As I look for a verse or two, to provide the biblical foundation for my word for the year, I’ve come across a nuance of two words which can be used similarly. Pursue and seek. Pursue is the word the Spirit has given me, yet the scriptures I’m drawn to use the word seek.

Let me start with my two scriptures with the word seek.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.‬‬

Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NKJV

So I looked up what the difference was between pursue and seek, and this is what I found.

pursue = chase after something you already know or can see
seek = try to find something that is unknown or hidden

Tim Frost (This was a comment posted on a blogpost.)

This was a great way to describe the difference, and when you pair that description with the synonyms of pursue—chase or follow—it makes sense.

Another website mentioned that pursue is more active, while seek is more passive. That’s how I came up with the picture used for this post. The woman on the left is running, maybe pursuing a goal. The woman on the right may also have a goal, or she could just be enjoying nature. If she’s anything like me, she is seeking something to inspire a photograph.

I have a few scriptures that might fit better with my word for the year.

“The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss true life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to me, will find true life and enjoy it forever! If you want to be my disciple, follow me and you will go where I am going. And if you truly follow me as my disciple, the Father will shower his favor upon your life.”‬‬

John‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭TPT

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Neither of these two scriptures use the word pursue, but they express the determination and commitment needed to follow Christ. They convey the wholeheartedness of the verse from Jeremiah and the priority of the verse from Matthew, while adding the clarity of focus and movement that pushes the difference from seeking to pursuing.

I have by no means sorted out all of what my word for the year entails, but I will keep after it. Listening as best I can.

I pray every day will bring you into a closer relationship with God.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

Image made in Canva.