3 Reasons to Pursue God (like right now)
Have you ever replaced something really old with something brand new?
This week, we got a steal and ended up replacing an older fridge with a brand new one. In all honesty, the other fridge wasn’t that old or dingy but it was white and didn’t have a water dispenser like Nana and Papa’s.
So having a brand new French-door opening, ice and water dispensing, shiny stainless steel fridge finishes off my kitchen and has brought “jump up and down” joy to my kids (now that they have a fridge like Nana and Papa). The whole darn thing looks slicker, cooler, and transforms the feel of my entire kitchen. Glancing over as I sit here writing, the light reflects off its sheen surface illuminating my whole room. (Okay maybe that was a bit of a stretch. But here is what I want you to think about.)
What has it felt like to trade out something old for something new?
“Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1).
This verse is going to anchor Week 1 of our Never Give Up series and show us “3 Reasons to Pursue God (like right now).” To see those three reasons we are going to chop up this verse like vegetables for a stir-fry. So let’s grab our knives. (Luckily we are not in my kitchen or my hubby would take a few steps back.)
Chop 1: “God in his mercy…”
What is mercy? In my words, mercy is the kindness of God and the generosity of his heart toward people. In the words of Millard Erickson in Christian Theology, “God’s mercy is His tenderhearted, loving compassion for his people. It is His tenderness of heart toward the needy.”
Read that again slowly.
“Mercy is God’s tenderness of heart toward the needy.”
God is tender, has a huge heart, and is always present when people are in need. That is mercy.
If there ever were a time in my forty years that we would be described as “needy,” it would be right now. And right now, we have a very present, tender, loving, compassionate, and merciful God that is pursing us.
His kindess is a reason to pursue God as he pursues us. He is merciful and according to the book of Lamentations (in other words “lamenting” of which I have done NONE of lately J) “His mercies are new every morning.”
So right now. This morning. This evening. No matter what yesterday looked like or what tomorrow brings, you have access to a tenderhearted, lovingly merciful, and compassionate God. He is waiting to pour out his love for you and me. How do I know? Chop 2.
Chop 2: “has given us…”
God’s a giver. I’m not sure what you grew up believing (if anything) about God. But he is a giver, not a taker.
I’ve been doing some selling Facebook, aka. an online garage sale. And boy some people what to just take something for nothing! Let’s just leave it at that before my mouth gets me in trouble.
However God in his mercy and kindness is a giver! Before we move past this we have to remember it. In a season where much has been taken from us. Church. Jobs. Memories. Hugs. Rights of passage. Sanity. Health. Friday night fun. We have to remember that God is not a taker, he’s a giver. What does he give? Chop 3.
Chop 3: “…this new way…”
We are going to have to roll up our sleeves here and go back to Chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians because whenever our verse starts with the words, “therefore” we should look at what came before.
Look for the contrast between the old way and the new way!
The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.
2 Corinthians 3:7-12
The old way led to death. The new way leads to life.
The old way brought condemnation. The new way makes us right with God.
The old way was glorious for some. The new way is glorious for all.
The old way led to pursuing God with caution. The new way leads to pursing God with confidence.
So what is the difference between the old way and the new way?
Christ.
Believing in Christ.
And our confidence to pursue God through Christ.
In short, “Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil (that was under Old Testament law) is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:16-17).
Whenever we turn. Or have turned.
Whenever we pursue God, we receive his kindness and mercy and the gift of a new way in Christ. We receive his Spirit and strength. His life and light. His hope and help. And that freedom in Christ, fuels our fortitude to NEVER GIVE UP.
As many of us are, I’m schooling my four kiddos. My sixth grader has been completely on task and independent on a chrome book. The other two need to be taught and have their hands held through the work. And with the youngest I’ve resigned.
However today was a rough day for my oldest. The stress of all the change caught up to him and he couldn’t understand what he got wrong. He had even spoken with his teacher and was defeated when he couldn’t get the right answer and didn’t know what he did wrong.
We’ll keep this between us but his face got all red and tears started to well up in his eyes.
At that very moment, I knew exactly how he felt.
Overwhelmed. Discouraged. Drained. Tired of trying only to come up empty. Stressed from all the change. Worn out from adapting to a whole new way of doing things.
Can you relate?
My heart ached for him. He had been trying so hard. So we took a pause. Got some food. Breathed in some fresh air. And then back at it.
An hour after lunch, he yells, “Mom, I got it!”
I wish my words could pop off the page and tell you how proud I was of him for his persistence. For hanging in there. For never giving up.
When we trade our old way of putting God off for a new way of pursing God, especially in our present times, it makes me think of how proud our loving Father is toward us. Every little time we turn to him or pursue him. Whether it’s for help or for hope. Whether we’re at our wits end or in worship.
First off, we encounter the tenderhearted, kindness of our God. Second we get a gift, a free one. Third, we are reminded that there is a new way. And that new way in Christ frees and fuels us to NEVER GIVE UP.
As we journey through the rest of the chapter we are going to see what else this chapter has in store for us to help us NEVER GIVE UP. I hope you’ll continue on our journey together and invite someone along.
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Reflect:
How would you describe your current posture toward God? Are you putting him off or pursing him?
What would a doable next step be for you to pursue him? Then go and do it, today or tomorrow or the next, but do it. Options could be:
Talk to him in prayer.
Write God an authentic letter of about how you feel about our world and your world right now.
Read through 2 Corinthians 4 on your own.
Do a little digging with an online commentary about our chapter.
Utilize YouTube or Spotify to help you engage in musical worship.
Take a walk in nature and notice his creation.
Respond:
Oh Father, I am so excited about our journey through your word. I pray your Spirit would pop off the page! Show us who you are and who we are to you! Show us how to pursue you and reveal the ways you are pursing us. Help us draw near and come close in return. Spirit, empower us that we might not give up in these difficult times. May we hang in there. Persist after you and never give up. Amen.