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?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

Letters to my son - Introduction

O' my son! 

This year has been a crazy one...you've really stirred the waters! I was beginning to wonder if being a father was in God's plan for me. I mean, I have to admit, the thought of changing another human being's poopy diapers wasn't exactly bucket list material for me. You're too young to know, but the hard rock wall between your grandpa and I, that definitely made me wonder... What if? What if I do have a son and he grows up to want nothing to do with me to live a totally different life-- could I take that? I believe that, little by little, God was preparing me for the responsibility of leading you and Mom, of guiding you both spiritually, and of loving you both sacrificially. I have to say, though, that once you "made your entrance," a lot of those questions kind of faded away. 

³ Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.

⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.

 

- Psalm 127:3-4

I guess I never really saw having children as a reward, but I totally do now! I look at the above verse and think of arrows in a warrior's hand, how they must give him purpose, invigorate him, and propel him forward in being a warrior. Son, you have given me more purpose to persevere in my walk with Jesus. It hasn't all been roses these last seven months! Oh boy, I thought I knew what exhaustion was, but I had no idea. Never have I seen someone so demanding over milk! I mean, milk isn't THAT great, is it? The only other person I know who seems to love soft things as much as you is your mother... waking both of you up in the climax of your nap is a BAD IDEA!!! 

Oh, but there are so many awesome things about you! You love to giggle when I make goofy sounds and faces... and I'm pretty stoked that only I can make you laugh that way. You don't give up easily! Watching you trying to master crawling is like watching a fish flop around on dry land! You got it down, eventually, but I love that you didn't give up. 

 I want to start writing you through these blogs with the hopes that, as God teaches me new and exciting things through being a parent, you will one day grow to know His heart AND my heart through them. I KNOW, I KNOW I can be an overly sentimental dude! You will just have to get used to it. Sorry, I am now stuck with you...the good and the stinky... so I guess that means for the next 18 years, you are also stuck with me.

I guess the first thing God's taught me that I want to leave with you is this: It may be difficult to be a parent, but not hard to love you. It may be taxing when you won't be still and let me put a fresh diaper on you, but I enjoy each second. I have come to see a parallel these last seven months between being a parent and my relationship with the Lord. How come the Lord's mercies fail not? We can be such boneheads!! How can God be so gracious? I know that God's purpose, at least in part, in allowing couples to have children is to give us a window into His own heart towards us. We may be able to vicariously look into other's lives and imagine God's fatherly heart towards His beloved children when we see them love their own children so deeply, but we will never know fully until we experience it ourselves. 

In short, you are a gift as the verse above said...a demanding one, but just the one I needed to draw nearer to God and understand His heart in a new and fresh way. 

Love, your father,

James Stroud

 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

 

- James 1:17