God’s glory protects me and God’s glory pursues me.  Interestingly, enough I looked up the definition of pursuit and pursuit means, “an activity that one engages in as a vocation, profession, or avocation.”  The thought of Christ’s pursuit for me as HIS profession is astounding to me.  The King of Glory, who rules with justice, left HIS heavenly position to pursue me.  He made me, you the object of HIS affection and purpose in life.

We are the reason he CHOSE to leave heaven and come into the world and love us with a relentless love.  Relentless: continuing without becoming weaker.  Even when His pursuit led Him to make a choice between obeying the father or letting the cup of death pass, he humbly chose to accept the cup of death. He did not grow weak in HIS love he grew stronger.  I know this because at any point in his thirty-three years he could have backed out and returned to His throne.  When tempted by the enemy he did not waiver, he held tight to the purpose for which he left heaven, YOU.  While dying a torturous death on a cross, he was silent and loved us with relentless love.  Though he was weak while hanging on the cross, His love was growing stronger by the second. Staying on the cross in the face of mockery took more strength, than calling angels and returning to heaven. 

One of the definitions for love in the Webster’s is, a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.  Christ loves us.  He has personal ties to us. God’s glory pursues us simply because He LOVES us.  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Yes you, the one who like me has sinned against him.  The one, like myself that has held anger, resentment, 

un-forgiveness, worry, doubt, even hate in my heart.  The one who has wandered away into the ways of the world looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong arms.  He loves you. He loves me.

He pursues us because it is HIS profession.  He will NEVER stop pursuing you.  He pursued me through pastors in my life, through family in my life, through His word in my life, through friends in my life, and He continues to pursue me with His spirit in my life.

You may be like me and not realize this is what is taking place in your life, but with every kind word spoken, every voice of reason, act of service, with every dream fulfilled, every tender touch from your child, every sunrise, every cup of coffee, smile from a stranger, He pursues us.  Every good and perfect gift is from Him. So see he is pursuing you everyday you awake.  He pursues us through the majestic mountains, and overwhelming beauty of his creation.  With the sound of waves crashing against the sand, the chirping of birds, the wind in your hair these are all ways he reveals His glory and love to you and I.  He pursues us with HIS life and why does he pursue us, because HE loves us.  He has personal ties with us.  We are HIS and He will let nothing and no one even the enemy of our soul steal us away from Him.

I am curious to know how are some of the ways He has pursued you? 

 

Isaiah 14:24 says, “The Lord Almighty has sworn.  Surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.”  I am not going to pretend for a second that I will ever understand the Lord and what He purposes, for His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.  But there are a few things that the Holy Spirit has taught me and I know without any hesitation.

I have to believe that I along with many others out there have been protected and chosen as a remnant for the purposes of God.  No matter what the enemy wills, or tries in order to stop the purposes of God, he WILL ALWAYS FAIL.  Even if at the time he seems to have someway stolen the victory out of the hands of God. 

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Bottom line.  BUT, (don’t you LOVE the BUTS when it comes to Christ!?) He, Jesus, came to give life and life more abundantly!! 

When the enemy invaded our home some 27 years ago, I am all but sure he thought he had succeeded.  In some ways maybe for a short time he did.  BUT remember back on DAY 6 post Romans teaches us that HE will soon crush the enemy under our feet! What a glorious day that is!!! 

When my father murdered my mother with my brother and I in the house, the enemy seemingly destroyed a family.  Tore us to pieces.  However, GOD’S GLORY PROTECTS.  There is no logic, reason, or explanation on why or how my brother and I survived that night, other than in the midst of wickedness, our SOVEREIGN KING hid my brother and I (Psalm 91) and overshadowed us with HIS hand and glory and saved a remnant for HIS purposes. 

See friend that is why I know your pain, suffering, questions, frustrations, fears, I know what it is like to hear the cries of death.  I know all to well what it is like to go looking for your mommy and never be able to see her or hear her sweet, soft, tender voice sing to you again.  I know loneliness, I know resentment, anger, eating disorders, I know depression, I know endless hopelessness, I know nightmares, sleeping in fetal positions, insecurities, BUT I know ONE greater than all of those things that have tormented me.  I know one whose name EVERYTHING under heaven bows to.  You can know HIM as well.  He can FREE you.  HE can HEAL you.  He can RESTORE you.  HE can REDEEM you.  HE has protected you, saved you and given you a purpose.  He has a plan for you and it will come to pass! (Jeremiah 29:11)

I have journeyed through some very long hard roads in my short life, and I know I will continue to have to journey through some more, but I will NEVER have to do it alone!  I have a Shepherd, Savior, Redeemer, Friend, Victorious Warrior, and Conquering King, who has conquered death, hell, and the grave! And he says along with me, Death where is your sting!!!  When you have life in HIM you have life in the midst of a wicked world.  Wickedness can never take your life in HIM away.  You are Hidden in HIM.  His glory protects me all the days of my life.  He saved me, this remnant and redeemed me and that is why I say so!

Please come back tomorrow to find out through all of this HOW HE has RELENTLESSLY pursued me! 

  

Psalm 111:2-4

Vs2 Great are the WORKS of the Lord, ALL who delight in them ponders them, Vs3 Glorious and Majestic are HIS deeds, and HIS righteousness endures forever. Vs4 HE has caused HIS wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

Great, Glorious, and Majestic are three words used to describe the works, deeds, and wonders of God.  But what about when our life doesn’t always reflect these adjectives? How are we to fully express and grasp this same heart of praise when all around us there is brokenness and tragedies? 

I am going to allow myself to get super duper venerable in the next few days in order to tell of HIS wondrous works in my own life.  I believe that in the days to come as I fully open up my heart that you will experience healing, redemption, and restoration.  I believe that you will hear HIS voice tenderly speak and bring life to dead places in your heart.  I believe that chains of anger and resentment will be released over you and you will come into a FREEDOM you have longed for years to experience, a life free from un-forgiveness, bitterness, and frustration.  I believe you will feel HIS love in a way you have never felt it before.  This is my desire to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and that you to may be able to dwell in His house forever, and gaze upon the beauty of our Savior and tell of HIS wondrous works He has done in your life.

I do ponder the goodness of the Lord even in the midst of heartache, when heartaches grip us at the deepest parts it is hard sometimes to see HIS goodness.  If you will look, truly open the eyes of your heart to see His hand you can see it and find it and cling to it all the days of your life. 

Ann Voskamp wrote a beautiful book, A thousand gifts.  I recommend this book to EVERYONE, she has a way of teaching how us how to be fully aware and give thanks for HIS goodness even in those moments.  The Lord is truly gracious, compassionate, and righteous.  In my day 5 post I wrote of all the attributes that I say so of Christ and this is why I can say so. 

God’s glory, the essence of who He is, passionately protects me, pursues me, and has persuaded me. 

I will be spending the next three days sharing with you how he protected me when I was just a tender three-year-old girl looking for her mommy, how through my childhood and teen years He relentlessly pursued me, and why in my adulthood I am FULLY convinced that NOTHING will ever separate me from His love. 

Until then run to the drugstore grab some tissues, coffee, and blanket and get ready to read one of the most BEAUTIFUL LOVE stories of all time.  Praying for you today as you face your tragedies and can’t wait to walk with you on your journey to true freedom.  I would love to hear from you in the days to come and even pray with you. 

Grace, Love, And Hugs

~Laura Lynn