Jarrid Wilson - Wondrous Pursuit: Daily Encounters with an Almighty God

Wondrous Pursuit

DAILY ENCOUNTERS WITH AN ALMIGHTY GOD

A 30-DAY DEVOTIONAL

JARRID WILSON

Wondrous Pursuit: Daily Encounters with an Almighty God

Copyright 2016 Jarrid Wilson

Kirkdale Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

KirkdalePress.com

You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Kirkdale Press for permission. Email us at .

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Lexham English Bible ( LEB ), copyright 2013 by Lexham Press. Lexham is a registered trademark of Faithlife Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked ( NIV ) are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Print ISBN 9781683590088

Digital ISBN 9781683590095

Kirkdale Editorial: Justin Marr, Rebecca Florence Miller, Lynnea Smoyer, Abigail Stocker

Cover Design: Jarrid Wilson

Back Cover Design: Liz Donovan

To my boys

May you always remember Gods wondrous love for you

CONTENTS

T he pursuit of God is a pursuit full of excitement, transformation, adventure, and inner discovery. In it, we cling to the truths we know, yet hold on to faith for the answers still unveiled. The magnificence that is God acts as our light in a world that has become so dark. God, our creator and life-breathing orchestrator, provides the wisdom and knowledge necessary to truly find a life of fulfillment and promise. Let your pursuit of God be a wondrous pursuit, a story worth telling, and a daring experience worth reliving day after day.

The pursuit of God has many facetsincluding prayer, worship, church, community, meditation, servanthood, and grace. Throughout this book you will have the opportunity to reflect on various passages within the Bible that pertain to your walk with God and each of these facets. Youll have the opportunity to truly evaluate the strength of your spiritual roots and to find out more about the foundation youve chosen to build your life upon. Whether you have been studying Gods word for the last fifty years, as little as a few days, or have yet to open up a Bible at all, I pray the words in this book will enrich your life.

No ones pursuit of God is perfect. In fact, were all going to have a pursuit thats messy and unique and in need of Gods grace and direction. But thats the beauty of God; he yearns for our pursuit even though it is full of impurities and imperfection. Our purpose in pursuing God is simple: because he has chosen to first pursue us. No matter who we are, what weve done, or where weve once been, our creator and Father in heaven is constantly and radically pursuing us on a day-to-day basis. Why? Because just like any other well-intentioned relationship, you pursue those you love and care about. In this pursuit you get to know more about that person each and every day you spend time with them.

God, being the creator of the universe, has nothing more he needs to know about us, but he still chooses to pursue us anyway. For the next 30 days, I would encourage you to drop any preconceived ideas you may have about this devotional, open your heart for an opportunity to grow, and let down your guard so that God can begin molding and shaping your heart.

I cannot begin to explain the wondrous journey I found myself embarking on while writing this devotional, and I pray God will speak to you in the same way he has to mein exponential love, grace, and wisdom. The next month is going to be just one of the many opportunities you will have in life to deepen and widen your spiritual roots, but I pray you fully take the opportunity at hand to be diligent in reading for the next 30 days.

So whether you will be journeying through this pursuit by yourself or with friends, loved ones, or even a small group of fellow believers, I pray that you will open your heart to the endless possibilities of Gods love and truth. There is never an end point when it comes to pursuing God. There is no final lap or finish line to cross. The wondrous pursuit of God is one of unending treasure and discovery; it continuously transforms us from the inside out in a way that no one but God ever could.

Therefore become imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, just as also Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant smell. But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or greediness, must not even be named among you (as is fitting for saints), and obscenity, and foolish talk, or coarse jesting (which are not proper), but rather thanksgiving. For this you know for certain, that every sexually immoral person, or unclean person, or greedy person (who is an idolater), does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

Therefore do not be sharers with them, for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live like children of light (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is well-pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even expose them. For it is shameful even to speak about the things being done by them in secret, but all things exposed by the light are made visible, for everything made visible is light. Therefore it says,

Wake up, sleeper,

and rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.

Therefore, consider carefully how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil.

H ave you ever stopped to think about what it means when someone says theyre pursuing God? Pursuit is a powerful word. Its so much more than simply following God. People who are pursuing God arent lagging behind, showing up late, or halfheartedly chasing after him. Theyre all in.

Fervently, passionately, unwaveringly in.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary actually says that to pursue means to follow and try to catch or capture (someone or something) for usually a long distance or time. When we truly pursue God, were out to catch his incomprehensible attributes of love, grace, and mercy. Were to put away selfish desires and instead put on the likeness and wonder of God.

So how do we do it? What does this wondrous pursuit actually look like? Where do we start? What do we door not do? In , Paul writes clear instructions for people who are pursuing God: Imitate God in all that you do; follow his example; offer yourself fully to him as he offered his Son, Jesus, fully to us.

Were told to wake up, rise with Christ from death to life, and see his light shine upon us. Its the beginning of a wondrous pursuit that lasts a lifetime.

Pursuing God means doing away with selfish desires and detours that might get in the way. It means fully embracing the beauty of God and allowing his love to change us entirely.

Going all in would be another way to put itjumping headfirst into a life that seeks to not only glorify God, but please him. Putting the desires of God before your own and before others. Making God the center of your lifea center around which you choose to revolve, the point on which you build everything else.

GO FURTHER

What does it mean to live in the light?