21st July 2021
ZEALOUS PURSUIT
David Abankwah
READ: 2 Peter 1:5-7
He who FOLLOWS righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.
-Proverbs 21:21 | NKJV
To pursue is to follow with an attempt of catching or capturing (someone or something) from a long-distance or time. Zeal is the feeling or the exhibition of strong and energetic support for a person or cause. As a believer, there are things you have to pursue in your walk of faith and your race of eternal life. You have to do away with things that will stop your advancement too. As you pursue zealously after righteousness and mercy, diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity which Apostle Paul buttressed in 2 Peter 1:5-7, will be given in addition. Zealously pursuing after the things of God, is what will save our souls.
The Christian life we have to practise here on earth is the same life that we will repeat when we live with Jesus Christ eternally. That is why we can’t just live anyhow on earth. The life of Jesus Christ should not be different from ours at all. That is why we have to do away with the sinful nature and its actions in order to be perfect and thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Paul puts it that, we have to have the same mind that Jesus Christ have. You see, the mind controls the body and it is the faculty of repentance. Repentance simply means: change what you think about. So, if you are able to do away with all sinful thoughts then righteousness will be easier for you to do.
If you fail to repent, then you will have many problems in your walk of faith. Without repentance, you can’t even find the narrow path to zealously pursue righteousness and mercy you ought to do. The gap between you and righteousness who is Jesus Christ, is a very long one and you have to work out your salvation to catch up with Him before you die or before He comes the second time. Without the right mindset and determination, one will fail repeatedly and one will even give up eventually as the days go by. You will see these believers quoting certain Scriptures to defend themselves for missing their targets of righteousness and mercy.
Many believers use Proverbs 24:16 which says: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again… as a quote to comfort themselves for their inability to stop sinning. How many times have you fallen? Isn’t it more than seven? That Scripture was referring to the prophecy of Jesus Christ. It was talking about the number of times he would fall when He carries His cross to Calvary. When you fall, please rise up and ask Jesus Christ to strengthen you to overcome what made you fall. Be optimistic and zealously pursue in order to catch up with Jesus Christ, to be like Him in word and in action. After that, work out your salvation till you reach the maturity of Jesus Christ.
•| Prayer Diary |•
¹Lift up prayers for zealous pursuit after righteousness till you can catch Him up. ²Lift up prayers for zealous attitude towards mercy so you can find life and honour in the name of Jesus Christ. ³Lift up prayers to be delivered from any evil spirit that rises against your Godly pursuits causing you to fall and rise intermittently in the name of Jesus Christ.
Quote
“When righteousness and mercy become your leader, life, righteousness and honour, become your followers. Righteousness both leads and follow you”
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Isaiah Chapters 20-24
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© 2021 David Abankwah
David Abankwah 