My Soul Followeth Hard after Thee
fol·low
verb
(used with object)
1.
to
come after in sequence, order of time, etc.: The speech follows the dinner. 2.
to go or come after; move behind in the same direction: Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
3.
to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to: Many Germans followed Hitler.
4.
to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey: to follow orders; to follow advice.
5.
to imitate or copy; use as an exemplar: They follow the latest fads.
From: Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
This
month’s Christian Writers Blog Chain topic is ‘Pursuit.’ What more fitting
subject to write about, I thought, than the pursuit of God.
“Before
a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of
enlightenment done within him;” Quoted from, The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Tozer’s
words are so true. Before we can pursue God, in fact before God can fill our
hearts with the desire to pursue him, there must first be that work of
redemption in our lives. Romans 10:9-10 expresses well the steps that bring
redemption.
How
does one pursue God? With a whole heart and no shame. As the redeemed of
Christ, our hearts should hunger for the things of God, for holiness. Not the
outward holiness of those who dress to impress but a true godliness that flows
from inward and into the very heart of God. We must set our hearts to following
hard after God, more importantly we should ask God to give us such a hunger for
him that none but a close relationship with him will satisfy our hunger.
A
Christian’s pursuit of God should never be one of shame. Boldly we follow him.
Let us never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the redemptive work
God has wrought in our hearts. Follow God, and when those around you ask why
you seem interested only in the ‘things of God’, share God’s love with them
boldly.
Oh,
dear Lord, grant me such a marvelous hunger for you!
Allow
me, if you please, to close my post with another quote from A.W. Tozer.
God
is a Person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys,
feels, loves,
desires
and suffers as any other person may. In making Himself known to us He stays by
the familiar pattern of personality. He communicates with us through the
avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions. The continuous and
unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the
redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Bible
Text:
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand
upholdeth me. (Psalm 63:8, KJV)
9
That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10
For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10, KJV)
God
is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
(John 4:24, KJV)
Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
(Hebrews 12:14, KJV)
For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
(Romans 1:16, KJV)
Stephanie Boles
Author
of the Called to His Purpose seriesWriting is my ministry, not my job
June’s blog chain theme at ChristianWriter’s .com is, ‘Pursuit’. Click on the appropriate date and read what my friends have to say about pursuit.
Christian
Writers Monthly Blog Chain List: June
6/1 Bill Jones, I Was Thinking the Other Day About
6/2 Chris Henderson, TheWriteChris
6/3 Stephanie Boles, 80 Acres and a Book
6/4 Lynn Mosher, Heading Home
6/5 Brian Jones, Andeluvia
6/6 Steve Olar, Snickerdoodles
6/7 Cindee Re, Breathe Deeply
6/8 Brian Jones/Pippin, Andeluvia
6/9 Deborah K Anderson, target="_blank">Faith, Fiction, and Unvarnished Truth
6/10 Mike Johnson, The College Field Manual
6/11 Adam Collings, The Collings Zone
6/12 Chris Vonada, I'm Just Thinkin'
6/13 Victor Travison, Lightwalker's View
6/14 Terrie Thorpe, Light for the Journey
6/15 Pauline Creeden, Hosanna's Christian Reader
6/16 Kristena Tunstall, Mommy’s Angel In Heaven
6/17
6/18 Keith Wallis, wordsculptures
6/19 Tracy Krauss, Expression Express
6/20 Carol Peterson, From Carol's Quill
6/21 SandiGrace, Heart Gazer
6/22 Edward Lewis, Sowing the Seeds
6/23 Traci Bonney, Tracings
6/24 Noel Kline, A Clean Heart and Cozy Home
6/25 Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe
6/26 Marilyn McKay,
6/27 Joseph Lalonde, Joseph Lalonde
6/28 Israel Ikhinmwin, Israel's Blog
6/29 Jacky Brown, JayBees Blog
6/30 Suzette Emilia
6/2 Chris Henderson, TheWriteChris
6/3 Stephanie Boles, 80 Acres and a Book
6/4 Lynn Mosher, Heading Home
6/5 Brian Jones, Andeluvia
6/6 Steve Olar, Snickerdoodles
6/7 Cindee Re, Breathe Deeply
6/8 Brian Jones/Pippin, Andeluvia
6/9 Deborah K Anderson, target="_blank">Faith, Fiction, and Unvarnished Truth
6/10 Mike Johnson, The College Field Manual
6/11 Adam Collings, The Collings Zone
6/12 Chris Vonada, I'm Just Thinkin'
6/13 Victor Travison, Lightwalker's View
6/14 Terrie Thorpe, Light for the Journey
6/15 Pauline Creeden, Hosanna's Christian Reader
6/16 Kristena Tunstall, Mommy’s Angel In Heaven
6/17
6/18 Keith Wallis, wordsculptures
6/19 Tracy Krauss, Expression Express
6/20 Carol Peterson, From Carol's Quill
6/21 SandiGrace, Heart Gazer
6/22 Edward Lewis, Sowing the Seeds
6/23 Traci Bonney, Tracings
6/24 Noel Kline, A Clean Heart and Cozy Home
6/25 Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe
6/26 Marilyn McKay,
6/27 Joseph Lalonde, Joseph Lalonde
6/28 Israel Ikhinmwin, Israel's Blog
6/29 Jacky Brown, JayBees Blog
6/30 Suzette Emilia
Excellent counsel, Stephanie. We do need to "follow hard after" God. There was a worship chorus based on Psalm 63 that we sang in the 90s; I haven't heard it in a long time, but it's running in the background of my mind after reading your post.
ReplyDelete"My soul follows hard after Thee,
Early in the morning will I rise up and seek Thee,
And because Thou hast been my help,
Under the shadow of Thy wing
I will rejoice."
Very thoughful post. It reminded me of the saying, "Prayer is talk between two lovers."
ReplyDeletePeace and Blessings.
"A Christian’s pursuit of God should never be one of shame" I agree with this, when our actions are driven by guilt, then we are working under the wrong power source.
ReplyDeleteNicely put together. I have been negligent i9n reading and commenting on 'the chain' in the past two weeks since my father's passing, but I plan to get back into the swing of it. This was a good place to start. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss. May God grant you rest in his arms as you grieve. Thanks for commenting.
Deleteenjoyed your pursuit post
ReplyDeleteliked your choice of scriptures too
biiiiiig hug
How easy it is for many to pursue their favorite sports or hobbies, but to pursue God that's too hard - even though it is the most noble pursuit of all.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie - great thought on using the pursuit of God. I especially appreciate your reinforcing that we can't pursue Him until He's given us the ability and desire. What a merciful and gracious God we have!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind words. It's my prayer that my posts encourage the heart.
ReplyDeleteThat was lovely and definitely encouraging. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI found this an inspiring article. I like the way that our pursuit of God should be genuine, not just an attempt to 'look good'. I also like the way you said that we should ask God to increase our hunger to pursue him.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Stephanie. Because of the blood of Christ, we can enter boldy into the throne of grace.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, thank you for your profound post. I love your quote fom A.W. Tozer. "God is a Person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may." This is beautiful and so very true. I have often felt and thought my own weak version of this, but caused a few raised eyebrows whenever I tried to express it. I am very pleased and touched to see that others share this belief. I long to please the heart of my God, rather than to cause Him pain or grief. And such a loving, merciful, and glorious heart to please and love! He is all that is beautiful, majestic, sweet, and kind.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I'm so late in commenting, Stephanie. Life has been full of surprises lately. Such a great post. And I loved the Tozer quotes. Thank you!
ReplyDelete