Be Found by Jesus

If you’re married, I want you to think back to when you first met your spouse.  Was it love at first sight? Or did it take some time for the idea of spending your life with this person to sink in?  How did you pursue one another? Just take a moment to rekindle those memories . . .

David and I met over email when we were 15 years old before online dating was even a thing (long story -- see David or me for details if you want!).  He was in Montana, and I was in Texas. We didn’t even meet in person until we were 18. Within receiving a few emails from David, I knew right away he was “the one,” even before meeting him in person.  It took David a little longer to figure it out, but at least we both came to the same conclusion!

Those first few years, especially once we started dating at the age of 18, were all about pursuing one another.  We thought about each other all the time. Our free time was spent dreaming of a future together. We would surprise each other with fun, creative gifts, and we had exciting adventures together.  We couldn’t stand to be away from one another. We would go out of our way to serve one another and show our love for one another, and we did it joyfully. It was pure bliss! At least, that’s how I remember it!

We have now been married for almost 16 wonderful years.  Marriage has certainly had its ups and downs, but what an amazing blessing it has been.  I will say -- in my opinion, pursuing one another in marriage is much harder than when dating.  I think a certain level of false security sets in. I sometimes think, “Well, he is stuck with me for better or worse, so I’m not even going to try.”  What a lie from the enemy! We should ALWAYS be pursuing one another. We have to be intentional about it. If I don’t pursue my spouse, someone else will!  (Back off, ladies -- he’s mine!)

This application is two-fold:

First, practically speaking, you should pursue your spouse until the end.  Surprise one another. Flirt. Be romantic. Let your spouse know you’re thinking about him/her.  Go on fun dates. Pay attention to each other. Be adventurous and spontaneous. Besides God, your spouse should be #1 in your life, and there should be no question about it.  Love unconditionally. The pursuit of your spouse should not be dependent on the response you get. We should do it as ministry to the Lord (Colossians 3:23), not to get something in return.

Second, did you know that God never quits pursuing you, the bride of Christ?  His treasure? The child of God?  He will chase after you until the end.  Check this out:

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6 NLT)  

and...

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:6-8 NLT)

While I was a sinner… in the deepest depths of sin… Christ died for ME.  He died for YOU. Not while you were at your best -- not while you were doing good things and following all the rules -- He died while you and I were sinners.  His dying on the cross was not dependent on us.  He did it out of His selfless love for us. This is what we need to do for one another -- die to ourselves for the sake of others.  

Whether you have given your life to Jesus or not, He is still pursuing you, and always will.  He delights in you and loves you unconditionally. He wants all of you. He wants you to be found by Him.  And He wants you to pursue HIM.  

James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”  Remember that He is always pursuing you. But you also have to pursue God. Because He does not force Himself on you, He will not come near to you until you have drawn near to HIM completely.  Spend some time with the Lord today -- just you and Him. Rekindle that first love, and be pursued -- which brings me to…

Are You Pursuable?

Something else the Lord spoke to me today is -- “Are you pursuable?” Basically, am I living my life in such a way that my husband wants to pursue me?  Do my friends want to keep reaching out to me, or am I constantly negative and pushing them away? Am I letting myself be found by God, or am I running from Him?

I often find myself audibly sighing or groaning when my kids or husband ask me to do something for them (mainly because it's usually right after I sit down to rest!).  I am making an intentional decision to stop this now -- something I should have stopped a long time ago. What does this behavior convey to them?  It tells them that they are inconveniencing me. It tells them they are unimportant to me. It tells them that I'm not serving them with love.  I don’t ever remember my mom or dad rolling their eyes at my requests or showing any sort of annoyance when they did something for me or for one another.  They did it lovingly and joyfully.

It’s easy to point out the faults in your spouse.  However, Psalm 139:23-24 says “Search ME, God, and know MY heart . . . See if there is any offensive way in ME. . .” We absolutely have to allow God to address the issues of our own hearts first.  Today, God revealed to me that MY attitude toward my family can absolutely stink!  He revealed that some other undesirable behaviors from the rest of the family could be stemming from my own undesirable behavior.  I need to let God change ME first. This type of behavior certainly does not make me pursuable by anyone!

Again, this application is two-fold:

First, we really need to be careful to remember that our family is our first ministry -- keep your guard up, and serve those little munchkins and your spouse with love and joy, as you are serving the Lord when you serve them.       

Second, remember how God serves YOU.  You are never an annoyance to Him. You are His precious child!  He loves you unconditionally, and, “if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13) Just ask Him.  He is waiting!

To be pursuable, we need to be teachable and moldable.  We can’t put up walls and stay stuck in our sin. We need to stand before God in surrender, open and empty, ready to be filled by His Spirit and ready to allow Him to mold us into His image (Isaiah 64:8).

Take a moment right now to be still before the Lord.  Read all of Psalm 139, and think about how God is pursuing YOU.  Just you. You can do nothing more or less to change His unending love toward you.  Rest in that promise!

In closing, I am going to share one of my Facebook posts that relates to this topic of being pursued by God.  I hope you find it encouraging:

This song has been heavy on my heart the past few days. If one of my precious sons ran away or was lost, I would quit everything else to go find him (This has especially been heavy since this just happened to a boy here - he was found, praise God!). 

God will NOT quit pursuing you, His precious child. He loves you too much to let you go your own way, yet He also loves you too much to force you to love Him. It's a choice. You can either allow yourself to be found by the Lord and surrender to Him, or you can ignore Him and continue living your life your own way. Just know that if you are running away, you are running away from your Father who desperately loves you. You can never run so far away from Him that He won't take you back. Turn to Jesus!

Luke 15:4 -- "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"

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Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me
And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me

There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

CCLI# 7089641

Mixed Tape Vol. I Track 4 - All in All

Do you have any songs that have stuck with you for years? I know, my series is all about my Worship mix tape, so obviously these are songs I love. Yet, so far, these have been songs that I've grown to love over the last 4-5 years. The next song on my mix tape is a little different; it has been around for nearly 30 years...and it takes me straight back to a small church camp in central Missouri that I attended for several years as a young boy.

The smell of the paneling in the chapel, the sweet aroma of the spaghetti served multiple times during each session (which for some reason I absolutely loved), and the sounds of young voices singing to the Lord, harmonizing with the crackle of the bonfire--all rush back as I hear these words again. However, until about two years ago, this song had sunken far into my memory as a distant remembrance of those summer days. 

Then one day, I was working and listening to worship music in the background when that sweet memory returned. As often happens, I stopped dead in my tracks, my mind flooded with emotion, thoughts, memories, and utter wonder at what God has done!

That song is "All in All" by Dennis Jernigan, a classic from the early 90's--a simple, sweet tune that brought my heart close to God, and brought me peace, comfort, and tears all at the same time. And this version...is just outrageous. The duo that put this arrangement together have done an AMAZING job bringing life to this song.

WOW! What a powerful anthem to our Lord and Savior!

This song is about more than just memories of church camp for me. You see, I grew up in church. I have MANY memories of Sunday school, plays, VBS, church camp, youth group, and on and on. Yes, I'm grateful for those memories. I'm grateful that my parents pushed us to go to church, and I'm grateful that we had family friends around to encourage us in the Lord.

But most of all, I'm grateful that God did not let go of me!

As an older teenager and young adult, I let go of all the things I knew when I was young. I thought I could make decisions on my own. I thought I could plan my life better than anyone else (especially God), and I did it all of it under the disguise of a Christian young man. I can't tell you why I turned my heart away (aside from pride...go figure). I didn't hate God. I didn't have any desire to fight against God. I just thought that I didn't NEED God. Man, was I wrong!

All that time I spent living life the way I wanted to, I failed to realize that God was right there. His hand was reaching out to touch mine. His heart was wrapping itself around me, and quite honestly it breaks my heart to think about how many tears He may have shed watching me destroy my life one sin at a time.

That little boy that sang, "You are my strength when I am weak...Lord to give up I'd be a fool...You are my all in all," had become a grown up boy, completely lost to sin and shame. But GOD was still there, reaching out to me. 

You see, God's Word tells us that He is sufficient for all of our needs: 

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.
2 Corinthians 3:5

 

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

One day I finally realized that there is nothing I can do apart from God. I realized that Jesus was the strength that I was missing. He was the peace that I was searching for!

When I try to live this life on my own, I end up frustrated, overwhelmed, and searching. When I live this life with God, I am filled with peace, encouragement, and contentment--just like I was during those days at camp. Even though I had turned away, God never did. He always saw that little boy reaching out for Him, and He stayed right by my side, waiting for the day when I would turn back to Him.

I tell you this to encourage you! For those who feel lost, God is right there. Simply turn and open your heart to Him.

For those who have a child, friend, or family member who is lost, just know that God is watching them. His heart is for them to trust in Him, and He will never turn away, even when they do. Keep praying, keep loving them, keep pointing them to the Lord, because He truly is our All in All.

God Bless You!