What You're Chasing

Personal opinion? The minute we stop chasing after something, we're dead. Maybe not literally, but if our life has no goal, if our life has no purpose, why do it? Trust me, I'm not advocating for suicide. But doesn't everyone want to know they serve some sort of purpose? And I think it matters as well, what we're chasing. Chase after the wrong thing, and you just might get it.

Years ago, changes in our homelife required me to go to my boss and ask for an accommodation regarding my work hours. He was more than happy to oblige. However, as kind as that was, it was a change that left me feeling absolutely useless and so UN- a part of the team. There was really nothing else for me to do at that hour. I waited for some crisis to occur, some other employee to call out, just so I could, once again, have a purpose. All the answers I would have been pursuing and problems I would have been addressing during my original hours were unavailable to me now; and whatever needed to be done on this shift had been previously assigned to the original people on the shift. I spent night after night writing and doing my Bible study at my desk. Fun, cool, but not what I was supposed to be there for. I felt without purpose. And it was a really miserable place to be.

Philippians 3 is an interesting chapter about pursuit. As a matter of fact, the high school from which I graduated used a portion of this passage in conjunction with the school motto: The pursuit of excellence through Christ. In this chapter, God, through Paul is explaining to the people of Philippi (and by extension, you and me) that there are those who would have them pursuing the wrong things, the outward "signs" of following the Lord, the symbols and rites of the faith rather than Christ Himself. Paul says All of that manmade holiness, all of that religion, I count as loss (translation mine). He came to know there was nothing he could do to be counted holy, none of that stuff made him righteous. He even penned these words to the church in Ephesus:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

~ Ephesians 2:4-9

It was all grace, and the only thing left for Paul to do, the only thing left for us to do is pursue Jesus. Paul committed to staying as close to Him as possible, to doing all he could to know Jesus better --in power and in persecution. He wanted whatever it was that Christ was willing to give him, the fullness of the life for which Jesus died to give him. Paul said I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul wasn't satisfied with simple fire insurance: I believe in Jesus; I go to church on Christmas. He wanted it all --as much as he could savor eternity in this world, as closely as he could walk with Jesus, as nearly as he could look like his Savior --that's what he wanted. That's what he pursued. And he urged us to join him in his pursuit!

I remember telling some of my friends, I don't want to miss this! I wasn't talking about some sort of fear of disappointing Jesus or not hitting the mark. I wasn't talking about failing Him in some way. What I meant was, I want whatever it is He is willing to give me in this life! I want to experience as much of eternity, become as much like my sanctified self as possible before I ever hit the pearly gates! When someone hurts me, I want to respond with love. When someone inconveniences me, I want to ask What else can I do for you? When someone is sick, I want to respond with compassion. When someone gets the thing I have been longing for, I want to rejoice with them. When things don't go as I planned, I want to rest in knowing this is what Jesus is taking me through, for His glory and my good! I want to imitate Paul and the other glorious saints as they sought to imitate Christ. And I want to celebrate that, as I pursue Jesus, His Holy Spirit will faithfully continue the work already begun in me.

So, are you pursuing something? If so, what are you pursuing? or who? Is it going to lead you to the purpose Jesus has designed for your life? or is it going to lead you to something else? Are you feeling as though you are part of something much larger than yourself? or are you sitting under a blanket binge-watching Reacher and waiting for your phone to ring? Is there life in your life? or are you going through the motions? Is what you're chasing worth the effort? or will it lead to disappointment and heartache?

Jesus is worthy --of our worship, of our gratitude, of our love, and of our pursuit!

Midweek: Embrace the Ordinary

I knew someone whose "Christian life" seemed to be the pursuit of one mountain top experience after another: rally after rally, retreat after retreat. But it is in the mundane, the ordinary that our love for Jesus can be most mightily tested and honed.

The following devotional from Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman, appeared on October 22:

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside, of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. (Exod. 3:1,2).

The vision came in the midst of common toil, and that is where the Lord delights to give His revelations. He seeks a man who is on the ordinary road, and the Divine fire leaps out at his feet. The mystic ladder can rise from the market place to Heaven. It can connect the realm of drudgery with the realms of grace.

My Father God, help me to expect Thee on the ordinary road. I do not ask for sensational happenings. Commune with me through ordinary work and duty. Be my Companion when I take the common journey. Let the humble life be transfigured by Thy presence.

Some Christians think they must be always up to mounts of extraordinary joy and revelation; this is not after God's method. Those spiritual visits to high places, and that wonderful intercourse with the unseen world, are not in the promises; the daily life of communion is. And it is enough. We shall have the exceptional revelation if it be right for us.

There were but three disciples allowed to see the transfiguration, and those three entered the gloom of Gethsemane. No one can stay on the mount of privilege. There are duties in the valley. Christ found His life-work, not in the glory, but in the valley and was there truly and fully the Messiah.

The value of the vision and glory is but their gift of fitness for work and endurance.

Trust Him Today

"It's strange to me how often I'm tempted to trust God with my eternity, but not my present."

~ Ian Simkins 

This is the quote I posted on the Broken to Breathless Facebook page a while back. A friend responded, "Ouch." To which I replied, "Exactly!" (I'm really glad I'm not alone in this.) When I read the above quote, I saw something in it that reminded me of me. I wake up every morning, praise Him for who He is, surrender my day to Him, ask Him to show me where He wants me to go, say Let it be so, and begin the day. Sometimes, before noon, I've crashed and burned: I've been jealous of someone, I've had an unkind thought, I've grumbled about something. In the passing of just a couple of hours, this train has left the track. Now, it doesn't mean I'm not saved. It doesn't mean God is waiting in the wings to ZAP me for my misdeeds. But it does mean something is not right --me, or rather, my trust in Jesus.

You see, I know I am saved because I know who Jesus is. I know His blood, His death on the cross was the substitute for the penalty I deserved. I know an innocent Jesus endured the wrath of God meant for me, so I wouldn't have to. I know His resurrection proves He is God, that His sacrifice was sufficient, and forgiveness is complete, and that I, too, will be resurrected one day because of Jesus, my Advocate and Proxy. I know all of this! But do I trust, day by day, moment by moment that just as His love covers the multitude of my sins, it covers the sins of those who wrong me? Do I trust that I have been given a spirit of power and love-- not fear; so I don't have to react out of fear when someone gets something I don't, something I think I need? Do I trust Jesus with His plan for the time He gives me, so much so that I don't complain when others ask me to do something a little extra for them, or the person I asked to be ready by 9 AM thought I meant 11:15?

When we find ourselves stumbling and fumbling throughout our days, chances are, it's because we are not trusting Jesus with what's going on. Yes, Jesus, I trust You to prepare a place for me in heaven! I trust You to give me a new body without Sjogren's or cancer or back problems. Hallelujah!! Jesu-- Hey, Bob! What do you mean you can't pay me this week! Why you cheap --I'm calling the union! You're not gonna get away with this, you no good so-and-so! See how quickly things can turn? Easy to trust Jesus for the things we can't cure or fix or the problems we can't solve; but give us the wrong change or an unfair grade and see how quickly --and how aggressively --we step up to make things right (for us). So much for trusting Jesus.

Have you ever been driving along in the car, thinking of the goodness of the Lord, maybe even praying or singing along to your favorite Christian songs? Suddenly, someone cuts you off and you let it fly! Maybe not a purple word, maybe not a hand gesture, but you are just wishing there was a cop hiding up ahead. You would love to see Jesus give this guy exactly what he deserves.

Do you trust Jesus?

Do you trust that He may have a reason for showing "this guy" mercy?

Do you trust that He protected you from an accident?

Do you trust that in light of eternity, what place you are in at the next traffic light only has relevance if Jesus says it has relevance? and that if it's relevant to Him, He will make it so?

Do you trust that He can use even a reckless driver to show you areas in which you are lacking trust?

One of the best lessons Jesus has taught me regarding relationships is trust. Full disclosure: I do not always apply what I've been taught, but I've gotten better! Good relationships require trust --not always in others, but definitely in Him. I mean, we all have relationships we choose: friendships, marriages. And then there are those in which we've not necessarily been given a choice: neighbors, coworkers, in-laws, even our own children. None of us is perfect, and we are all different. Those two factors alone can make relationships tricky. Add in trauma and people set in their ways and cultural differences --that can bring things to a whole 'nother level! Of course, there are issues we can discuss, things we can agree to disagree about, or even concede in order to keep the peace, but so many times Jesus has whispered to me, "Just pray." Is it worth asking her again to stop talking with her mouth full? Should I be that bothered by his reluctance to silence his phone during church? How many times should I confront her about putting her purse on the kitchen counter? Just pray.

Jesus is able. He can take care of the things we refuse to allow to divide us. He can change our hearts and the hearts of those for whom we pray. He has been changing lives in much greater ways for thousands of years now. We can trust Him with our present as well as our eternity.

Do you trust Jesus? for the big? for the small? for eternity? and for today?

Photo courtesy LuAnn Martin