Beyond Measure

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Where there is no passion, the vision perishes. Vision sees in three dimensions. It is retrospective: it looks at the past and sees what God has done. It is inspective: it looks at the present and sees what God is doing. It is prospective: it looks to the future and envisions what God is going to do. But vision without action is worthless. To be of value, vision has to be lived out. Vision is not a picture; it is a plan of action.

Thom Rainer states it this way, “Vision begins with God who gives His direction to those who are passionate about the work of the ministry.”

Dictionaries define “passion” in a variety of ways:

•     A powerful emotion, such as love or joy.
•     Intense, driving, or overpowering feeling or emotion.
•     Boundless enthusiasm.

All of these definitions express important characteristics of the meaning of “passion.” But for Christians, all of these definitions can be captured in the sufferings of Jesus, which we refer to as “The Passion.” Look back at the dictionary definitions and reflect on how every one of them finds its ultimate expression in Christ.

The early church knew this passion, because Christ’s passion came upon them with the coming of the Holy Spirit. There they had all things in common. They had the same heart, the same mind, and the same passion.

Do you have a vision? Or, more appropriately, does a vision have you? You can have a vision without passion, but when a vision has you, the passion comes with it.