Jentezen Franklin Daily Devotional (October 16, 2025) The Power of Passion
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…” Colossians 3:23
A farmer named Shamgar had something that many people do not. He was able to slay 600 Philistines with an ox goad to protect his people because he had passion. Your passion will determine God’s timing. The woman with the issue of blood interrupted Jesus’ plans. He was on His way to raise a man’s daughter from the dead, and the crowd was so dense that she couldn’t get to Jesus. But she pressed through and touched the hem of his garment, and Jesus said (paraphrased), “It wasn’t on my schedule today, but your passion triggered a miracle.”
Blind Bartimaeus saw a miracle because of his passion. Jesus was just passing through his town, and he started crying, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And the religious people said, “You need to calm down. You’re too passionate. You’re not important.” But he cried even louder, and then Jesus stopped, healed his eyes, and changed the trajectory of his life forever. His passion attracted the miracle.
At the wedding in Cana, Jesus had no intention of working a miracle. His mother’s passion and enthusiasm helped decide the timing of that miracle. The wedding guests ran out of wine, and Mary told Jesus to do something. Even though He told her that His time had not yet come, her persistent passion motivated Him, and He ended up performing His first recorded miracle.
The word enthusiasm comes from the word “theos.” Theos means “in God.” So if God is in you, you should be brimming with enthusiasm and passion. There was a famous conductor named Eugene Ormandy. This man had passion. On one occasion, while conducting a famous Brahms symphony, he literally threw his shoulder out of joint trying to motivate his orchestra. He had written in his notes throughout the composition, “As loud as possible,” and then a few bars later, “Louder still.” After the concert, the press laughed at him, and one reporter asked him, “How does it feel to throw your arm out of joint leading an orchestra?” His response was, “I know some people who have reached middle age who have never become enthused enough to dislodge a necktie, not to mention a shoulder, so I feel pretty good about it.”
General Ferdinand Foch said, “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” To be a child of God is to be a person full of passion, and He will use that fire to ignite great things in this world.
