Sustained Passion

Sustained Passion

“Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the

Scriptures: ‘Passion for God’s house will consume me’.”

                                             John 2:17

Shortly after the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana in which He turned the water into wine, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. What happened when He entered the temple almost seemed out of character for a God who displayed such incredible love, mercy and acceptance throughout His ministry. John records that in a display of passion, Jesus made a whip out of cords, driving out those selling animals and exchanging money, going so far as to turn over their tables sending the money they were exchanging flying everywhere.

Fast forward three years in Jesus life from the events described in the second chapter of John at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry to Palm Sunday, just a few short days before Jesus was to be crucified. Jesus again entered the temple, again saw things going on that weren’t right in God’s house, again “drove out all who were buying and selling there”, and again overturned the tables of the money changers. It was at that point that Jesus quoted the prophecy of Isaiah, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”

Sustained passion! Three years of ministry, three years of meeting the needs of hurting people wherever He went had not dampened Jesus’ passion for the honor of His Father’s house. With the cross looming large on the horizon, His vision remained clear and His passion was undiminished – “My Father’s house will be a house of prayer.” Three years later, passion for the honor of His Father continued to be a driving force in the life of Jesus.

Sadly, the kind of sustained passion that Jesus demonstrated is not always seen in the lives of those He died to save. We start out strong and with good intentions but our vision becomes clouded; our priorities slowly change over time with God being relegated to a place of convenience, and our passion for the things of God is lost. But God, in His unfailing love and mercy, is calling His people back to a life of passion and devotion, and most importantly, to a consistency in that passion that honors the Lord over time. Let Jesus’ example of sustained passion move each of us to search our hearts, to look back over the years and, if need be, seek to recover any lost love or passion that filled our hearts at the beginning.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church