Webster's online dictionary says this about the word Passion:  The sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death  It goes on to define passion in some other ways like intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction; a strong liking or desire or devotion to some activity, object or concept. But the first definition positively, absolutely gets me.

It was Christ's passion to suffer and die for mankind.

Wow.  Can I just repeat that?  It was Christ's passion to suffer and die for mankind - for me.  For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son...  Okay, I'm seeing these truths - thinking these truths but I have to be honest and say, this kind of passion is beyond what my human brain can wrap itself around.

Watching the movie the passion of Christ is so, so sobering because it shows in very graphic detail just how much Christ suffered. And, according to Scripture and historical details about Roman scourging, it was even worse than what we see in the movie. Tears well up in my eyes... He did nothing to deserve this kind of punishment and suffering.  But, it was Christ's passion to experience this - to suffer and die for me. Oh my goodness...on my goodness. Such truths are too marvelous for me.  I sit here in startled silence for a minute and then the words of the apostle Paul come to mind...

"...Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11

Now, that's passion.  Without this kind of passion - the passion of Christ - life is nothing.  Oh dear God - give me - give anyone reading this - passion like the passion of Christ. Put within us Christ's passion to proclaim His passion - the gospel.  Give to us Christ's passion so that we might passionately guard the gospel and passionately live lives for Christ even if it means suffering to the point of death.