Pursuit

Wow!  It's been a while.  As a matter of fact, it's been so long since I posted to my blog that the website address dropped off my recently used URL's .  The truth is, I have been working on a long list of procrastinated items and preparing for my favorite time of the year.  The ministry opportunities and demands of this time of year are extraordinary and I love it.  We have some of our most fruitful and memorable events during this season of the year and with the holidays approaching, there is excitement in the air.  To be honest, you know that I love to write, and when I am doing my updates consistently I often spend the entire morning getting the devotional right.  That means that I sometimes put other things off, but the morning devotionals are almost always the direct result of something that the Lord is saying to me in my personal time with Him.  I never want to get so busy working for Him that I neglect to spend time with Him. 
The thing that God has been impressing upon me in recent days is the concept of pursuing Him.  It comes from the myriad of passages that speak of seeking the Lord, following after Him, searching for Him. At first sight, it appears from these scriptures as though God hides Himself or seeks to avoid intimate contact with His people.  But the overriding indication from the New Testament is that this is not true.  In reality, the natural tendency of human nature is to move away from God, therefore an intimate relationship with Him demands that we maintain an attitude of passionate desire for closeness that will drive us to match Him step for step.  The rushing wind of the world flying by in the opposite direction makes our walk with God seem frantic.  So this idea of pursuit really is more of a decisive attitude to move in God's direction than a high speed chase of a God who is leaving us behind.  We must choose, moment by moment to follow God rather than conform to the world around us.  When we do, God promises to make Himself available to us in an intimate way.  One of Chelsea's favorite quotes is, "You will never possess that which you do not pursue.  Lord, help me to chase what really matters, YOU!"  May each of us passionately pursue an intimate relationship with God on a consistent basis.