I’ve always felt the difference between something being done well and not being done as good as it should be, comes down to passion. In other words, exceeding in excellence comes as a result of passion. John Maxwell puts it this way “Passion gives you an advantage over others, because one person with passion is greater than ninety-nine who have only an interest”

Passionate people are fun to be around. They create an energy of excitement just with their presence. I have a friend call Les and he is passionate about Jesus and his relationship with Him. When you find yourself around Les, he will keep on talking about Jesus and the kingdom of God. For every single minute of every day, Les is grateful and thankful to what Jesus is doing for him as a recovering alcoholic. He is aware he has made progress in his life in general because of God’s grace and his deliverance from addiction.

When I am with Les, it is impossible not to get passionate about Jesus. Passion creates an overflow of joy and has the ability to transform lives. It also brings out a heart of gratitude towards God. Irrespective of someone’s circumstances, being passionate helps us to be grateful. I have had the privilege to travel to countries where folks do not have much in quality of life, but they have a measure of gratitude that lies deep within, which can only come from passion.

In reality, everybody is passionate about something. People are passionate about things like cars, about football, about their work, about their skills etc…

I often find it difficult when believers say I cannot find a reason to be passionate about church. If we can get passionate about other things, we can get passionate about the things of God. It’s sad to see folks in the presence of King Jesus, in praise and worship looking totally disengaged and utterly disinterested. Nobody will behave that way towards someone we truly value and love. That type of approach never produces a positive and vibrant energy. In fact, it’s quite the contrary, because we are spirits we tend to carry what we have and impact others with what we have. Being passionate is essential not only for us but for others around us. Our passion or enthusiasm can really uplift someone and make their day.

To come to the realisation and revelation that God sent Jesus to die so that my debt can be erased, my sin forgiven, and my future assured, gives me a very good reason to be passionate. That should be the case for every believer out there.

Scripture tells us in ”Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭

One translation of “your might” means with your vigour, your strength with passion. I believe we can achieve a different result just by being passionate. Doing exactly the same task, with passion, we can achieve a whole different ball game.

As leaders, we need to encourage people to find their passion in God. Churches need to create an atmosphere and culture of passion. Passion is a commodity that attracts others. Jesus approached his disciples with passion! He got their attention and highjacked their lives for the better. They left everything to follow Him. We need that energy in our lives, church and community. Somebody can find that passion in music, in welcoming or indeed in giving. I wholeheartedly believe the body of Christ will look different with passionate people fulfilling their God given dreams and destiny. Sometimes, if I can bottle the passion of a simple football game and release the same passion inside our churches, I believe our churches, indeed our services will look different.

Falling in love with Jesus creates passion. Are you in love with Jesus just like the day you first encountered Him? If you can cast your mind back, you were so full of joy and full of zeal. That passion oozed out of everything you did. I believe we need to fall in love with Jesus all over again and keep feeding the understanding of His love through prayer, worship and with the communion of other believers. It makes such a difference.

To conclude, passion is such an important part of who we are and what we need to do. God’s church is already powerfully equipped with passionate people who need to rediscover themselves and use that positive energy within the body of Christ.