passionate love for Jesus takes her to a place where she can’t see the human reality of her actions, rather, her eyes are fixed on the beloved feet of a Saviour she longs to pour out all she has of value on. Does she stop there? No. Mary then unites her hair and possibly to the shock of all in that house, she wipes His feet clean with the prized possession of women in that day. An intimacy shared between Jesus and Mary brought about through relationship with God in man and a precious daughter in the kingdom. Passion can take us into a realm of possibilities that unlock a new world for us in the natural and the spiritual. I can’t help wondering what Mary’s life went on to look like. One thing I’m fairly sure of - Mary stepped out and increased her capacity to hold the passion and blessing of God. What does your capacity tank look like? Perhaps we should ‘trade up’ to something like Mary had?

Thursday

Can I throw a curve ball into your thoughts on passion? I see two sides to this incredibly strong characteristic - it comes from a place of creation where you cannot replicate it through skill or a blueprint, and, it comes from a place of will inside of you where you’re in control of it growing into something more. This is the paradox of passion when it’s unleashed in the heart of a beloved daughter of the King. Firstly, it is a part of you from the moment of conception in the heart and mind of the Creator God. You are given a portion of passion. The reason this has to be is because it reflects the Creator and His passion. You cannot exude anything through your own power or skill that God hasn’t hidden within you in the first place! Passion is what God demonstrated when He spoke the world into existence, and when He gave His own Son as a ransom to save you and when He sent His Spirit to guide you into all revelation! So it must follow that passion is going to be a very real part of who you are as you imitate this amazing character trait of your Dad. I find myself saddened when other children of God lack the belief of passion hidden within them. They aren’t moved by anything in a convicted, enthusiastic or intense way and I can’t accept that there isn’t something within them that longs for a depth of encounter with God that only passion can bring. What I do believe is that these people live a life half lived - a life where there has to be a major compromise on the original plan God set aside with their name on before they were even born. To believe that you are predetermined in the heart of God must move you into a realm of passion that responds to the revelation of God in you. In other words, God thinks highly of you and created you for greatness based on His passion for you - that must affect you! Secondly, and only after you have taken the first point on board, you now have passionate seeds within you straight from your Abba Father and it’s up to you to see what they will become. God isn’t going to force you to do anything you don’t want to. His whole ethos in being the God He is, is to love us beyond comprehension and bless us incredibly as we travel this life living in the hope of future glory through His Son, Jesus. If God doesn’t force us to love Him, accept Him, trust Him, surrender to Him and follow Him then why oh why would He force His passion on us? It’s there within you, not just because He gives you His spiritual DNA, and that includes passion, but because He always prepares you with abundance for the plans He has for you. So, there is a reason you have passion. Your job is to embrace it and grow it through deep relationships with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Then the passion seeds will grow and take on a place of conviction within you giving power to act as a true ambassador of Christ. Passion is something I look at in others and feel attracted to because of the magnetic strength I see in them. A passionate person sees further, hears clearer, endures longer, knows fuller, sows liberally, harvests fruitfully and influences immeasurably! If that’s what passion can do then we should all be wanting more of it in our lives, but, it can also cost more. Mary was probably misunderstood by most, if not all, of the people banqueting in her home because of her passionate act of love towards Jesus. But He saw from a richer perspective than anyone else and defends her liberal actions. Jesus was touched by her passion in the natural and the spiritual. That’s what passion does - it invades the human and spirit world to lay foundations of God’s character that cannot be shaken. You have the seeds of great passion straight from the throne room within you, the question is, do you believe it enough to uncork it and risk where it may lead you?

Friday

Spend some time combing through Scripture and recording the passion of God towards His people. Look at some of the different people in the old and new testament - dive into their stories and find the passion of God towards them. Journal what moves the passion of God in their lives. What does their passion towards God do?
Think of Solomon and what effects his passion had in the natural and spiritual world.
Do you have that kind of relationship with God where He manifests encounters with you to bring about amazing blessing for you and your future?
I guess the better question is . . . What can you learn from Solomon and Mary to bring about encounters with God that invade your dream world, your actions, your finances, your family, your work place, your relationships and your future?
Answer that in an honest and full way and you will be way ahead in the opportunities God longs to give you. Remember, it wasn’t until Solomon asked for something to bring glory into the world around him that God poured out all the other goodies too.
Mary looked at her situation armed with an oil jar and a heart full of passion - she based her next move on the desire she had to do something very unconventional, but very incredible! What unconventional, incredible encounters are in your future? Maybe the Lord will release them to you in a dream!