Endless Pursuits

At what point in life would we be considered to be wise? Oscar Wilde once said, With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone. And the more that sank in, the more of a realization that truer words are hard to find. We all age. We can’t escape time. We all gain knowledge of one thing or another. But as we’ve aged and as we’ve acquired knowledge, have we grown wise? The truth is, wisdom doesn’t have an age. It comes from experience. From learning from our mistakes. It comes from understanding. Ultimately, it comes down to the pursuit of our lives. And you can’t put an age on that.

We all pursue something in this life. Career, wealth, family. It’s the thing that motivates us to get out of bed in the morning. It’s the thing that pushes us to keep advancing forward. However, what we pursue matters. As believers, we’re called to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33 NIV). But do we really do that on a regular basis? It may be on the list, but is it the first thing that motivates us? We have endless pursuits, but what’s number one? When we look back on our lives, what’s the thing that kept us moving forward?
Paul asked himself this very question at the end of his life. From prison, he wrote a letter to the church in Philippi. In it he addressed the pursuits of the things of this world. He addressed what it means to have worldly success. Paul wrote that if someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:4-9 NIV).

Paul’s life pursuits had set him on a career path for greatness in the Jewish community. And yet, after coming to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, Paul saw all of his pursuit as nothing compared to knowing Christ on a deep level. His pursuit changed from success according to the world to success in the kingdom. His career was left behind. Earthly success faded away. Left in prison because the pursuit of his life changed. A failure to the world, but a success for the kingdom. Paul’s wisdom came from a life in pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ personally. We can learn from that today.
As we age, will we grow wise in pursuit of something more than worldly gain? To set aside our ambition for something worth far greater than the finest gold. Knowing and understanding the love of God at a deep and personal level. The pursuit is yours.