The Passion of Our Lord (our blueprint)
I have quoted famous quotes from famous people because passion is not just for Christ – followers. Passion has influenced every sphere in this world, but true passion has its origin in God’s character. Every one needs passion to succeed, but The PASSION of our Lord is the crystal-clear component that everyone needs to have everlasting promises, and obtain extraordinary results as true success. What a precious possession! This word, passion, when you see it from its original meaning, you appreciate and learn to truly value it for your own life.
You must understand the life of Jesus as He was during his earthly ministry to truly appreciate the passion He has for you. He was completely man, just like we are. Unbelievers need to embrace the Bible not as a book of fables or tales, but as the Living Word of God that is full of principles and laws. The Bible is true history of a nation that has taken God as their only God. I am speaking of the earthly Israel and the spiritual Israel. The Bible is the inspired and living Word of God but it also speaks of true history. Why has it been so difficult for many people to accept the Bible as a book of principles, facts, and laws for mankind? I truly believe this is because they see the Bible only as a spiritual guidance but they fall short in their thinking to realize that everything that is written in the Bible was also part of history. People have no problem believing in recent or ancient famous and infamous people because it is part of our academic history. I dare our school systems to educate people in the rich history of the Bible and we will see a generation that knows God, has respect for God, and learns to live a more successful life.
Even Napoleon Bonaparte, a man who history considers one of the best military strategists who ever lived, along with Alexander the Great and Julius Cesar made mention of our Lord Jesus. After Napoleon's death, Henry Parry Liddon asserted that Napoleon, while in exile on St. Helena, compared himself unfavourably to Christ. According to Liddon's sources, Napoleon said to Count Montholon that while he and others such as "Alexander, Caesar and Charlemagne" founded vast empires, their achievements relied on force, while Jesus "founded his empire on love." After further discourse about Christ and his legacy, Napoleon then reputedly said, "It...proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ.(see “Napoleon I of France from Wikipedia website”)
"Well then, I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him. . . . I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man; none else is like Him: Jesus Christ was more than a man. . . . I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic devotion that they would have died for me . . . but to do this is was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, of my voice. When I saw men and spoke to them, I lightened up the flame of self-devotion in their hearts. . . . Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may often seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. All who sincerely believe in Him, experience that remarkable, supernatural love toward Him. This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man's creative powers. Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame; time can neither exhaust its strength nor put a limit to its range. This is it, which strikes me most; I have often thought of it. This it is which proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Many people who are skeptic and agnostic for the things of God spend so much time searching for the true and exhaust all of their strength seeking valid evidence to believe in something greater than them. They are in search of something because they realized that there is something much greater that can influence their lives, but they will ignore all the evidence that has been presented already testifying our God is true, Jesus is undeniable and that the things of the Spirit are real. If our schools could at least consider this unquestionable part of history in their textbooks, such information would be of tremendous benefit to future generations. Today we can get so much information about anything and everything you want to know with the help of a computer keyboard, yet most people know very little about our Lord Jesus and His passion.
Our Lord Jesus did not come to start a new religion and still to this date religion is the worst enemy to our faith and an obstacle to truly and personally know Him. Religion has driven people away from visiting the church. Religion has been the cause of arguments, disputes, and many discontents at the church. Religion has many times been the cancer in the Body of Christ. Our Lord Jesus doesn’t speak about religion. Everything that Jesus spoke has changed the course of history because His words have transformed millions of lives and for two thousand years, He has kept His promises. But, what was the real motive behind Jesus’ ministry? On the night before He got arrested, during his suffering prayer at Gethsemane we can see His heart getting consumed to the point of bleeding (please read the whole prayer to appreciate the heart of His ministry John 17:1-26 “…..this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”). Our Lord Jesus came to this earth to give wisdom, true everlasting life, and present help to our unpleasant circumstances. He is not only inspiration to many lives but also an unexplainable and credible answer to many of our own problems. As I was able to illustrate with the previous laws, The PASSION of our Lord was able to stand all the Laws and Precepts, even from the most demanding critic. The illustration given above, Passion vs. Obsession, helped picture the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ to a world that needs real answers, and a true mentor to achieve a successful life. Our Lord Jesus Christ emptied Himself in every way to show us the way, the truth and the Life we must follow if we honestly want success and not fail.
Passion is the first step to achievement. Passion increases your willpower. Passion transforms you. Passion makes the impossible possible. Although Passion will find expression, in either healthy or unhealthy ways, you can make the right choice by knowing where each passion comes from (See Chapter 2 – Stranger fire in the camp). It is your personal decision to select what kind of passion you must follow to lead you to success. It is my prayer that you can see very clear the whole panorama about the right Passion for your life.
The Passion of our Lord is not an unconvincing suggestion. He died in an extraordinary death sacrificing everything for our behalf. Picture a King giving up His throne and all of His riches for the sake of His people. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor (to be as a beggar, to become indigent, # 4433 greek), so that you through his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9. God delights Himself in a sincere relationship with us. After He made Adam and Eve with that in mind, to have communion with the Father in a regular basis and Adam “turned his back on Him”; God continued to seek a man He could call Friend (James 2:23: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.”) This heart to heart relationship and mind to mind communication with God speaks of the awesome love God has for us. Even God had to pay the price when he created us in His own image; that price of free will limited God to protect us from our own destruction but He could not break the rules of the game. He wanted sons to enjoy communion with, and not robots. After the fall of man, God, our loving Father, restrained His omnipotent saving hand and cast Adam and Eve out of the paradise. The heart of the Father still weeps for a relationship with His sons because He took pleasure creating us. His Passion for us is indescribable. Because of His infinite wisdom, He ordained from before creation that the Son should come, suffer, and die for us. Evil was inevitable because of God’s choice to give us free will. Again, His desire was to have sons and not robots. Restoration, healing, and forgiveness were also available from the beginning but even people had to choose. NOTHING IS AUTOMATIC.
So the Father would love to straighten up every child’s mess instantly (just like us, parents, with our children) but His abundant love must give time for us to discover the effects of the law of sowing and reaping. As much as He loves to keep us out of our own destruction (because of the choices we make), He must not intervene, or His sons will never learn. Fingers that are lightly placed in a hot stove by a mother who teaches the children to respect and have healthy boundaries can save those children’s lives from an eternal hell. Forgiveness from a Holy and Pure Father could not be automatic because forgiveness alone cannot create conviction, confession, repentance, and purity of heart. There must be a cry for mercy, justice, and divine love. That horrible sacrifice paid on the cross on your behalf was the extraordinary event that marked history. Right at the cross, that’s when an old history ended and new history starts. HIS STORY.
We all need Passion to stay committed to our success but it is only with the PASSION of the One who already knows the way to victory. I can assure you, He can be your Mentor and help you achieve success with the desires of your heart.
