Passion

From Jack Deere's book Surprised by the Power of the Spirit:

"I like the word passion because it stresses an emotional side of love. Passion can be defined as " any kind of feeling by which the mind is powerfully effected or moved: a vehement, commanding, or overpowering emotion." Passion is a feeling that moves the mind and the will to action. The term passion covers a whole range of feelings that are appropriate to living God ... I want these passionate feeling to characterize my relationship with the Lord Jesus. Of course, I want to be perfectly obedient to the Lord, but I want that obedience to spring out of a passionate love for him. I want to obey Jesus not simply out of discipline or duty, or because of some reward or fear of punishment. I want t serve him simply for the joy of being able to please the one I love so much. If discipline is what ultimately drives us in our pursuit of Jesus, eventually we will give up that pursuit. But a man in love or a woman in love will never quit ... I want my life to be characterized by an unrestrained affection for the Son of God." (192)