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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Proverbs 21-22
2 Corinthians 11

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Proverbs 21:21 (CSB): “The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Whether we realize it or not, all of us are pursuing something.

Some folks are chasing after a good education. Some are pursuing the person they want to marry, and (bonus points) continue pursuing them after they get married. Some are pursuing wealth. Some are pursuing justice. My own nation’s Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4, 1776, has the phrase: “life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Everyone is pursuing something.

A sobering and sad reality is that if we do a serious, honest look into our own hearts, it may be that the things we are pursuing are intended to simply gratify our temporal desires. If we allow Scripture to shine a light on our heart, it may diagnose us with “1 John 2:16 Syndrome.” We are chasing after things to satisfy our temporal, sinful desires.

1 John 2:15-16 (CSB): “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

  • “lust of the flesh” – my body wants to experience a bad thing, or wants a good thing in excess
  • “lust of the eyes” – my mind wants to dwell on a bad thing, or wants a good thing in excess
  • “pride of life” – my ego wants validation in a way that does not honor the Lord

If we try to look objectively at the things that God commands and forbids in Scripture, we realize that God has given us instructions for our good. If He commands it, He is saying that He wants us to glorify Him, secure personal happiness, and be a blessing to others. If He forbids it, He is saying that He doesn’t want us to rob Him of glory, torpedo our desire for lasting happiness, and harm others.

So, what should we pursue? What can we set our eyes on that will give us what will glory our God, give our hearts the lasting happiness it desires, and bless others?

Proverbs 21:21 (CSB): “The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor.”

If we continuously make it our aim to chase after righteousness and faithful love, we will find the real meaning for living, righteousness which gives us a clean conscience without guilt, and honor by those who value what is good.

To be sure, if you chase after righteousness and faithful love, you will also create enemies. Jesus’ experience makes this truth abundantly clear. Charlie Kirk’s life, while he was a sinner like the rest of us, was filled with a desire to speak truth to help others see the merits of living with a Christian worldview. He also tended to value and show respect to those who mistreated him. Yet, we have all seen how much hatred he received, particularly after his death.

So, the truth of Proverbs 21:21 is a general truth in this broken world. But if you are trusting Jesus to make you right in God’s eyes and pursue righteousness and faithful love, you will one day enter your Heavenly home where you will receive, in it’s joyous fullness, “life, righteousness, and honor.”

Let’s obey God’s Word, pursue what is right, and live for the day when we will receive our reward in Heaven. Before we know it, we will be standing before Him. This life is but a vapor. So, live this life pursuing the right things. You will be forever grateful in Heaven that you did.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you cultivate a desire, and then to act on that desire, to pursue a righteous life and heartfelt faithful love for Him and those around you.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what is means to pursue righteousness, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean to pursue righteousness?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)