The Results of Right Pursuit

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. Proverbs 21:21 (ESV)

Pursuit of happiness seems to be a primary concern of our culture today. Everywhere you look, advertisers are trying to sell us something that they claim will enhance our emotional well-being and promote a sense of accomplishment which in turn will make us happy…right?  After all, everything we purchase or acquire in our lives are suppose to be the very things that will improve the odds that we will have a happy life!

Yet too many times, after I have made one of those purchases or I pursued something that I thought I had to have, I found myself wondering why I even pursued it in the first place?  What did I think would happen with the pursuit?  Was it something that I needed for the moment, or was it a want to fill a selfish desire in my heart?

The writer of Proverbs tells us to pursue righteousness and kindness in order to find life.  To pursue means: to run after, chase, hunt, stalk, track, trail, shadow, hound, course, or to tail.  These are the words which describe a focused passion to go after something or someone with the intention of acquiring in the end.  It is having the faith and the determination that you will not quit until your pursuit is accomplished!

These words adequately describes the passionate pursuit of the believer who is looking to get the most out of their lives.  While each of us have many opportunities and choices for our pursuit, the writer of Proverbs tells us that in order to acquire life, righteousness, and honor, we must make those characteristics, a priority in our relationships with God and with those we have contact with in our lives.  It is the actions we cultivate in our daily walk which determines the outcomes not only in this life, but in the life to come.  

May we make every effort to pursue righteousness and kindness in this life.  As we do, the promise is that we will truly find life, righteousness and honor.  Then, our pursuit of happiness will come as a natural result of our daily actions, rather than temporary acquisitions we think will make us happy.