Pursue

There has been one thing that has been on my heart over the last couple of months and that is the word “pursue.” You can pursue and you can be pursued, but the confusing part is who to pursue and who is worthy to pursue you!! This, my friend, is where a lot of heartache and pain happens. You begin to believe that who you’re pursuing is worth your time and emotions. Or you may let someone pursue you without Godly intentions and through that, be fed lies. The past few months I have had a dose of each. I have pursued things of this world and I allowed people to pursue me and make me “feel good” but in the end not add up to much. But, there is hope! Jesus will always have open arms when we come running back to Him because he never stops pursuing us. Don’t believe me? Listen to “Reckless Love.”

So, you may be wondering who to pursue. Well, in short, Jesus. Pursue Him and things that are of Him. 1 Timothy 6:11 says, “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” Ladies, if you’re in a period of prolonged singleness, you might want to fall into the temptation of pursuing boys and pursuing things that will make you feel more attractive. First of all, you were made in His image and are beautiful in His eyes. Secondly, I have definitely fallen into this temptation and guess what? It leaves me empty and just as unsatisfied as I was before. But, when I spend time in the Word and rely on Him, I feel loved, worthy and filled. If you have ever listened to Ben Stuart’s series on relationships, you will know that he says to pursue the Lord and He will bring a man alongside of you who is pursuing the Lord at the same pace. As cliché as it sounds, I’m pretty sure he’s right! The type of man you want to be with is a man who is attracted to you because of your faithfulness to the Lord. However, you cannot put the pressure of “filling my every need” on a man, because he will fail. Only Jesus can fill every little crevice of your heart. What a great God we serve! So, pursue Him and things that are of Him! 

Who should you allow to pursue you? First and foremost, God. He will guard your heart and treat it better than anyone else. He will protect you, encourage you and always call you near to Him. He will love you gently and passionately. But, when it comes to boys, how in the world can we decide who is worthy of pursuing you? Simple: a man of God. Let me tell you, there is a difference between a man of God and a church boy. Church boys will go to church, pray, read their Bible and even lift their arms during worship. A man of God? He will go to church, pray, read this Bible and even lift his arms during worship. The difference? A man of God will live like Christ. He will go out of his way to help others. He will actively be involved in a spiritual community, whether that’s being apart of a Bible study or even leading a Bible study. He will go to church consistently. You will have no doubt that he is a follower of Christ when you’re around him. Of course, nobody is perfect, but when he messes up, it should be an exception and he will ask for forgiveness and own up to it. He will pursue Godly things and won’t fall into doing what everyone else is doing. He loves the Lord and steadfastly runs towards Him. That is the kind of man who is worthy to pursue your heart.  That is the kind of man who is worthy to pursue my heart.

It can be exhausting waiting for some man to come into your life, but I know that God’s plan is far better than anything you or I could ever imagine. Psalm 21: 14 says it best “Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”