Christians who have fully put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have been made into a new creation and are given a new identity: an identity as a child of God through Christ. With this new identity we are given new pursuits and ideals. One of these is to pursue holiness.
Pursuing God
The Lord Jesus Christ, frank as He is, warned us that in our pursuit of God we will face challenges. One of these is the challenge to pursue God and not money. In Matthew 6:24, He warned us,
"No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
Knowing this, we will do well to be fully aware if the master we are serving is God or riches. In the pursuit of riches and material gain, we will appear to have many possessions throughout our lifetime. But at the end of our lives we all know that we will part with them. And then will come the sad realisation that we should've lived for God.
Pursuing God, on the other hand, might appear boring and unappealing to many. But the truth is that it's the only pursuit that brings lasting satisfaction and overflowing contentment. And yes, this joy will never end, even if we face trials and hardships.
Pursue Holiness Over Riches
God, our Father, wants all of us to be like Him; He wants us all to be holy as He is holy (see 1 Peter 1:16). Our desire, then, should be the pursuit of holiness rather than the pursuit of riches and material gain.
To help you pursue God's holiness instead of worldly, material gain, here are some Bible verses for you.
Psalm 84:10-12 – "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give favor and glory, for no good thing will He withhold from the one who walks uprightly. O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You." (MEV) (Pixabay)Matthew 6:25-33 – ""Therefore, I say to you, take no thought about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Who among you by taking thought can add a cubit to his stature? Why take thought about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: They neither work, nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. Therefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is here and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' (For the Gentiles seek after all these things.) For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you." (MEV) (Pixabay)Psalm 49:15-20 – "But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. (Interlude) So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don't understand; they will die, just like animals." (NLT) (Reuters)
