Love God Passionately

“And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’” Matt. 22:35-40

The word "passion" often carries with it sensual or negative connotations. We think of “crimes of passion” or an immoral act committed in the “heat of passion.”

Passion is a powerful emotion, an overwhelming love of desire that supercedes all other interests. It does not have to be negative; in fact, Jesus says in Matthew 22:37, “...love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” That is what it means to love God passionately.

R.C. Sproul describes it this way in his book One Holy Passion: “If we are to progress in godliness we need to fan the flames of a holy passion. We need a single-minded desire to know God. We follow Jesus who went before us.

He was moved by a single passion - to do the will of His Father. His meat and drink were to do His Father’s will...Jesus revealed the Father to us and called us to imitate His own pursuit. His priority is set before us - to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

Do you have passionate feelings for God? Is a love relationship with your Lord and Savior the all-consuming drive of your existence? He wants it to be. Ask Him today to give you a longing to know Him more.