Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

The idea of a pursuit seems to settle in a womans heart in a fairy tale type of way. This notion seems to unite with the memories of a little girl pretending to be a princess who is awaiting her prince. As she is twirling around in a beautiful dress, she is waiting for her prince to pursue her at all costs, to fight the treacherous dragons, and to rescue her from her tower of solitude, and then, of course, they will live happily ever after. The fairy tale story of each woman may differ, but the ending always seems to be the same. A woman desires to be pursued and loved and to have peaceful relationships. But at some point along the way, reality sets in and the path of life seems to take a different course. The peace and love that the little girl in her so desperately longs for don’t seem to come as easily or as naturally. Relationships come and go and her life seems to be marked more by heartache and dissension than by love and peace. The older I get the more I begin to recognize my own depravity, and the more I encounter the depravity of mankind. Relationships united by love and peace have become a rare commodity. I wonder if the writer of Hebrews knew this? He implores us to pursue peace with all people. As women, we want to be pursued. We want to be desired. We are reminded that relationships with others will not be easy or natural, and thats why the writer continued and said, pursue... holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. God is holy. By pursuing His holiness, we are pursuing His heart. Isn’t it interesting that the writer of Hebrews associates our relationship with God to our relationship with other people? This is the essence of unity in our relationships. The depth of our relationship with the Lord will directly reflect the depth of our relationship with others. Once we begin to learn and delight in the heart of God, we recognize the things He desires and pursues. Pretty soon, we find Him pursuing us. And in this mutual pursuit we come to find our lives reflecting His heart. As women, the desire to be pursued will never wane, but may we not forsake our call to pursue the heart of God and reflect His peace to the world.

Prayer

Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. - A.W. Tozer

• Bible Readings for the Week Ahead:
• Monday: 1 John 5:14, 15
• Tuesday: Romans 12:18
• Wednesday: Matthew 5:9
• Thursday: 1 Peter 1:16
• Friday: Ephesians 1:4
• Saturday: Romans 15:13
• Sunday: Revelation 5:5, 6