“Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”
 And all the other disciples said the same.” Matthew 26:35

What are you passionate about? What trips your trigger in life so much that you are willing to stand up and fight to the death for? You might be saying, “Well I’m passionate about a lot of things, but fighting to the death is kind of extreme, don’t you think?” Not if you are passionate about it. You see we use words all the time without really considering the depth of their meaning. We say that sports fans are passionate, politicians are passionate or that lovers are passionate; but passion is more than a word or feeling, it is a belief that we are willing to back up with “action”. Real passion is “rock hard”; it allows us to stand up under the pressure of extreme circumstances without a thought or care for our personal safety or comfort. “Rock hard passion” is the commitment that holds a couple together when the position of their circumstance collides with the surface of their convictions revealing the substance of their character. Take a moment to consider what areas of your life fall into the category of “rock hard passion”. What or for whom are you truly willing to die for or more importantly live for?   
 
Placed
Against
 
 
Circumstances have a way of placing us in a position to make a decision. We occasionally will find ourselves “placed against” the proverbial “rock and a hard place” where we have to make a decision that will influence, affect and possibly direct the rest of our life. If we have sat down, evaluated and firmly entrenched in our mind what our decision would be, appropriate action is relatively easy to take. For instance, if you are attracted to a co-worker with whom you have to spend time alone with; your plan could be to talk about how your spouse and children make your life complete. By the time you finish telling a funny story; any momentary “romantic attraction” will have vaporized into thin air. However, there will be circumstances in our lives that we are totally unprepared for, which require us to make a crucial decision without sufficient time to weigh our options. Abraham was presented with just such a dilemma; God asked him to sacrifice his “only son” Isaac; the son who was to fulfill God’s promise of making Abraham the father of a mighty nation. Think about the “circumstances of position” in your life. What “hard” decisions have you had to make or perhaps are facing right now? How have they impacted your life today? Would you like to change anything?
 
Solid
Stone
 
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.” Genesis 22:3-8
 
When our “circumstances” collide with our “convictions” something amazing happens; the veracity of our convictions is revealed by the intensity of the crash.  It’s easy to say we will be faithful when we are cruising through life without any worries, but to remain faithful under the constant bombardment of adversity is another matter. Abraham found himself “placed against” unbelievably difficult circumstances, however his convictions were like “solid stone”. Strong enough to handle the enormous weight of the sacrifice that God expected Him to make. Without hesitation his convictions led him to execute the hardest mission in his life; whether or not he fully understood the overall purpose of God’s plan. His faith had grown from being “circumstantial driven” (what’s best for me) to “conviction driven” (what does God want). Deep within his soul he had decided to follow God at all costs. Scripture doesn’t give us any indication that he wavered at all in his commitment. When his circumstances collided with his convictions he was “placed against solid stone”. Could you or I go the distance given similar circumstances? After all, wasn’t God’s request rather extreme? The truth is we made a commitment to go the distance when we surrendered our life to Christ, but the proof of that commitment is fleshed out by the quality our decisions. Do we fail? Sure. Are we forgiven? Certainly, however as our faith grows our convictions turn into “solid stone”, able to endure the burden of our circumstances because we are grounded on the Solid Rock (Psalm 62:2).
 
I will
Offer my life
No regrets!
 
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."  Genesis 22:9-14
 
Our true character is exposed in the collision of our circumstances and our convictions. We can’t hide our authentic self for very long. With every decision our character is laid bare on the anvil of life. Good decisions forge strength into our being, while poor decisions create cracks of compromise. Abraham’s strength of character was revealed every step of the way. What is interesting to me is the outcome. Abraham didn’t know what God was going to do. He had no idea that God would stop him in the down stroke of his faithfulness (sharp knife to innocent son). The same is true for us today. In our finite wisdom we don’t always know why we are forced to make tough decisions. Perhaps God has a “ram in a thicket” for us or maybe he wants us to learn the lesson of Peter. When Peter was “placed against solid stone”, he made the wrong decision (three times) even though he had just pledged his undying loyalty to Jesus (Matthew 26:35, 69-75). Even though he had strong “convictions” to face any “circumstance”, his “character” was revealed in echo of his denial. Fortunately, his character was repaired and strengthened through the forgiveness of Christ (John 21:15-19). How about you? Are you guilty of compromise or are you willing to “offer your life, with no regrets?”  
 
When I was sick with cancer my wife expressed her “rock hard passion” for me by caring for my needs. I had the opportunity to express my “rock hard passion” for her when she had cancer as well. But before you think we are “super saints” let me assure you that we also fail each other every day in some small way because we are human. That’s when we have to turn to Christ and our spouse and ask for forgiveness. Living a life filled with “rock hard passion” isn’t easy, but living without it is even harder. Check you “pulse” this week by asking yourself, “What or for whom am I willing to die for?” Examine how “rock hard” your “passion” really is so you can begin to live a life with no regrets.