Daily Reading for Wednesday, Jan. 23: Passion

“And you shall love the Lord your God...out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding)” Mark 12:30b The Amplified Bible

Passion is so often defined in the emotional context that its other applications can be overlooked. While the expression of passion may be greatest in the emotional realm, the nurturing of passion takes place in the mental realm. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 Our passion for anything, especially for God, is not limited in any one arena. When we truly have passion for something, it is the primary thought we dwell on. I know many people who like scrap-booking, and I know a few who are passionate about it. At first, these passionate ones attended a class or two, and they put some pages together. Before you knew it, they were putting books together, investing in supplies, going to classes, joining groups, and devoting all their spare time to scrap-booking. It was all they could think about! That is how passionate we need to be with the Lord. We can’t get through the day without thinking about him, without talking to him, without trying to get to know him better. We try to find out more about him—we’ll even invent creative ways to spend time with him. All because his love has consumed our thoughts—or more accurately, our love for him has consumed us. We have united our thoughts and our will to fix our minds on he who is seated in heavenly realms. Make no mistake—love for Christ will elevate your thinking. As you think on him, you will not have room to think on “things below,” and your mind will be transformed by your passion for Christ.