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)
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Passion and Perseverance
I have an affinity for these two virtues. And by affinity, I'm not suggesting I'm particularly developed in either two. But I think about them a lot and I speak to people about them a lot. I am currently reading J. P. Moreland's book called Love Your God With All Your Mind. Moreland touches upon these virtues in the following quote:
I also came across these two virtues in a recent blog post by Ray Ortlund Jr at his blog Christ Is Deeper Still:
Zeal and resolve
The Christian thinker should be a passionate person filled with ardor or zeal [both are synonymous with passion] - zeal for God and truth. The zeal expresses itself in a passion to know and to do the truth and to live a religiously reasonable form of life. It also helps make possible the vigilance [perseverance] necessary to stick to a life of study when it is not convenient or not particularly valued by those around you...An impatient generation looking for instant solutions and quick answers will be a generation of shallow slogans. (109-10)
I also came across these two virtues in a recent blog post by Ray Ortlund Jr at his blog Christ Is Deeper Still:
The righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
"Two things urgently needed in ministers, if they would attempt great advances for the kingdom of Christ, are zeal and resolve. Their influence and power for impact are greater than we think. A man of ordinary abilities will accomplish more with zeal and resolve than a man ten times more gifted without zeal and resolve. . . . Men who are possessed by these qualities commonly carry the day in almost all affairs. Most of the great things that have been done in the world, the great revolutions that have been accomplished in the kingdoms and empires of the earth, have been primarily owing to zeal and resolve. The very appearance of a intensely engaged spirit, together with a fearless courage and unyielding resolve, in any person that has undertaken leadership in any human affair goes a long way toward accomplishing the intended outcome. . . . When people see a high degree of zeal and resolve in a person, it awes them and has a commanding influence upon them. . . . But while we are cold and heartless and only go on in a dull manner, in an old formal round, we will never accomplish anything great. Our efforts, when they display such coldness and irresolution, will not even make people think of yielding. . . . The appearance of such indifference and cowardice does, as it were, call for and provoke opposition. Our misery is lack of zeal and courage."
Jonathan Edwards, "Thoughts on the Revival," in Works, I:424, paraphrased.
I see 'zeal and resolve' as yet another facet of passion and perseverance. I think perseverance, resolve, persistence, or vigilance are all a product of both God's Spirit at works and us and our co-operation with Him in sanctification. For our part, I believe our choice to persevere is informed by our mind and our emotions. Generally, I think we know that persisting is the right thing to do. But our emotions are not always 'on board' with that decision. And that is where passion comes in.
Being passionate, having zeal and ardor, is the emotional stance that will help us to persevere. Passion is basically strength of emotion and zeal is tireless devotion. When we are passionate our emotional state is one that cries "keep on keeping on".
Keep your eyes open for another post describing how to maintain passion in your life.
"Two things urgently needed in ministers, if they would attempt great advances for the kingdom of Christ, are zeal and resolve. Their influence and power for impact are greater than we think. A man of ordinary abilities will accomplish more with zeal and resolve than a man ten times more gifted without zeal and resolve. . . . Men who are possessed by these qualities commonly carry the day in almost all affairs. Most of the great things that have been done in the world, the great revolutions that have been accomplished in the kingdoms and empires of the earth, have been primarily owing to zeal and resolve. The very appearance of a intensely engaged spirit, together with a fearless courage and unyielding resolve, in any person that has undertaken leadership in any human affair goes a long way toward accomplishing the intended outcome. . . . When people see a high degree of zeal and resolve in a person, it awes them and has a commanding influence upon them. . . . But while we are cold and heartless and only go on in a dull manner, in an old formal round, we will never accomplish anything great. Our efforts, when they display such coldness and irresolution, will not even make people think of yielding. . . . The appearance of such indifference and cowardice does, as it were, call for and provoke opposition. Our misery is lack of zeal and courage."
Jonathan Edwards, "Thoughts on the Revival," in Works, I:424, paraphrased.
I see 'zeal and resolve' as yet another facet of passion and perseverance. I think perseverance, resolve, persistence, or vigilance are all a product of both God's Spirit at works and us and our co-operation with Him in sanctification. For our part, I believe our choice to persevere is informed by our mind and our emotions. Generally, I think we know that persisting is the right thing to do. But our emotions are not always 'on board' with that decision. And that is where passion comes in.
Being passionate, having zeal and ardor, is the emotional stance that will help us to persevere. Passion is basically strength of emotion and zeal is tireless devotion. When we are passionate our emotional state is one that cries "keep on keeping on".
Keep your eyes open for another post describing how to maintain passion in your life.
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