Let’s look at a few things from the Apostle Paul’s life that will shed some light on the pursuit of God for us. First, Paul was very zealous for the religion of his forefathers and the righteousness of man before he met Jesus. It is possible to be pursuing religion and not be pursuing the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Religious activity is not the same as the pursuit of God. It takes acknowledging your need for His righteousness instead of your own righteousness.
Next, he had to be willing to suffer the loss of anything and everything if it stood in the way of the knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord. If it means putting Jesus before money, you must make that choice so that you can pursue that upward call of God. What you will find is that God can provide more for you than you could have ever provided for yourself without Him! If it means the loss of some friends and even a relationship with some family members, God will honor those who are not ashamed of Him or His Word.
Also, you must accept that you have not, “arrived”, you are not yet perfect. Being less than perfect does not mean you are not pursuing God, it only means you have not yet reached your goal; you haven’t crossed the finish line. The key is not that you are running the race perfectly but that you are running in the right direction and toward your God-given goal. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Finally, you have to forget those things that are behind in order to reach forward to the things which are ahead. If there is something in the past that needs dealing with, then bring it to God’s Throne of Grace and receive forgiveness. When you humble yourself before the Lord and admit your imperfections and confess your faults to Him, He is ready, willing and able to forgive you and then He tells you to run on and finish the race! If you have already done that but still haven’t let go of it, then it’s time — at this very moment, let go of the past and leave it behind as you press forward; as you press toward the goal!