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What is passion? It is surely the becoming and releasing of one’s authentic self. His passion reveals ‘His’ redemptive, substitutionary desire for you! Are you not, for most of your lives, marking time if not chasing his passion? Most of your being is at rest, un-lived, unless sparked by his passion. In passion; your body, soul and spirit seeks expression outside of self. What you are ‘passionate’ about reveals the uniqueness that is ‘you’. Passion ignites giftedness and causes you to live out who you are~~ in the ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ of him. 

All passion is measured in Jesus’ passion (read Isaiah 53).  Passion called Jesus to earth to live the exemplary life. And it called ‘him’, the Son of Man to the Cross to make the ultimate sacrifice. Of course his expression of passion is the most extreme in history. The more extreme and the more expressed that passion becomes; the more unbearable your life seems without it. It reminds you that if passion dies or is denied, you are partly dead and that soon, come what may, you will be wholly so.  

Passion; unlike the major portion of life’s experiences, brings about change. But it is change that seems like a cruel joke apart from the virtue and spiritual fruit of patience. The changes I bring about in passion come about deliberately. Passion; on the one hand hurries you and at the same time makes life a series of deliberate acts. 

The unrequited desire of passion calls you deeper and deeper into his story. The more you attempt to hold on to your confidence in the goodness of the story he is telling while at the same time acknowledging all that is bewildering and maddening and shatteringly disappointing in this life, the more you will be confronted with the ongoing moment of decision, to passionately trust or not to trust. Only in dark nights will hope burn bright enough to sustain your faith and release your love. 

Impulse and passion are the very life-blood of all action. The challenge of growth, and ultimately maturity, is to learn to strike the balance between impulse and passion. This challenge will frustrate you to the point of desiring and settling for nothing short of His passionate intervention. 

Passion will open your eyes and let what you see drive you to the precipice of unbelief apart from him. It will also let what you feel bring you to the brink of despair apart from him. “Passion reminds you that ‘I’ exist, that ‘I’ am good, that ‘My’ story is about how much ‘I’ love, and that ‘My’ passionate plan is on course. ‘My’ Spirit will continually speak into those deep places of your hearts that only terrifying doubt renders you un-accessible. And even in that place, I will anchor you in hope!” 

Arms Open Wide by Misty Edwards brings Passion in focus!
What does love look like? Is the question I’ve been pondering
What does love look like?
What does love look like? is the question I’ve been asking of You
Once believed that love was romance, just a chance
I even thought that love was for the lucky and the beautiful
I once believed that love was a momentary bliss, but love is more than this
All You ever wanted was my attention
All You ever wanted was love from me
All You ever wanted was my affections to sit here at Your feet and tell me
What does love look like? Is the question I’ve been pondering
What does love look like? If all of life comes down to love then tell me
What does love look like? Is the question I’ve been pondering
What does love look like?
Then I sat down a little frustrated and confused
Your fire of life comes down to love. And love has to be more than sentiment,
More than selfishness and selfish gain
Then I saw Him there
Hanging on a tree, looking at me
I saw Him there
Hanging on a tree, looking at me
He was looking at me looking at Him, staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes
And I began to weep and weep
He had arms wide open, heart exposed
Arms wide open, He was bleeding, bleeding.
Arms wide open, heart exposed
Arms wide open, He was bleeding, bleeding
Loves definition
Loves definition, was looking at me
Looking at Him. Hanging on a tree
I began to weep and weep and weep and weep
This is how I know what love is.

And as I sat there, weeping, crying, those beautiful eyes
Full of desire and love. And He said to me
You shall love Me...You shall love Me.
With arms wide open, heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding
You shall love Me… You shall love Me.
If anybody’s looking for love in all the wrong places
If you’ve been searching for love, come to Me. Come to me.
Take up your cross. Deny yourself.
Forget your father’s house and run. Run with Me.
Cause you were made for abandon your heart and listen
Cause you were made for Someone greater, Someone bigger, so follow Me.
And you’ll come alive when you learn to die.
And He said to me
You shall love Me. You shall love Me
With arms wide open, heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

These lyrics touch the heart of "Passion and Spiritual Intimacy"—a passion and intimacy few ever allow their selves to risk. Lose yourself, your religious inhibitions and the worldly filth of gross distortions of your God given ability to relate to ‘Me’ with all of who you are in ‘Me’-we are "Passionate, spiritual beings" together! Worship means to “Kiss toward!”

“Love is invincible facing danger and death. Passion laughs at the terrors of hell. The fire of love stops at nothing - it sweeps everything before it. 7 Flood waters can't drown love; torrents of rain can't put it out. Love can't be bought, love can't be sold - it's not to be found in the marketplace.” (Song of Songs 8:6b-8, Msg)

In the grip of Papa’s passionate love, Ron Ross