Pursue what is precious!   By James Lantz

     Pursue means to follow in order to catch, or to seek to attain or accomplish. We have been given the choice to choose life or to choose death. God even tells us which one to choose.  Deut. 30:19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  The Lord goes on to explain that loving him is obeying him and staying close to him.  Deut. 30:20  That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.  Christians are spiritual descendants of Abraham through Jesus Christ and God wants us to possess all of the inheritance that was given to us! God said that every promise in the new covenant is for us and that he will not withhold any good thing from us who walk uprightly. It is not difficult to love God and obey him, he accepts our faith as righteousness, and counts us as his sons and daughters. Choosing life is choosing God and his way of doing things. When we choose to love and obey the word of God we are choosing to love and obey Jesus. 

   Precious refers to something of great value, greatly loved or treasured by someone, not to be wasted or treated carelessly. How many of you know that not everything that glitters is gold. In our society today, much emphasis is placed on the packaging because perceived value greatly affects market value. God is not against attractive packageing but he is against deceit, endeavoring to pass along inferior or damaged goods as being precious. You can see that God likes things looking good by the way he wanted his priests dressed and how Solomon’s servants were dressed. You can also see God’s disgust with the Pharisees and the religious people in Jesus day.  Mt. 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.  Mt.23:28  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. These religious men acted like they loved and respected the prophets and righteous men of previous generations but they hated and crucifed the greatest prophet of them all. They knew Jesus was sent of God but cared more about holding on to  their postions and their paychecks than in obeying God. Does this sound a little like today, preachers who avoid the truth because they are afraid of losing their paycheck. We need the wisdom of God to know what is precious and what is vile (unstable, worthless, prodical). The Scribes and Pharisees chose the temporary praise (worthless in light of eternal damnation to hell) of men over the eternal rewards of God.  We can be sure that how God responded to our elders and leaders who have gone before us is the same way that he will treat us. God never changes and he is no respecter of persons. The way God led Joshua, David, and Elijah he will lead you. The protection he gave the three Hebrews and Daniel and the children of Israel in Ester’s time is what he will do for you and me.   Hebrews 13:7 & 8  Remember themwhich have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation (manner of life).  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.   God says to choose life therefore life is precious. Truth, righteousness, love, joy, and peace, are all precious! Forgiveness, faith, healing and abundance, and eternal life are precious! These are all part of the commanded blessing for God’s people. People are precious! God loves people! We are commanded to walk by faith and not by sight. The work of God is to believe. We must pursue the life of faith because this pleases God. The grace of God is received by faith and God is pleased when people receive of his grace. Knowing that faith is the currency that God accepts makes faith very precious! Why are many of God’s people working more diligently for American dollars than to be strong in faith. It is more important to know how to pray than it is to get a college education. You could have all the money in the world and die young from cancer or some tragedy because you didn’t know how to receive the grace of God. Faith is precious, you can not be saved without faith. We receive the Holy Spirit by faith, we are healed by faith, we appropiate all the blessings of God by faith, we please God by faith. We need to know how to pursue love for God and how to stay close to him. Everyone already knows some things about love because we know how we want to be treated. However we still need some mind renewal in regards of how to love. Agape love is not a feeling nor is it just words. God did not just shout down from heaven, I love you, but he sent the Lord Jesus Christ to do for you what you could not do for yourself. We must realize that the race we have to run must be run with all diligence in order to receive the prize. It is very difficult to run a race with an overcoat on and pulling a wagon load of junk behind us. Many things have to be laid aside in order to win the race we are called to run.  Luke 14:26 & 27  If any man come to me, and hate (love less) not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea,and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, connot be my disciple.   It is difficult to win a ball game if we continually give the other team five outs. The coach would be very upset if his players were not catching routine fly balls and missing easy plays due to a lack of focus. Those who give their time and energies to the work of the enemy are giving life to their opponent. Those who give of their time and money to Hollywood to influnce them to curse God, be a social drinker, live an immoral life, and rebel against authority are buddies with the devil.  Mt.12:30  He that is not with me is against me;and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.  Many people and organizations are pursuing our time and our money. Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. We are either pursuing things according to the word of God (Jesus) or something else. Some people miss church and then say the Holy Spirit led them to do something else. It would be unusual  for the Holy Spirit to lead us to not be in church seeing that it was the Holy Spirit who inspired those who wrote the will (word) of God. I can think of three witnesses right now that tell us to be in church regularly.  Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  Ps. 92:13  Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  Pro. 4:20  My son, attend (this means put my words first) to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  The preached word on TV can be good but that is not church. In the local church their is worship, preaching, teaching, fellowship, and the opportunity to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ. In the local church you have a pastor who is watching out for your soul. Many foolishly think they can give less of a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ than they gave to going to school and to their job and think they will succeed.  Pro. 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.  God told Jeremiah that he would be his minister again if he would hold to what is precious and rid himself of the vile.  Jer. 15:19 AMP.  Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister, and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece. [But do not yield to them.] Let them return to you – not you to [the people].

      I have more good news for you! The scriptures tell us what investments will bring eternal rewards and what investments lead to our destruction.  Gal. 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  King David was a man after God’s own heart. At the end of his days he was able to sow millions and millions of dollars worth of silver and gold into the building of God’s temple. The rich young ruler was given the opportunity to receive eternal life.   Mk. 10:21&22  .  .  .  go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. Their was a certain rich man whose ground produced so great a harvest that his barns could not hold the increase. He thought within himself how he could take his ease for a long time. God said, you fool, tonight your soul is required, then who will these goods be for.