Friday Devotional – God is Pursuing Us
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
— 1 Corinthians 10:31
When I was a child, I imagined God being this person up in heaven looking down on us trying to catch us doing something wrong. Now I believe that is half right. I still believe God is looking down on us, but instead of catching us doing wrong, He’s pursuing us and wanting relationship. Today’s devotion talks about this pursuit.
As you know, we’ve been slowly walking through the Book of Psalms, and this week we’re looking at (Psalm 53). The Psalms do such a great job of talking about the topics and emotions we most often deal with in life. There’s always so much in each chapter, verses full of wisdom we can soak in, use, and grab hold of daily.
What stuck out to me in this Psalm is how God continually pursues us. That God created us and wants a relationship with us, from the beginning of time to the end…even right now. God looks, pursues, and searches our hearts and knows our thoughts. The problem is, sin and disobedience have worked to separate us, and as a result, we keep moving away.
3 reasons people have turned away from God:
- People are foolish (vs 1). “Only Fools say in their hearts, there is no God.” Someone who is unwilling to acknowledge God in creation, experience, or His Word. The fool deliberately decides.
- People have corrupted hearts (vs 3). “Together they have become corrupt.” Continued rejection leads to a hardened heart…becoming more and more blinded.
- People have no understanding (vs 4). “Can’t they understand anything?” They become darkened in their understanding. They have futility in thinking.
It doesn’t stop there though. God doesn’t give up, go away, or leave us hanging. God is continuing to pursue and make Himself known. God is still looking and calling to see if anyone will respond. The last verse in this passage, Psalm 53:6 says, “Salvation will come from Zion.” He’s declaring that there will be a way to be saved. It’s pointing to His son Jesus who will bring salvation to all who believe.
May we each leave our foolish, corrupt, and ignorant ways behind. May we recognize and grab hold of the Truth of Scripture. And then honor and glorify God with what we do with it.