“Those who follow in the footsteps of Christ ought to be the most passionate people on the planet. The word enthusiasm comes from a combination of two Greek words: en and Theos. It means ‘in God’. And the more you get into God, the more passionate you become.”- Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson continues Chapter 8 of Primal as he talks about negative and positive views of righteousness. Pastor Batterson asserts that when we narrowly view righteousness as doing nothing wrong, we practice holiness by subtraction. However, there’s one problem with this approach. As Mark notes, it’s possible to do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Thus, righteousness also means doing something right. Hence, the author quips, God’s ultimate plan involves more than a weekly pilgrimage to the pew.
Furthermore, righteousness means using all of your God-given gifts to their full God-given potential. Love takes risks, takes responsibility, and seizes opportunities to step up and step in. In fact, the author states, the Greek word for ‘strength’ means the antithesis of apathy. Yes, Jesus displayed a mild side. But, as Dorothy Sayers wrote (Letters to a Diminished Church, 2004), He evidenced a wild side as well:
“To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made Him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies.”
Finally, while sin wastes your energy over things you can’t have or control, the will of God energizes you. You produce energy as you pursue God-ordained passions and go after God-sized dreams.
Today’s question: Do you believe your faith make you one of the most passionate people on the planet? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A God-given vision captures your imagination”
