"The soul’s paradox of love is to have found God and still pursue Him" A.W. Tozer
I love my wife. I have apprehended my wife. I still desire to continue to pursue my wife as a new lover.(or I should)
I can be exhausted after a day's work outside in the heat and drink enough water to feel physical pain, yet still desire more water.
I can eat my favorite food until I am too full to breathe, yet I want more.
We have come to the belief as a people that salvation is the pinnacle of our Christian walk. We have attained God. Just as in an unhealthy marraige, we do no longer pursue Him as a "lover of our youth". How many sitcoms poke fun at the ignorant man who does not seek his wife? It is our version of comedy, yet it speaks volumes of our overall idea of what a relationship with God should be like. We say that a person needs to accept salvation (a term which is not used in the Bible), and it leaves the idea that they will have accepted wholly the God who saves them. I understood that when I was married, I would have a lifetime of new discovery. I did not understand that it would be the same with God.
Paul explains this idea in Philippians 3-
12 Not that I have already reached [the goal] or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly [b] call in Christ Jesus.
We have not grabbed God, He has grabbed us. Our life is then to be spent seeking to put both arms around God and hug Him with a love grounded in worship for the awesome gift of salvation. Do we pursue God?
1 month ago
4 comments:
I have not been in pursuit of God for a long time now. Sometimes I passionately desire to know Him more, to pursue Him. But, that desire quickly fades into the backgroud of life. Sometimes the idea of pursuing Him seems silly and futile. No one else does. The professional world would scoff at me if I fell in love with God again. I can remember a time when I was in heavy pursuit of my God. I was happier and more fulfilled and more at peace then than I remember ever being since. So, why is that not motivation enough?
Maybe this seems more like an excuse than anything else, but I think the support of and fellowship with others who are in pursuit would be helpful. Isn't that what church is supposed to be for? Wouldn't I be more prone to pursue if others around me were reminding me how amazing it is?
I miss God. I miss that intimacy with Him. But, my fear is keeping me from pursuing Him. God, please remove my fear and my doubt. Grow in me the desire to pursue You so that that desire overwhelms my fear.
This is for jadaline....
Let the world, (professional and personal) scoff, let them laugh and even think you are crazy....
But don't let the world or anything in it rob you of your "personal relationship" with GOD.
I can really understand what you are feeling, because I quit looking for Him once too...I am so thankful that he loved me enough to welcome me home again...and I AM SO HAPPY...happier that I have ever been in my life... I am looking for Him everywhere and in everything I do...and you know what, HE is in every area of my life... in the air I breathe, in the food I eat, I smell him in the wind and rain and feel his warmth as the sun lands on my face...yet, I am Desperate each day to know Him more and to love him more. I need a "bigger" word than Love to express what I feel for HIM.
You are right about the fellowship of others. The church should be our support system. Fortunatly, God has Blessed me with a friend who feels just like I do. We had both been praying to find "each other"...we can spend hours just "talkin" about the Lord, Worshipping him, Loving Him...Now and from now on we will be a reminder to you that pursuing God is AMAZING !!!!!!!!
Don't let Satan be the victor...RECLAIM the glory and the wonder and the joy of pursuing the Lord .....He is waiting for you!
Thank you, Debby.
I first experienced the pursuit of God when I accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior at the age of 36. My joy and zeal to learn about Jesus consumed my every waking moment. I was like a sponge absorbing all I could as I felt His love in my life.
Some people told me NOT to "become a fanatic" and that in time my zeal would subside. I became very active in my new small church family whom I loved very much. My son, age 16, accepted Jesus a month after I did and we were baptized together. I could not even imagine a time when my joy and zeal would not be overflowing.
Then I got busy with work and other things and got discouraged. Off and on for years I would turn my focus back to Jesus and regain my joy and zeal only to get busy again. I never totally took my eyes off of Jesus but there were times when I would glance away and get discouraged.
Last year I was in a slump and prayed to God for encouragement and asked for a friend who would understand what I was going through. My God is Great at answering prayers.
My friend and I never stop pursuing a closer relationship with God. "Joy Unspeakable" is our song because it reflects how we feel about God and our time together. We share our struggles and our victories as we give God the glory.
It's true that individually we take our own journey through this life, but it is so nice to have a true friend taking her journey along the same pathway at the same time sharing the joy as we go.
What revival we could have as a church if each of us were Spirit-filled and in pursuit of God!!!
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