suffering

Some people have a passion for shoes or food, others are passionately in love.

The word 'passion' is almost always used as a synonym for the words 'love'.

Passion actually derives from the Greek word πάσχω (paskho), which means 'to suffer'.

Yes, one may suffer in love, and that is passionate, but the ultimate poster boy for being passionate was, and is, Jesus.

He suffered so much for us:

"he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed."

Isaiah 53:5*

This suffering is huge, imagine being beaten or whipped for someone you don't even know? I know that there has been times I’ve seen people punished (just simple ones like a detention or a speeding ticket), and I have just stood there, posing as an innocent bystander, it never crossed my mind to take their suffering upon myself. Most of the time I’m just glad it wasn’t me who was caught.

But Jesus took the blame for everything, everything we have ever done.

In His death and His suffering, we are forgiven. He was perfect, but took it all.

That is passion.

But it doesn’t stop there.

As followers of Christ it is not going to be easy, because true followers of Him are passionate about Him. This means that we will have to suffer.

Life isn’t easy; we will be mocked, ridiculed and persecuted for being Christians.

All of that will be worth it, because if we continue to love Him through everything, we will receive His glory. It is his love and acceptance that truly matters. That is what is everlasting, not the acceptance of this world that will end in a few decades.

One cannot say they have a passion for the Lord if they are not willing to suffer for what they believe in, to suffer for the eternal love He has to offer.

“together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

Romans 8:17

*How rad is it that Jesus' redemption for our sins is prophesied in Isaiah - hundreds of years before he was even born?