In my early twenties, I was a tad restless. I was constantly dreaming up my next big adventure. I suppose I was “pursuing happiness,” which is anidealmost of the world glorifies as aright. But as I sought to find myself in better circumstances, my happiness was unaltered. I didn’t crave adventure, I craved a deeper fulfillment and calling.

I saw the same “chase” in many of my friends. If only they could change their major, find a spouse, move in with a different roommate or get out of their dead-end job, they’d finally be at peace. As you can guess, it never happened. Just like the rest of us, ambition for happiness became an endless, unfulfilled hunt. Some will continue seeking it until the day they die, others will surrender to bitterness at their lost hopes.

Paul saw things differently and he begs us to join him in a different pursuit!

1 Corinthians 20:22“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.23I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

Paul isn’t compelled by the pursuit of his own desires, but instead by the Holy Spirit! The goal of his life is not to find personal satisfaction in happiness but in the fulfillment of his spiritual calling, “the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” This can be a hard pill to swallow when we’ve grown up in a culture that tells us we’re meant to live for ourselves. But true satisfaction, comfort and peace are not found in our circumstances but in completing the task the Lord Jesus has given us. Let His glory be our only aim and His race the only chase we seek to complete.