Passion takes you somewhere

It took Moses through a wilderness, Nehemiah to Jerusalem, and John the Baptist throughout the land preaching the Good News.  More importantly, it took a man to a cross.  He lived his life perfectly with love and care even though he was to suffer the most excruciating death known to mankind.  But he had a passion.  He had passion for you.  The nails went through his hands and whips went across his back because he was passionate for you.  Passionate to bring you to God and give you a fulfilled and abundant life on earth and in heaven.  In fact, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NLT).

Passion will take you somewhere too.  It could be somewhere good or somewhere bad.  That's why it is important to always make sure your passions are in-line with God's.

There are so many times that we get so carried away with a passion that we end up in a place in life where we really don't want to be.  We thought it would make us happy, only to realize it doesn't.  I believe the book of Luke tells us how, like Jesus, we can take care of our passions.  

Luke 9:23 says, "And he [Jesus] said to them all, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.'"

As we pick that cross of surrender up each day, I believe we need to take our passions there too.  Just like Jesus.  That way, they can be approved by the one who years before took a passion of his to the cross and literally surrendered himself.  Now, we come to the cross, not to die but to live with an approved and Godly passion.  This way, we know we are praising God and being taken somewhere good in the long-run.