But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so
run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along
with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
 |
| Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas |
I
enjoyed the Olympic games very much. We
watched them every night. Even when I
was in Oklahoma sitting with my grandmother we would have the games on and
enjoy the sports. Those athletes are
incredible as they pursue their dreams.
Gabby
is the queen of gymnastics and a brand new, pretty face on the TV talking about
her love for God. Phelps went after
every medal he could and surpassed the total number of Olympic medals anyone
else has won as he passionately pursued his dreams while swimming. Oscar Pistorius has no legs but out ran
almost everyone as he pursued greatness on the track. David Boudia shocked everyone with his gold
medal pursuit diving in the Olympics for team USA.
We
watched diving, swimming, soccer, judo, weightlifting, volleyball, basketball,
equestrian jumping, gymnastics, handball and several more. What did every athlete have in common? They were passionately pursing their goal. It was awesome.
Through
the years I have met some people who are passionately pursuing Jesus. Some of them are people you would expect to
see loving and following Jesus, but some of the people who come to mind for me
are not the normal ones. I am often
shocked by and blessed by the people who are pursuing Jesus that are cut out of
a different mold.
Eleven
years ago a lady showed up at our house.
She was there to serve us as we moved into a new home in a brand new
area that we had only visited a couple times before. She helped us more than she will ever know by
helping us get to know the area. But
what shocked me was her story of being in prison for a hideous crime, but
through that time God got control of her heart and life. Through the next 7 years this lady taught me
much about God and kept me on my toes as she passionately pursed Jesus. She lost her battle with cancer a couple
years ago as she went to heaven. I’m
grateful for her.
I
attended a meeting about nine years ago and met a dude that is certifiably
crazy (in a good way). It was the dead
of winter, and we were at the beach.
This guy has made me laugh and cry more than anyone else. Through the years since he has helped us many
times at my last church and the current church I serve. His name is Barry McGee, and he is a
Christian comedian that travels around the nation telling people about Jesus
using humor. He is passionately pursuing
Jesus in a big way and partnering with us and others.
A lady
and her future husband walked into my office one evening to talk about their
wedding. What a special couple. Lots of tattoos, lots of stories and lots of
learning came in the weeks that followed.
I heard this precious lady tell me that she was not a Christian and was
skeptical of God. It wasn’t many weeks
later that she accepted Jesus, and then they got married. Since that time I have watched her grow in
her faith, have a baby and begin to passionately pursue Jesus. She often asks me to pray for friends or
family members who don’t know Jesus that she is talking to about God. What an encouragement she is!
A
couple months ago a big man showed up at our church and began to volunteer in
various areas of ministry. He has become
a permanent fixture, or so it seems. I
have heard his story. I have heard
people talk about his past, but what has blessed me big time is knowing how he
spent time in prison, is tired of living away from God and is now seeking Jesus
every day. Recently I heard him talking
with some men we are helping. His
testimony was strong, convincing and awesome.
His knowledge of the Bible is deep, and it is evident that he loves
Jesus. On my desk is a stack of prayer
requests that he gathered at our back2school event because he saw a need. How awesome this is and how big his spiritual
insight is as he passionately pursues God.
Whoever pursues righteousness and
unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.
These
people bless my socks off. As a pastor
they push me on and encourage me. For
the people around them these people push others to get even more passionate
about Jesus. Passion breeds
passion. What we get excited about gets
other people excited. May we be known as
and really be people who passionately pursue Jesus.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
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