Daily Devotional

I find myself living at an age that is causing me to look back over the timeline of my
life. I see a pattern of how God has worked throughout my life. One of the things
God has impressed on me is that I can’t live in the past or rest on past achievements.
In this new chapter of life I am asking myself a question. What am I pursuing today?
I find God is asking me to examine what are the pursuits of my heart, not what is
everyone else pursuing. Others may be pursuing climbing the corporate ladder,
buying bigger and better things, accumulating wealth or similar goals. Often I have
to admit that pursuing spiritual things is not always on the top of my list.

The Apostle Paul recognized that in life there is only one thing worth pursuing and that
is knowing Christ fully. He knew he would never exhaust the riches of knowing
Christ. He wanted his relationship with the Lord to grow deeper each day. Paul
focused on taking hold of everything Christ had in mind for him when he was saved
on the Damascus Road.

Each of us is a chosen instrument of God to carry out His purposes. Everything we
do in life should be done with the idea in mind of giving ourselves more fully to
Christ. The pursuit of our heart should be that we might, “take hold of that for
which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” In other words, that we might become all that
God saved us to be.

Today I would like to ask you to join me in evaluating what should truly be our focus
in life. Without purpose and goals, we wander aimlessly through life. God has saved
us for a reason and until we pursue how He designed us, we will be unfulfilled
regardless of the amount of religious activity we accomplish or things we
accumulate. God has built into our lives the desire to pursue after Him. Today, let
that be our driving focus.

Prayer: Lord, help me to lift up my eyes and to focus on what you created me to be.
If there are things in life that are taking my focus off of you, help me to recognize
what they are and give me the strength/courage to set them aside. I want the goal of
my life to be knowing you more fully and becoming all that You saved me to be.
Amen.

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