I hear the phrase “relentless pursuit” often in the football world, particularly on one side of the ball. A defense is frequently described as “relentlessly pursuing the ball,” which basically means that every defensive player finds a way to get around their blocks quickly, play at full speed, and sprint to the offensive player with the ball with reckless abandon.
The theme of this issue and of FCA Camps this year is “Relentless.” So what does it mean to be relentless with our faith in Christ? Are we even sure we want to go down that road? Being relentless can sound noble and right, but it is also strangely elusive these days, especially regarding our faith.
Relentless is the opposite of the word “relent,” which means to let up, slacken, soften or slow down. Synonyms for relent include words like “succumb,” “acquiesce” or “yield.” So, to be relentless would mean being the opposite of those words—unyielding, steady, persistent. It means never giving up, always finishing what was started.
God’s Word is filled with examples of both relenting and relentless people. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul exhibits a relenting attitude after God instructed him through the prophet Samuel to wipe out the Amalekites, one of Israel’s enemies. God’s desire at that time was to eliminate a culture of sin and evil so His chosen, Israel, wouldn’t be influenced. But Saul relented from God’s relentless desire and redefined the mission on his own terms. He spared the Amalekite king and some choice livestock, taking what he thought was a more strategic, not-so-ruthless approach that ended with rebellion and cost him his leadership position. Later, Saul confessed that he feared what his people would think if he had executed God’s will relentlessly and, because of that fear, he relented.
We are no different. How often do we think that God’s way is “too harsh” or even “too relent-less?” In Matthew 25, the servant who buries his one talent instead of putting it to work accus-es the talent Giver of being unfair and harsh. In our relenting Christian culture, we don’t want to be viewed as fanatical about our faith, so we too often relent to the sin that thrives in our culture.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the best examples of relentlessness in the Bible is Caleb. As one of 12 spies chosen by Moses to survey the Promised Land for Israel, Caleb stood up against his fellow doubting, relenting Israelites and said in Numbers 13:30: “We must go up and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it.”
Caleb and his buddy Joshua knew God’s love and power, and their response was to be re-lentless in occupying territory that God planned to give them. Their courage was an overflow of love that they knew God was pouring over them, so they believed what God said and re-sponded accordingly.
Even as an older man, Caleb not only lived relentlessly for God, but he built a culture of re-lentless living for God all around him. His daughter took those cues and relentlessly sought more territory to occupy for God, and his nephew Othniel became Israel’s first Judge in rescu-ing Israel against their enemies.
I don’t know about you, but there have been times where I’m in relentless pursuit of Jesus and, sadly, other times where I’ve felt like the biggest “relenter” on the planet. But being re-lentless in Christ is not an initiative from me or you or anyone else. It’s a response of love from Jesus.
“We love,” says 1 John 4:19, “because He first loved us.”
The rooster crowed after Peter denied Jesus three times while Jesus was being sentenced to the cross. Peter wept and ran away. He had relented after promising never to deny Jesus. He blew it, and he knew it.
But after Jesus rose from the dead, He relentlessly pursued Peter. In John 21 Jesus not only found Peter, He restored him—the ultimate act of grace and mercy. The beauty of this example is the relentless love Jesus has for Peter, the one who had failed Him.
We know the rest of the story. Peter was never the same. Under the Holy Spirit’s power, he advanced God’s Kingdom with relentless courage and passion, even to his death.
That should be our story. All of us at some point have relented and failed Jesus. But it is HE who is relentless in saving or restoring you in His grace and mercy. If we truly receive His re-lentless pursuit of us, even in our failure, our response will be to relentlessly love Him and for everyone to know His love!
Originally Published: July 2013