Let your passion be single.

Now it wasn't always easy for me to love this topic because I couldn't make my passions single. I knew from growing up in my father's house one passion was

unavoidable and centrally biblical, and that was a passion for the glory of God. My father quoted as often as any other text. Johnny, whatever you do,

whether you eat or whether you drink, do everything to the glory of God.

So I grew up knowing that was one passion that had to be there.

And then as I meditated more and more in my formative intellectual years on the scriptures,

I saw that the reason it was so central is because it was the central

and uniting passion of God himself. Let me give you a couple of texts that shocked me in those days.

I'm reading through the Bible right now as many of you are and if you're on the plan that I'm

on, it's Ezekiel these days. And in Ezekiel 20 just a couple of days ago, here's what I read.

Then I resolved to pour out my wrath on them in the midst of Egypt, says the Lord, but I acted

for the sake of my name.

So instead of pouring out his wrath on them, he saved them, and he states that his motive

was for his namesake, I acted for the sake of my name that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations

among whom they lived.

In whose sight I made myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

And then, verse 14 of chapter 20, same thing.

For the sake of my name, I did not pour out my wrath

upon them in the wilderness.

And then 60 times in the book of Ezekiel that they might know that I am

Yahue. God, the one who is. So God is, is jealous for his glory and for his name. And then in Isaiah 48, 9 to 10,

for the sake of my name, I delay my wrath.

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