God created us with desire to live and live abundantly

In the foster care system there is a diagnosis social workers use to determine if a child is at risk. It is called “failure to thrive.”

When a child is diagnosed with this the foster care system steps in to attempt to correct the issue. It could mean just parenting help, it could result in the child being removed and placed in a foster home to assist in facilitating the return to a thriving state.

No one would disagree that children should thrive and live abundant overflowing lives. God looks at us as His children, that's you and I if we have been born again, and determines if we are at a “failure to thrive” as well.

As humans, God has created us with the desire to not just live but live abundantly. Every living thing wants to live and thrive. Life without passion leaves us feeling unfulfilled.

Desires are an integral part of passion and thriving. Unfortunately the wrong desires will actually lead us into a state of “failure to thrive.”

In John 2:13-22, Jesus reveals the beauty of a passionate heart. Jesus shows up at the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Passover. All Jews were required to come during this time, to worship and pray. What He finds is people running businesses that were taking advantage of people who came to worship and pray by overcharging these people in purchasing animals for sacrifice and currency exchange.

This is not meek and mild Jesus. This is passionate protective Jesus. He drives out those doing business.

Jesus is passionate about His Father’s house (which is you and I as believers now). Jesus is passionate about worship. These businesses were there to assist people in worship and connecting to God but were doing the opposite.

Jesus is passionate about prayer. Prayer is the foundation of our communication with Jesus that assists us in encountering the presence of God.

God the Father is constantly evaluating our health. Are we thriving or failing to thrive? Too often we make unhealthy choices or follow the wrong desires and passions. If we are failing to thrive He will step in and do what is necessary to restore us to a state of thriving.

However, if we fail to read the signs that we are failing to thrive, this will be the Jesus we see here standing with a whip and passionate and protective. Will we respond in these times or continue down the same path of destruction? If we respond in humility and repentance He will restore.

That is good news!

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