I Will Pursue the One Who Pursues Me

What have I achieved? What have I done? What have I created? What can I claim as my own? Who am I and, in the grand scheme of things, amongst the seemingly endless pages of history, does my life matter? Have I made a difference? Will I make a difference?

These are GREAT questions to ask. I believe as husbands, as wives, as parents, as leaders, as pastors, as volunteers…as followers of Christ, we need to be willing to ask ourselves the DIFFICULT questions. We must be willing to critically evaluate every aspect of our lives. I must be willing to admit my FAULTS. I must be willing to acknowledge my WEAKNESSES. I must be willing to accept HELP.

You see, I AM the creator of something; that something just happens to be CRAP! Allow me to list a few synonyms for crap (in alphabetical order). Abandonment. Anxiety. Division. Doubt. Fear. Heartache. Pain. Self-pity. Suffering. Tears. I could sit here ALL DAY LONG listing failure after failure, after all, on my own that is what I create—failures.

Great way to start your day, right? Well New Life, here’s the deal, let’s be honest, let’s say what NEEDS to be said not what we WANT to hear: on my own, on your own, we are like a pig wallowing in its own filth. Watch a pig. It doesn’t seem to mind it. It’s not bothered by the stench of its own crap. We’ll even have kids and raise them in our crap so they can grow up believe there’s nothing better. Life is crap so LIVE IN IT!

Here’s the crazy part, I’ve escaped the pigpen. I, by the grace of God, have been RESCUED from my mess. I’ve been REDEEMED. I’ve been RANSOMED. My eyes have seen the fulfillment of His promises. My mouth has tasted the sweetness of His breath. My heart has been filled with an overwhelming joy. YET! Amidst all this goodness, amidst all this grandeur, amidst His presence and power…I STILL try to scurry back to my own filth…

I need help…
You need help…
God SAVE us…

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Regardless of who you are, regardless of your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your cultural background…regardless of the length of time you’ve known Jesus as your Savior…you’ll NEVER get it. You’ll never ARRIVE. The ONLY thing you and I can comprehend, the ONLY thing we can grasp, the ONLY arrival we’ll experience is when we arrive at the conclusion that we NEED a Savior.

This happens when we realize that we cannot do it on our own.

Here’s what Paul said:

1. I have NOT achieved perfection
2. I PRESS ON toward perfection
3. Perfection is FOUND IN Jesus.

Paul was ACTIVELY pursuing Jesus. It takes WORK! It takes EFFORT! It’s HARD! It’s FOR everyone, but the majority will choose the broad road because it is EASY.

Which road will you walk today? Will you continue believing the LIE that you’ve somehow got it all figured out or will you PURSUE the Savior of the world?

Today, will you climb out of the pigpen?