Then there are two types of each of them.
Passion can be God ward or it can be toward something that we feel needs to be done whether ideological or material.
Compassion can be expressed in action, (so as to step out and make a difference), or inwardly, (feeling sorrow or grief but not doing anything about it.)
Putting passion God ward will render mute the rest of the applications of passion by the power of God and the accomplishment of His will.
Jesus chose the Fathers will to be passionate about.
Jesus had His passion when he struggled with the Fathers will at Gethsemane and proved His sincerity by His obedience to that will. His passion was so great that in His struggle He sweat great drops of blood.
Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
True passion travails as Jesus did in the garden. True passion sees the implications of the effort afar off and the need to make a difference by changing the future possibility. True passion realizes what must be sacrificed and still commits to the ordeal in spite of the cost to the passionate one. True passion can only be to achieve the will of God because He is the only one who can "satisfy, empower and accomplish" that which He has made us passionate about.
The entire life of Jesus was about the greatest deliverance from evil that could face man, Hell! He was the prophesied promise of salvation to Abraham by faith, and by Abraham all peoples until the accomplishment of the promise at Calvary and the defeat of death at the grave. Every breathing minute that He lived Jesus the Christ lived to redeem mankind and devoted every thought, word and deed to the accomplishment of that redemption. The only purpose for His life and existence as Emmanuel (God with us) was for the bringing to fruition our deliverance from sin and satan. He (being God) knew of the devastating suffering He put into a place called Hell. He created it to punish satan and his fallen angels who were spirit beings and could not suffer death. Hell's design was for the torment of fallen eternal beings and Christ knew that men would end up there by their own impudent rebellion to their Creator before the creation! This knowledge drove His passion for our redemption foreseeing the suffering that we would face. He did it for our deliverance all the while He viewed the brutal suffering He would face in the flesh to accomplish it. God's will, suffering in the flesh, redemption for all mankind, was the choices He made......for us......all of us. Those who would believe, those who wouldn't believe, those who curse His name, those who shake their fist at Him. For all who have been and all to come, He chose us. He decided to, no He was passionate to make our relationship perfect with God the Father through passionate, costly, suffering obedience.
With this example it begs the question: Are we truly passionate for the things of God? For the will of God? For the Love of God? Where do our passions lay? Who among us has petitioned and prayed for the outcome we desired till we "sweat great drops of blood"? Who among us has exhibited this kind of passion? Do we really have to? Is it required of God that we do? I believe that since we are being "conformed to His image and likeness" at some point this kind of passion will be ours. It is our lot to "offer up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears" and "with reverent submission to the one who can hear us". Christ's passion for us changed the outcome of our future from death to life. We as He, having God as our Father, in obedience to the passions He has given us, will also accomplish deliverance for our fellow man by offering up petitions and prayer.....by the power of the Gospel Of Christ. Jesus Christ had only one passion which was His purpose for life....you, me and all afar off.
Now lets take a look at compassion:
Again Jesus it the best example of compassion because His compassion actually made a difference. His compassion was shown in outward actions that changed peoples situations and bettered their lives. He felt grief and sorrow for those in need but He didn't feel powerless to act thereby doing nothing.
The best form of compassion is to do something! If you are a believer in Christ you are promised the power to make a difference in the lives of others through gifts of the Spirit and the Words of Christ.
Lets look at Jesus:
Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Here He has compassion on them and feeds them both spiritually and then physically meeting there "desperate" needs.
Matthew 9:36 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37Then said he to his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;
Now we see Jesus operating with compassion healing all sicknesses and diseases before He was moved with compassion about their lack of spiritual guidance.
Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
We can see from this gleaning that the kind of compassion Jesus had and we inherited is full of power to change the outcome and make a difference, give hope and deliver. I sometimes wonder in today's Western Christianity application if we are just too busy or too distracted to be compassionate and "receive power from on high" to do something about delivering others from evil and offer hope. Are we only coveting the things we need with fervent prayer? Have we become blind to the needs of others. I don't recall anywhere in scripture where Jesus ever attended to His own needs. He said He had no place to lay His head but he was always "attending" to the needs of others. Those who believed and those who wouldn't. He fed the multitude......those who would believe and those who wouldn't. He healed them all in some verses.....those who believed and those who wouldn't. He opened the way to salvation for those who believed and those who wouldn't. Believing or non believing He had compassion on them all and made a difference to them all. He fed them with the Word and food, He healed and delivered, He spread the truth of the Gospel and of Hell. His compassion was complete.
Now the question begs to be asked: How about yours? Will you make a difference or give excuse. Will your compassion be internalized or expressed with power and action. Only you can decide.
A final thought:
The word passion is the main part of the word compassion. In order to com (bring) you must first have passion (to know, sacrifice for and do the will of God). Your passion will be made complete in the expression of compassion with power from on high.
God bless and keep
Love in Christ by the Holy Spirit
J&E
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