Articles
Passion According to the Pattern
The Apostle Paul was always a passionate guy. He was never half-hearted, he never had a foot in and a foot out. In all that he did, he gave his all. It was 100 or it was nothing at all. God recognized this amazing quality, this fiery instinct in Paul and He was about to change his life. But Paul was not always passionate according to the pattern, he was passionate according to ignorance for quite some time. In Acts 9 as Paul (Saul) was walking down the road on the way to Damascus, something happened that would change the course of history for good. Paul was a man on a mission but by the end of that day he was a man without vision, literally. Luke records this story for us in Acts 9:3-16. When all was said and done Paul was no longer a man of passion according to ignorance, he had passion according to the pattern. This led him to:
1. Service to God–In Gal. 2:20, Paul said of himself, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”Paul lived a life in complete service to God. He denied himself, he took up his cross daily and he served and lived for God. Are you doing that? What would others say about the service that you practice in your life? Paul’s passion combined with the pattern of God’s word made for a vast and valuable change. In Acts 21:10-14, Paul was even willing to die for God. What about you? Would you be convicted and ready to die for your Lord today? Paul was able to do this because he understood how important the pattern of God’s word is. He was passionate according to the pattern.
2. Preaching the Word–In Gal. 1:15-16 the Bible says, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood…”Paul’s passion according to the pattern led him to accomplish God’s will which included preaching His word to everyone, both Jew and Gentile. Other passages including Acts 9:19-23 and 1 Cor. 9:19-23 show us how busy Paul was in spreading the word. How busy are you in that endeavor?
3. Service for God’s People–Paul opens up almost all of his letters thanking God for the brethren (1 Thess. 1:1-3, 1 Cor. 1:1-5). He was concerned about their souls and he was willing to sacrifice a lot to be a servant to them. He didn’t think twice about it, he was willing and able to serve rather than to be served. His life was a dedicated servant to God and as a result also to His people. Are you dedicated to serve others or yourself?
4. Looking ahead to Life–Yes, Paul was passionate and there isn’t anything that he longed for more than to spend an eternity with His Savior in Heaven. He was driven to serve God, preach His Word, serve His people and at the end of his life he could not wait to receive the crown that was laid up for him (Phil. 3:7-21, 2 Tim. 4:7-8, 1 Cor. 9:24-27). Are you running your race with endurance looking ahead to eternal life?
Be passionate about God and His word. Be passionate according to the pattern. Learn to keep your priorities in check and know that there is no excuse for ignorance. If we can be passionate about sports, family, work, food and trips, how much more should we be passionate according to the invaluable pattern God has laid out for us?
