Leaders require to have a passion as they seek to carry out the vision of their leadership, but passion can take a variety of forms as happened recently.
An evening of true worship ended with tears.
The praise songs were mostly new, but the words were straight from Scripture and, when so ably led, it was easy to participate meaningfully.
Around 160 were now prepared and focused upon hearing the Word of God.
The theme for the evening was 'Passion for Jesus, Passion for the poor, and Passion for prayer".
How do we get a passion for Jesus? We see passion in the lives of the apostles - ordinary men, who knew frailty, brokenness, and at times revealed pride.
They were changed and transformed by Jesus and they were able to conquer their weaknesses and faults, going on to do things for Jesus, being willing to spend and be spent.
When they were imprisoned, flogged and beaten, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering for Christ.
As our passion for Jesus grows, so our passion for the poor will grow, and our goal is that the poor find Christ.
If that is not our motivation, then all we have is activism or humanism.
If people are not saved and rescued, they are consigned to the lake of fire! Do we still teach that?
In this week when we remember the passion of Christ, it is essential to remember that 'passion' means to suffer, and compassion means 'to suffer with'.
Jesus' whole life was a life of compassion as he yoked himself to the plight of humanity, and this inspiringly motivates us to have a passion for prayer.
Hurting people are all around us. Millions are only a meal away from death.
If there is no passion for Jesus, we might be vague about passion for the poor and passion for prayer!
It was the word that followed that started tears to flow.
What was that impassioned word? As I looked around I saw a large group of very able young people who knew what the work and ministry was all about.
The words which came to me caused a lump in my throat and brought a tear to my eye.
As the baton was handed on to you, and others, some forty four years ago, now you have to be prepared and willing and to hand over the baton to those who are coming after you.
Leaders come and go, and new leaders arise with passion and compassion.
Sandy Shaw
Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org/ entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.
His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.
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