“Pursuing Jesus” by Neville Buchanan

“Pursuing Jesus” by Neville Buchanan

Everyone is pursuing something. For years I have tried to pursue Jesus. This is much more than just a casual daily meet and greet in the garden of prayer.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “pursue” as a verb meaning “follow (someone or something) in order to catch”. The Apostle Paul refers to what this would look like in Ephesians 5:1–4 (ESV)

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Paul lists several ways we must pursue Jesus:

  1. IMITATE: For the first 35 years of my life I constantly asked: “What would Dad do in a similar situation?” This is because when you love someone, you imitate them. Those who imitate Elvis Presley listen to his songs and watch his movies. This knowledge enables them to imitate him. Those who pursue Jesus Christ do the same thing. They become experts on the Son of God. Even to the point of imitating His death, burial, and resurrection in baptism.
  2. SACRIFICIAL LOVE: If you pursue Jesus without this kind of love you will really get hurt. Over the years I have heard people claim to be in love. Yet what they were describing was nauseatingly sick.True love is never measured by what you receive but by what you give. Jesus said— “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26–27 ESV)
  1. FLEE IMMORALITY: Pursuing Jesus meansseeing marriage as holy & beautiful. It does not mean swinging to the lustful beat of the world because you find your God sanctified marriage bed boring. And by the way, there is no such thing as intimate love outside of marriage (obviously between a man and a woman).
  2. TALK: Pursuing Jesus means using your words to always build people up and never breaking them down.

So, friend, are you pursuing Jesus? Are you imitating Him? Are you loving like He loved? Are you keeping the marriage bed holy? And are your words helpful or hurtful?