It's Not Easy

Hebrews 10:36
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.


Passionately pursuing God is not for the faint-of-heart. This walk is a call to greatness. A call to meet the challenge of a life-time, knowing you will succeed in the end, enduring much hardship in the mean-time. It is a call to action and adventure that not everyone is willing to accept.

It is so often said that Christianity is a "crutch." I’m not exactly sure what people mean by that - honestly, there are times when it is not a crutch, it’s a stretcher! There are so many bumps on the road of life, so to have Christ who will not only help us, but many times carry us through, is a blessing and a privilege. However, this statement makes me wonder if these people think that the Christian life is easy, as though we’ve chosen a short-cut, the "easy way out." Now, there are those who will not choose to pursue God in all that they do - they will choose the "easy path." Now, I know that life really is not easy at all, but it is much easier to stay where we are, in the sin and debauchery that keep us down, than to travel the ever ascending road of Christianity. And I can tell you that while their life may be easier, and may even be "good," in some cases, they will not have the adventure, full of passion and greatness, that we will have because we have chosen to pursue the Almighty!

Somehow, our society (or perhaps it is our fault) has wimped out the Christian life. To those looking on, and even to many of us on the inside, it looks fluffy, weak, shallow, and altogether boring. That is so far from the truth! This Christian life is none of those things. Somehow many people have decided that it is up to the women to be the "spiritual ones," as though the Christian walk is not manly enough for male gender - again, it is weak. How far from the truth! I believe that it takes a true, strong man to step out with God. I can also say that there is nothing more powerful, more attractive, more amazing than a man who is wholly committed to God - pursuing Him! Any man can live a life of normalcy. Any man can become a Christian and just ride the wave in - easy-does-it. But it takes a man of guts and strength to step up to the challenge to be a leader (in so many ways), to pursue God, and be passionate about all that He has to offer.

Of course, there are many women who have stepped up to the plate, as well - God will use anyone who is willing to step off the edge into the unknown with Him. And that is where life really begins! Satan would have us believe that to leave all the partying and what-not behind is to stop living. But that stuff was just killing us slowly. We do not start living - truly living - until we let God have the reins. And let me warn you, He’s a wild driver - wild, but safe.

Again, this life, passionately pursuing God, is not easy! Why else would there be so many verses in the Bible that tell us to persevere, hold fast, be strong, and to encourage each other. I would venture to say that we have chosen the most difficult lifestyle this world has to offer. But it is worth it - it is more than worth it! There is nothing this world can give us that will even come close to that which God has to offer. I’ve had a taste - have you? Having caught a glimpse of what’s around the next bend, I can tell you that I’ve left the "easy life" behind, and I’m not looking back!

God-Directed Steps

Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.


Now that we are out to discover what it is to "Passionately Pursue God," I find myself constantly thinking about it, praying about it, and relating most everything I read and hear to living my life this way. I’m not sure we’ll ever come up with a perfect, one-sentence answer to what it is to passionately pursue Him, but I believe that God is constantly giving us glimpses of a what a life devoted to pursuing Him looks like.

I think that is why this verse stood out to me today - it was as if God said "this is the attitude one must have in order to pursue Me in any and every way." When we decide that this is what our lives are about, then we must lay them down at the feet of God, letting Him take us where He will, up or down, good or bad. As long as we believe that we have the right to decide what we do with our lives, and how we will live them, we are not pursuing God.

To pursue Him means that we have our eyes on Him, not ourselves. It is a matter of perspective, a matter of humility (I define humility as a focus on God and then others, where-as pride is simply defined as a self-focus). We must come to know, truly believe - all the way down to our bones - that this life is not ours. In order to pursue Him, we must finally let go of our lives, and let Him direct our every step. Then, each and every step will lead us closer to His heart and a greater knowledge of Him. Glory to God!

For the record, I believe that there is no better way to get a glorious, perfect glimpse of God, than when we are down on our knees. From this posture it is so much easier to keep our focus on Christ, and off everything else. It is from down there that we are able to keep the perfect perspective on life - as we come to God better and more intimately, and begin to see ourselves through His eyes. Try it today!

Intimate Knowledge

I just want to take a moment to thank you for coming along with me on this journey. And I need to apologize if my thoughts do not seem to follow a logical flow or pattern. I am really not sure where we are going, or what we will find along the way - all I really know is how we will get there, because that is the whole point - passionately pursuing God. I have a feeling that we will probably take some twists and turns, as that seems to be how my brain functions - could be motherhood (and the lack of sleep), or it could just be me (a little weird).

Please, if you have any questions or comments or whatever that you want to share with me or discuss with me, just send them my way! I want this to be a journey of discovery for all of us. We are in this together, right?

So, let’s keep on pursuing Him, seeking to know the One who loves us more than we could ever know or even imagine! Let’s open our eyes and our hearts and see what we will discover today.

PPG - Andrea


Philippians 3:8
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.


I know that we have looked at this verse in the past, in reference to knowing Christ, but I think it bears repeating. It is definitely a truth that I need to reflect on time and time again - to "know Christ."

I just get goose bumps when I think of this passage! That Paul would be willing to give up all things (and indeed he did many times) all just to know Christ is thrilling! Imagine what it must be like to know Him this deeply and intimately. To think that when we really get to know Him, as the relationship grows deeper, each and every day, it will become more precious to us than anything else on this earth. Wow!

I believe one of the issues facing us is comprehending what it is to know Him. What does it really mean? We can read the Bible, and discover things about God. We can learn all His names and His attributes. We can memorize verse after verse talking about all the mighty things He has done, words He has spoken, people He has changed. All of this is awesome, and I would even say important. But until we personalize it all, it is quite meaningless. Doing all of these things will not necessarily help us to know Him any better than before, until we make it a part of us.

When Paul talks about knowing Christ, He is talking about a very real, very personal experience. I don’t think that anything else would cause him to live through what he lived through in his life (prison, beatings, getting stoned, ship wrecks, you name it) for just some simple head knowledge and facts he had learned about the God he served. No, he had a very intimate, and personal experience with a very intimate and personal God. Is that what you have?

In verse 10 of this same passage, Paul again re-iterates that he wants to "know Christ." The Greek word for "know" in this verse is ginosko, which means "to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of, perceive, feel; to become acquainted with, to know; Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman." (Emphasis mine) Wow! That’s some pretty strong language Paul must be using here! To use a word that is an idiom for sexual intercourse to describe how he wants to "know Christ" is pretty bold. Yet, it is perfect and beautiful.

There is really no knowledge more deep, more intimate, or more beautiful than that shared by a man and a woman after they consummate their relationship, is there? That is why God holds sex in such high esteem, asking that we reserve it only for the one who has committed themselves fully to us in marriage. It is a very deep and personal knowledge that leaves us vulnerable, and opens us up to the other person.

Yet, that is what we have in Christ, is it not? One who has committed Himself so completely, so passionately to us that He gave His very life in a very ugly and brutal way - all so He could have a relationship with us! He did not give us a ring, He gave us the cross, followed by a glorious, empty tomb. He wants us to be vulnerable, opening up to Him, as He was vulnerable, and has opened up to us in so many ways. He is deeply committed to us, and that is what He desires from us, as well. He wants us passionately committed, and He wants us to know Him intimately, perfectly, thoroughly.

We need to remember that we are passionate, intimate, personal people who serve a passionate, intimate, personal God.

Let’s spend some time today with God asking Him if this is the kind of relationship we have with Him. If it is, seek Him to know How to deepen it even further. If it is not, then ask how you can have this with Him. Let Him show you where to start - let Him fill you with all that He has to offer. Perhaps this is something that you do not even long for, at this point. If that is you, then spend some time asking God why this is not a desire for you, because I believe that He wants this to be our desire - He has hard-wired us to long for that which only He can provide. Perhaps you are trying to fill the void with something else, or you just haven’t yet recognized the desire for what it is. Regardless of where you are in your relationship with God, seek Him today. Let Him show you what it is to desire Him, and to truly know Him.