I receive a daily verse and comment from “The Berean.” The other day the verse was 2 Peter 1:2-8. Part of the comment by Richard T. Ritenbaugh answered the question about what real conversion is: “It is the transformation of our characters, our intellects, our emotions, our actions, our words, and our very thoughts, from the evil way inspired by Satan and man’s carnal nature into the divine nature—the very nature of God Himself!”
Then he asked a few questions. I halted on the first one. “So, how much like God are we?” I looked at that question for a long time, knowing I needed to change two words. “So, how much like God am I?” Ouch!
Recently I spent some time in 2 Timothy 2:22. It reads in part, “… pursue righteousness, faith[fulness], love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” [HCSB]
I realized that the things I am to pursue (righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace) are all attributes of God. They are the things that once acquired, will make my character come in alignment with His.
I also realized that we sometimes get a wrong impression of the word pursue. Do you remember greyhound racing – where a mechanized rabbit ran down the track always out of reach of the pursuing greyhounds. Sometimes we think that pursuing God is like that – God always out of reach.
But pursuing God is not like that. It is like the finish line of a marathon. It never moves or changes, it remains where it is while we run the race, getting closer and closer all the time. We pursue that line; we pursue our God who never changes. As we pursue, we get closer and closer to Him. We become more and more like Him.
Let us pursue with great diligence and perseverance. Amen
