Feb 20, 2026 The Power of a Singular Passion – Words of Grace Blog – February 20, 2026
My Bible app tells me that in the book of Philippians the Apostle Paul makes thirty-five references to “Christ”. That’s impressive given that Philippians is only three and a half pages of the Bible.
But what is more impressive than the quantity of references to Christ in Philippians is what Paul wrote about Christ. Here are just a few lines.
- Whether in pretense or in truth, if Christ is proclaimed, I will rejoice (1:18).
- I expect that whether by life or by death, Christ will be honored in my body (1:20).
- Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ (1:27).
- Every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (2:10-11).
- I count all things as loss for the sake of Christ… for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (3:7-8).
- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (4:13).
- To live is Christ, and to die is gain (1:21).
Two questions come to my mind when I read Philippians. First, what explains Paul’s passion for Christ? Simply put, Paul was a recipient of the grace of God in Christ. He knew himself to be a former blasphemer and persecutor of the church. But God showed him mercy. Christ laid his sovereign and saving hand on Paul, revealed himself to him, and set him apart for service. Christ promised Paul an unfading crown of glory. Paul’s passion for Christ grew out of Christ’s love for him.
Do you know the love of Christ for you? Do you regularly let your mind meditate and heart marinade in his love? Christ’s love awakens us to him.
Second, what does this passion for Christ explain about Paul? His deep love was fueled by Christ. His devotion to work was for the sake of Christ. His words were truth in Christ. His joy was to see Christ formed in others. He pressed on through hardships, stayed on message, and suffered because Christ’s honor was his concern. He longed for heaven while never letting himself drift from his calling on earth. It was his burning passion for Christ that explained his life and death.
As I pray on this Friday morning for myself and for you, I ask for a singular passion for Christ to take hold in us. I pray for this work of grace, for it is God who wills and works this passion in us. I pray for us to say “no” to the sinful and selfish things of the old self, and “yes” to the new-life expressions of our born-again selves. I pray for our faith, hope, and love to grow in Christ, and for our eyes to glow with the vision of heaven because he is there.
I pray for Grace Community Church to be a place of corporate passion for Christ. I pray that the ethos of our congregation (that distinguishing nature and character of our life together) would be the life of Christ, and the expression of his life from us would bring him great glory.
That may sound like a big ask, and it is. But God, who raises the dead, does big things in the hearts of rebels. May he grant us the gift of a singular passion for Christ.
-Scott