Passion

It is easy to set our eyes on what doesn’t matter. This world has a way of making things that have very little, if any, eternal value seem like they’re all that matters. We can easily be distracted from the best and the eternal by the good and the temporal. When this happens we become inward focused and can be overtaken by fear and anxiety.

Covid-19 was a good example of this. It was so easy for the church to get divided over masks, vaccines, conspiracies, and speculations when we’re tasked with keeping our eyes on Jesus and trusting Him. In our personal lives, money, fame, power, and keeping up with the Joneses can debilitate our passion for Christ and render us ineffective in the spiritual realm. When the two disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus, downcast over the death of their Rabbi, the risen Jesus came alongside of them. But they didn’t recognize Him. He asked them what was the matter, and they explained that their hopes had seemingly died with their leader and that His body was missing. Jesus then gave them a slight rebuke and proceeded to open the Scriptures, explaining to them why the Messiah had to suffer the way He did. Can you imagine that exposition?

The actual author of the Word explaining it perfectly and without speculation! After that, they asked Him to stay and eat with them. When He took bread, blessed it and broke it, they immediately recognized Him, and He instantly disappeared. They realized that Jesus was risen, and that was all that mattered! They talked about how their hearts burned within them when He was expounding on His Word and rushed back to tell the rest of the followers the good news. What changed for them? They spent time with the Creator and realized what really mattered. All else fell away.

We need to sit at the feet of Jesus and allow His Spirit to remind us afresh and anew of what really matters and to reignite our passion for Him. We need to be taught by the Master through His Word, His church, and His leading so that we stay focused on the truth of our eternity and His gospel that changes people. We need to regain our passion for our God and truly live in the light of eternal hope.