The Pursuit

1 John 4:8 (Amplified Version) “To the one who does not love has not become acquainted with God(does not and never did know Him), for God is love. (He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature)”

Looking back on my life, after forty-six years of living, I now believe that finding joy in my salvation has been a journey. It took time for Jesus to come along to help me discover His consistency in helping me understand His True Love for me. I am amazed how Jesus continues to transform my heart and mind daily. Jesus consistently reached out to me before I became fully aware how much I needed Him. This is my Jesus’ story that I want to share with you.

Before the Pursuit of Love

Before Jesus began to transform my heart, I was not looking for Him. During my years in college, I was very lukewarm in my passion toward Jesus. I did all the things that a “Christian” was supposed to do. I attended church, became baptized and read my bible sporadically. I did not understand what it meant to give my heart to Him. I saw Christians who were “sold out” for Jesus and I could not relate to them. Did I really need to talk about Jesus all the time? I felt okay with my routine with Jesus. He would have my Sundays, however, I could handle the “my own life” Monday through Saturday.

Besides, I was outgoing and I wanted to have fun. At nineteen, my attitude about life to put it simply “It’s a Party”! Church became the place where I gained education about Jesus only. My viewpoint about God: He was uninterested in really knowing me. His main concern was to take away my enjoyment I had in life. Thus, praying became less about relating to Jesus but a tool to get something out of Him. I was comfortable with this and truly believed my relationship with God was good. He was the person I kept at arms length, not realizing that for years I was living an illusion by delegating parts of my life to God. He wanted all of it.

Life Interrupted

There is not much time to put all of my testimony in this article. I do not remember when change began for me. I know it was gradual. It did not happen all at once. God’s pursuit of having a relationship with me took time. Yes, I believed that God truly wanted to show me His goodness and mercy. However, I had to change my heart to seeking His Righteousness instead of my own. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, God told the Israelites at least four different times to not turn away from His teachings. He did so before He went through the long list of curses they would endure if they turned away from Him. I am more aware that repentance is necessary and as a believer in Christ I am held responsible to pursue God and live a life that brings Him Glory.

Pursuing a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, came with costs. However, I found that pursuing life, my own way, only separated me from Jesus instead of bringing me closer. You are probably wondering as you read this what repentance means, so let me explain. Repentance is a change of mind, a complete turn from old ways of thinking and committing your heart to God’s Will for your life. The commitment can only come through the Power of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In Psalm 32:8 states, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you with My loving Eye upon you.” God will freely instruct, guide us, and watch over us, but God desires a heart committed to Him. Throughout my walk with Christ, I came to this realization: The surrender to His Will begins with the believer in Christ. The pursuit of righteousness is active and has never been nor will ever be an inactive response. 1 John 3:9 ( Amplified Version): “No one who is born of God (deliberately, knowingly, habitually) practices sin, because God’s seed (His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character) remains (permanently) in him (who is born again–who is reborn from above–spiritually transformed, renewed and set apart for His purpose); and he (who is born again) cannot habitually (live a life characterized by) sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.”

As a believer decides to make Jesus their Lord and Savior, The Holy Spirit actively transforms your mind and heart, strengthening your spirit. Thus, believers can actively pursue living their lives for God’s purposes with great passion to please Him, through His Divine