Pursuit...

Dear Sisters,

I have been reading Matthew and Luke's account of the birth of Jesus this week. I am utterly amazed at the lengths God has taken to pursue us.

In reading the events surrounding Jesus birth one story of pursuit caught my eye and my heart. The story unfolds in Matthew's Gospel (chapter 2) as a group of men travel hundreds of miles in search of a king. These men were astrologers we call 'wise men or maji'. The Bible dose not tell us how many men came in search of Jesus. We typically assume three because of the three gifts they brought but really we just don't know. What we do know is they saw a star and packed their suitcase and headed for Jerusalem. They traveled many miles in pursuit of a king. And why? To worship Him!

There is much to learn of this story but for today I want to focus on their pursuit of the King. These men left their homes, work and lives to seek after the promised King, Jesus. Their travel was no doubt hard and long. They sought Jesus for to worship Him and bring Him gifts. They wanted to see this promised King for themselves.

I'm so often saddened at the lack of pursuit we Christians have today. How many of us really take the time to pursue Jesus with the energy and sacrifice these men made? As A.W. Tozer says "we have accepted one another's notions, copied one another's lives and made one another's experiences the model for our own." Instead of individually seeking hard after God we have come to rely totally on someone elses experience instead of working hard after our own. Tozer calls this the 'great sickness' and I believe it has invaded many Christian lives today. Many of us have settled for second hand experiences of Jesus passed down to us by those who make the effort to really be in relationship with Him.

The miles you and I must travel in pursuit of God may seem like a journey to hard to take. But let me say to each of you today- God is here! He is not a distant God but an active God. He is so worth the pursuit! I want to encourage you not to settle for seeing God through someone elses eyes this next year but look for yourself! Be willing to travel the miles it takes to know Your God at a deeper level. Commit to a long obedience in the same direction! Experience Your Savior first hand!

My prayer for you, Dear Sister, is more of Jesus! Truly He is 'Emmanuel, God with us'!
Lori