Pursue Christ

What is the Christian life about? In the end, what does it all come down to? Going to church? Saying your prayers? Having a quiet time? Serving and loving both Christians and non-Christians? None of these is the answer. The Christian life isn't even primarily about being forgiven or sanctified or going to heaven! These are all very important things... but they're not the point of Christianity. Let me ask you a question that will direct you to what I believe is the right answer; WHY do you need forgiveness? What does it achieve? What was God aiming at in offering forgiveness to anyone who believes? I'm forgiven... so what... now I can sin more than ever because I'm forgiven?! NO! You were saved FOR GOD!

Brothers and sisters, the point of salvation isn't to make you good people! It's not a bargaining chip God put down to get you to behave yourself! Jesus didn't die to make you respectable and make you get your life together! The point of EVERYTHING is knowing Jesus Christ! How much do you desire Christ? To what lengths are you willing to go to know Him? Is your pursuit sluggish or lazy? Or is it your all-consuming passion? Do you think that Jesus Christ is "pretty cool" or does the very thought of Him make your heart start beating faster?

Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God, this kind of desire can't be produced in the human heart... any more than a person with dead taste-buds can determinedly sit down to a jar of honey and say "This is GOING TO taste sweet to me!" So what do you do if you DON'T feel this intense yearning and desire for Christ?! This almost brought me to tears recently! What do I do if Jesus Christ isn't deeply desirable to me?! Do I despair? Do I try to blame-shift? Do I just sit down and cry? Or do I pray?

Friends, let this note be a catalyst to pray like you've never prayed before! God is highly, highly honored by this prayer because it calls Him to move his sovereign fingers to fulfill a promise He made to you. "I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Beg with God. Don't put on a show. He'll see right through it. As you're praying, don't try to produce desire in your heart. Just read. Trust God to speak to you. And if He doesn't speak right away, don't despair. God is not obligated to move at your whim. He is God. You are not. Your praying is not a bargaining chip to get God to move. When He moves it will be a gracious, beautiful gift. Maybe it will take a day... or a month... or a year... or ten years. Don't... give... up! Devote yourself to prayer and Scripture. And see how precious He can become. He is worthy to be pursued!