Mensa Otabil - The Right Pursuits
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We’ve been looking at the fact that the Christian life is a race. It’s something that we pursue. When we give our life to Jesus Christ, we make a commitment, and that’s a good commitment.
That’s what Hebrews chapter 12, verses 14 and 15, talks аbout: «Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, looking carefully lest anyone falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.» Normally, in life, we achieve the things we pursue. If you pursue material things, you will achieve material things. If you pursue spiritual things, you’ll achieve spiritual things. Therefore, the things that we run after, the things that we pursue, are the things that become our life’s achievements.
Here, the Bible tells us what we should be pursuing as Christians. First, it says that we must pursue peace. This means that when we become Christians, having peace and living in peace with people becomes a very important consideration. You know, all Christians understand that walking in love is the mark of our Christian faith. When we know Jesus as Lord, we must walk in love. Sadly, many of us are not able to walk in love. In fact, we’re not able to walk in love even with people in our church and people in our families. Sometimes, we allow bitterness to come into our relationships, and the bitterness then poisons all our relationships. So, the passage says we must pursue peace, and we must be careful not to allow bitterness to take root in our lives.
So you, Christian, you are committed to the Lord. Pursue peace; make it like a race. See it as something that you have to endeavor and work hard to attain. Having peace with people is not always easy, but it’s doable. The Christian life commands us to pursue peace with people. Then it tells us, in addition to peace, we must also pursue holiness. This means we must pursue a life that is in alignment with God’s will. That doesn’t mean that we develop a holier-than-thou attitude. You know, the Christians who have a chip on their shoulder think they are higher than everybody. Everyone else is a rotten sinner; they are the only righteous ones. They go condemning, accusing, and throwing guilt on people. That’s not what it is. Pursuing holiness is not against people; it’s for ourselves. We must individually pursue holiness, and holiness simply means living the life that God wants us to live.
The Bible then tells us that when we pursue holiness, we will see God. We will experience Him; we will experience His power. There are many times we want God to answer our prayers. We want to see the supernatural power of God. We want to see the goodness of the Lord; we want to see miracles happen in our lives. Well, the Bible tells us if we pursue holiness, we will see God, but if we don’t, then we will not see God. That does not mean that God is not in our lives or that we are not Christians. It simply means you don’t see the manifestation of His grace, of His power, of His glory in our lives. So if you want to see spiritual manifestations, divine manifestations, and the power of God, then the Scripture tells us to pursue holiness.
We must separate ourselves from that which is unholy, and we must dedicate our lives to the service of the Lord every day of our lives. We must remember that as Christians, we belong to God; we don’t belong to ourselves. We belong to God; we live for Him, and we honor Him with our choices and our decisions. As we do that, we see His work in our lives. We see His power at work in our lives. We see His goodness in our lives. So, as you run the Christian race, pursue two things: pursue peace and pursue holiness.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, You have called me to peace and holiness. Help me to exhibit Your glory in my life. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.