Not a Pause, a Pursuit (Day 3)
Secured by Grace
“We pursue because we have been pursued.”
Philippians 3:12 (CSB)
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Devotional Thought
This might be the most important thing we talk about all week.
Our pursuit is not our effort to gain something from God. It is our response to Christ having first pursued us.
Read that again if you need to.
Paul says, “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Do you see it? The order matters. Christ made Paul His own first. Then Paul pursued. The response came after the rescue. The effort followed the embrace.
Response. Rescue. Embrace.
Here’s what I see happening in so many believers and I’ll be honest it’s something I’ve wrestled with myself. We treat our spiritual disciplines like a ladder we’re climbing to get God’s attention. We fast to prove our devotion. We pray to earn His favor. We serve to make ourselves worthy of blessing.
And all of it is exhausting.
You know why? Because it’s built on the wrong foundation.
But Paul flips the script. He says my pursuit is fueled by His pursuit of me. I reach forward because He reached down. I press on because He pressed in. I pursue because I have been pursued.
Can I tell you something? Your determination isn’t self generated. It’s a response.
You say, Pastor Scott, what difference does that make?
All the difference. All the difference in the world.
Because if you’re pursuing God to earn something you will burn out. You will get discouraged when results don’t come. You will compare your progress to others and feel like a failure. You will wake up one day wondering why you even bother.
But if you’re pursuing God because He first pursued you? Man. Everything changes.
Your effort becomes gratitude. Your discipline becomes devotion. Your striving becomes rest.
Let me pause for a minute because I know some of you need to hear this. You didn’t start that fast to get God’s attention. You started it because He already had yours. You didn’t seek Him to be noticed. You sought Him because He had already found you. Your pursuit was never about making yourself acceptable. It was about responding to the One who already accepted you.
Already noticed. Already found. Already accepted.
And listen. This isn’t just feel good theology. This is the gospel. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we were running away He was running toward. While we were enemies He made us family.
That’s pursuit. That’s grace. That’s what fuels everything we do in response.
So here’s the question and I want you to sit with this one. What’s driving your pursuit right now?
Is it fear of missing out on blessing? Is it guilt over past failures? Is it the need to prove yourself to God or others?
Or is it simply this… He pursued me so I pursue Him?
Here’s what I know. The posture of your heart determines the sustainability of your pursuit. If you’re running on obligation you will run out of fuel. But if you’re running on response to love? You can run forever.
And maybe you’re reading this and you’ve never experienced that pursuit. Maybe you’ve heard about God but you’ve never felt Him come after you. Can I just say this? He is. Right now. This very moment. The fact that you’re reading these words is evidence that He is drawing you. Pursuing you. Inviting you.
Respond to Him today.
And for those of us who know Him… let your pursuit be shaped by His pursuit of you. Not striving. Responding. Not earning. Receiving. Not climbing. Resting in the One who already came down.
Tomorrow we’ll look at how to keep moving forward without getting stuck in the past. Because whether your past is full of success or failure it can still trap you if you’re not careful.
Our pursuit is not our effort to gain something from God. It is our response to Christ having first pursued us.
Read that again if you need to.
Paul says, “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Do you see it? The order matters. Christ made Paul His own first. Then Paul pursued. The response came after the rescue. The effort followed the embrace.
Response. Rescue. Embrace.
Here’s what I see happening in so many believers and I’ll be honest it’s something I’ve wrestled with myself. We treat our spiritual disciplines like a ladder we’re climbing to get God’s attention. We fast to prove our devotion. We pray to earn His favor. We serve to make ourselves worthy of blessing.
And all of it is exhausting.
You know why? Because it’s built on the wrong foundation.
But Paul flips the script. He says my pursuit is fueled by His pursuit of me. I reach forward because He reached down. I press on because He pressed in. I pursue because I have been pursued.
Can I tell you something? Your determination isn’t self generated. It’s a response.
You say, Pastor Scott, what difference does that make?
All the difference. All the difference in the world.
Because if you’re pursuing God to earn something you will burn out. You will get discouraged when results don’t come. You will compare your progress to others and feel like a failure. You will wake up one day wondering why you even bother.
But if you’re pursuing God because He first pursued you? Man. Everything changes.
Your effort becomes gratitude. Your discipline becomes devotion. Your striving becomes rest.
Let me pause for a minute because I know some of you need to hear this. You didn’t start that fast to get God’s attention. You started it because He already had yours. You didn’t seek Him to be noticed. You sought Him because He had already found you. Your pursuit was never about making yourself acceptable. It was about responding to the One who already accepted you.
Already noticed. Already found. Already accepted.
And listen. This isn’t just feel good theology. This is the gospel. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we were running away He was running toward. While we were enemies He made us family.
That’s pursuit. That’s grace. That’s what fuels everything we do in response.
So here’s the question and I want you to sit with this one. What’s driving your pursuit right now?
Is it fear of missing out on blessing? Is it guilt over past failures? Is it the need to prove yourself to God or others?
Or is it simply this… He pursued me so I pursue Him?
Here’s what I know. The posture of your heart determines the sustainability of your pursuit. If you’re running on obligation you will run out of fuel. But if you’re running on response to love? You can run forever.
And maybe you’re reading this and you’ve never experienced that pursuit. Maybe you’ve heard about God but you’ve never felt Him come after you. Can I just say this? He is. Right now. This very moment. The fact that you’re reading these words is evidence that He is drawing you. Pursuing you. Inviting you.
Respond to Him today.
And for those of us who know Him… let your pursuit be shaped by His pursuit of you. Not striving. Responding. Not earning. Receiving. Not climbing. Resting in the One who already came down.
Tomorrow we’ll look at how to keep moving forward without getting stuck in the past. Because whether your past is full of success or failure it can still trap you if you’re not careful.
Application Questions
1. In what ways have you treated your spiritual disciplines more like earning than responding?
2. How does knowing that Christ pursued you first change your motivation for pursuing Him?
2. How does knowing that Christ pursued you first change your motivation for pursuing Him?
Today's Challenge
Spend five minutes today simply thanking God for pursuing you. Don’t ask for anything. Don’t confess anything. Just thank Him for coming after you when you weren’t looking for Him.
Today's Prayer
Jesus, thank You for pursuing me. Thank You for not waiting until I was worthy. Thank You for reaching down when I couldn’t reach up. I want my pursuit of You to be a response to Your love, not an attempt to earn it. Free me from striving and let me rest in what You’ve already done. I’m Yours because You made me Yours. In Your name, amen.
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