A Passion For Christ

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful…do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…you were bough at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
(1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

We hear people talk of Christ’s final days of life as the Passion of Christ. It refers to His suffering: the torture, the ridicule, and finally the crucifixion, all for you and me. He endured it all in obedience to the Father and because of His love for us. He asked the Father for an easier way, nevertheless, He accepted the cup given to Him (Matt.26) and carried out the task of saving man from our sin.

Christ’s Holy Week was nothing like a holy week we could imagine. We would probably think of a week away on retreat, a prayer revival, a short –term mission trip, or even a week of Vacation Bible School. While we may be passionate about our prayer life, our service for Christ, and even our responsibility to study and show ourselves approved, what are we suffering for Christ?

If we are to share in the salvation Christ has provided for us by His suffering, then surely we will suffer from our faith in Him as we walk throughout the world.

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake…(Philippians 1:29)

As we grow in our faith and begin to take steps of obedience for Christ’s sake, we will suffer! As we develop a passion for Christ, we may experience ridicule from friends, isolation from family, even rejection from co-workers. But does any of this compare to what Christ endured for our sake? We have so many opportunities to take a stand for Christ today, yet we don’t want to face the possible consequences. Do we stand for Christ when it comes to office jokes and language that is unbecoming of a Christian? Do we take action when we see the provocative men’s magazines in children’s eyesight at the local store? Do we speak to our government representatives about topics concerning marriage, unborn infants, and pornography? If given the opportunity, would we risk our reputation or our popularity for Christ?

We spend so much time trying to avoid a situation, which we miss opportunities to witness. If we are truly passionate for Christ, we’ll look for where He is already at work, providing an opportunity for us, and passionately step in and do what God is challenging us to do! We need to embrace the challenges He gives us; a financial struggle, an illness, a challenge with our children, a job loss. We need to recall how Job honored God throughout his suffering, only to receive much more from the Lord in the end. No matter what we suffer, we know the end is our salvation…to live with Christ eternally! Isn’t that reward in itself? The question to ask while going through a challenge is not why, but how can I glorify God and what would God have me to do. Let’s embrace suffering as a way to honor the Lord and witness for Him!

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let Him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (1 Peter 4:16)