Passion! Passion!

If the souls of disciples are not lit
from the lamp of the Godhead dwelling within,
then what nothings they are.
The Lord was such a “burning lamp”
because the spirit of the Godhead
dwelled substantially in him
and, in the humanity, set his very heart on fire.

Markarios the Great

A leader without passion – can it be? Spiritual leaders for certain must have a passion or a “burning.” How sad it is that for centuries spiritual leadership becomes more of a chore and a job than a passion as leaders settle into a routine and forget their life mission.

The desperation that drove them to their knees in prayer for others, the same as the love that drove Jesus to earth, and sustained them in the long hours of toil, is replaced by complacency and the business of running a ministry. “Without me you can do nothing,” Jesus taught.  But even more, we should know that without Him we are nothing.

Christian Leadership without a fire from the Spirit of God – the very presence of the Godhead – dwelling in the leader is nothing. Why is it that men and women settle far short of Moses type leadership? Why is it that we settle for less than Joshua? Why is it that we settle for less than Holy Spirit-driven, bigger-than-man leadership in the Church?

The Spirit of God set the very heart of Jesus on fire. From what basis will we lead today? What will we settle for because we believe that we have to do even if we are not sure that we are willing to die for what we do? How could we be set aflame without the work of the Lord and how will the disciples know to be set aflame if we do not?