The Pursuit Wednesday

Psalm 139:7–10 ESV

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

When we pull away, Jesus still pursues us. He's not shocked by our struggles or disappointed in our doubts. His love is patient, persistent, and never gives up-not even when we do.

Discussion Questions

Manuel chooses Deci before she's done anything to deserve it. Have you ever felt like you needed to "earn" God's love? Where do you think that feeling comes from?

What are some ways people try to prove their worth-to God or others? What does it mean to be "chosen" by God?

If you knew without a doubt that you were deeply chosen and loved by God, how might that change how you live?

Opening

Wow! Dax and Trix switched sides and saved Deci and Manuel is rescuing them all from Braco. I wonder what’s going to happen in the Refiner’s Ravine?

We’ve been learning a lot about love this week. We learned that God loves us so much that He chooses us. It’s not a performance based relationship, it is pure, unselfish love.

We also learned that when we don’t trust God, when we embrace our doubts instead of His promises, we end up replacing Him with other gods in our lives. And yet… And yet, He still loves us. And He promises that He can even turn the not good things that come from leaving him into beauty.

Jesus once told a parable about a young man who decided to chase wealth and pleasure. You can read about it in Luke 15.

Here’s how Jesus told the story:

A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, “I want my share of your estate now before you die.” So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

A few days later, the younger son packed his belongings and moved to a distant land where his senses left him and he wasted all his money on wild living. About the time his money ran out a great famine came to the land. He was able to persuade a local farmer to hire him and he sent him out to his fields to feed the pigs.

The young man became so hungry that even the husks he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. It was about that time that his senses returned to him and he realized that even his father’s servants lived better than he was living. So, he determined he would go home and beg his father to make him a servant. He even rehearsed a speech: “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”

It was a good speech, but he never got a chance to say it.

As soon as he came up over the hill his dad saw him and ran towards him, calling to his servants as he ran. He embraced his son and before he had a chance to say more than the first few words of his speech he told his servants to go get his robe and some new shows. He grabbed his son’s hand and put his signet ring on his finger. He had them kill the calf they had been preparing for a different feast, and he called all his friends and neighbors to come to a feast in his son’s honor. For, he said, “my son was dead, but now he is alive again.”

Take a moment to consider this story. Every part of it is a big deal.

The fact that the son would tell his dad he wanted his inheritance now was basically saying that he would rather his dad be dead, right now, so that he can take his money and have some fun. His priorities were all messed up. And, if this was the middle east, his disrespect for his father would have been enough to cause his dad to disown him, beat him, and send him out of town with nothing but rags. But that’s not what his dad did.

The next part is huge. In order for his dad to give this younger son an inheritance he would have to liquidate his assets—sell a part of his land. It was a big deal because it would mean that he had to go into town and negotiate with people he knew. And pretty soon everyone would know that he was giving his younger son his portion of the inheritance. The whole town would be outraged.

Then, the fact that this punk kid was wasting his money on wild living… that’s just not good. We won’t go into all the reasons why, but just imagine that when its done a good, church-going kid, comes back looking like he’s been everywhere but church.

And then, when he comes back, his father runs to meet him. This might not sound like a big deal to us because nowadays dads run. But back then, if you were an elder in the community, you didn’t run. People ran to you, but you didn’t run. This father throws off all dignity as soon as he sees his son and he runs after him. And you better believe people saw him running. If something was big enough for him to run, everyone was going to come and see.

And then there’s the clothes. This kid came back with tattered, weathered, dust coated, pig slimed clothes. And he deserved every bit of it. The father, if he was acting like a normal guy, would have every right to have him beaten and sent away without even hearing his apology. But instead, he embraced him in his filth and quickly gave him new clothes. Not just new clothes, he covered him in HIS clothes. As though he were an heir again. Yes, you heard that right. He ran away with his inheritance—that’s all an heir can ever get, right? One inheritance?—but now his father is brining him back as a son, an heir to his estate. To make it clear to everyone, he gives him a family ring, too.

And then, in spite of the ridicule and shame this young man has exposed him to, this father calls the whole town to come and rejoice and welcome this kid back to the family.

It is an incredible display of love and patience.

There’s another kid in this story—the older son, but his story is for another day.

Here’s what I want you to grasp. Something that we saw in Manuel and Deci’s story today: God loves us with a fierce, determined love. Even when we run out on Him. Even when we publicly shame Him. He. still. wants. us. And not in a servant way. Not to make up for all the wrongs we’ve done him way. Not to pay Him back for how we’ve squandered his gifts kind of way. No, he wants us as his children—to give us a home and an inheritance of everlasting life.

God’s love doesn’t ever stop looking out for you.

Psalm 139:7–10 NIV

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Determined, persistent, never failing love. This is the picture of God’s love for you.

Jesus story doesn’t tell us how this young man felt. It doesn’t explain what he was thinking during the party his dad threw. It just leaves us with this reality—he was back as a son.

How does God’s love make you feel? Do you revel in it? Embrace it? REST in it? Or do you feel unworthy, insecure, or uncertain? It’s that uncertainty, the doubt that we’re wrestling with this week. Sometimes we need to hear about God’s love over and over and over and over again before we will stop and realize, “I am loved.”

Moms and dads, boys and girls, stop for a moment and say to yourself, “God loves me.” Don’t let your heart make excuses or introduce uncertainty. Just say it and believe it, “God loves me.”

Can I pray for you?

Prayer