Last week, I left off with:“Christians call what happened to me a mountaintop experience. I agree. It seemed like, in accepting Christ as my savior, I had been suddenly picked up and could briefly see everything from God’s perspective!”
I truly had been reborn in Christ. At that time, I didn’t know all the Christian buzz-words; only later did I have someone explain to me that I had a “mountaintop experience.” That really seemed to fit with what had happened to me. Everything seemed so very clear. The Holy Spirit may have lifted me, and filled me with faith… but God put me right back down in the valley again… to choose… I still had a choice!
Now, I KNEW along which path salvation was to be found; I really knew. And even from the valley, I could still see the mountaintop. But the rush I felt while being lifted up in the presence of the Lord… that was fading. The brilliance of the light at the mountaintop was replaced by the shadows of the valley. How could God lift me up one minute, and put me right back in the same place I was the next?
Bemoaning my sad fate, I was shown Psalm 23 and reminded that with God walking with me, I had nothing to fear. I was also reminded of the Good News: whether we are somewhere on the mountain, or down in the shadows of the valley… If we just open the door to our hearts, if we are receptive… God will come in and embrace us. Now that’s GOOD NEWS!
The Bible speaks over and over about ascending the “hill of the Lord”, and climbing “God’s holy mountain.” To walk in communion with Christ is not an easy path. Fulfilling, yes! Easy? No. Now we get to the really exciting part: the choice is ours. All I need to do was climb back up. I knew where God wanted me to be, but He continues to let me make my own choices. It’s my effort, it’s my choice, and ultimately… it’s my walk. Whether you are all fired-up and born-again (like me), or raised in the church with a steady, abiding, and growing faith, our walk to God’s mountaintop is our free choice.
But it sure seems like a lot of work climbing that mountain. If you are a Christian, how far have you climbed? Are you lost in the foothills? Have you gotten higher, but the path now seems blocked? Are you at a sheer rock face? What stops you? What’s impossible to overcome? For some, it doesn’t take much to make them consider turning back.
If salvation depended on me alone… on how well I could climb the mountain… I’d never get there! I’d probably be doing something stupid, and sliding back down again. God gives us the ability not just to climb mountains, but to move them as well! We need to be ready to say: “I can’t overcome this obstacle by myself, Lord, so I’m just going to hook on and let you pull me up.” When our own efforts fail, the next step we take should be a step of faith.
And after you’ve seen salvation at he mountaintop, do you just hike up alone? Wouldn't you want to take your family, friends, everybody? Of course, the response you’re likely to get is: “What? We have to climb a what? Are you crazy?” Well, good news: you don't actually have to climb a mountain. What if God told me he’d save anybody I bring to church this Sunday? How many would believe in me; in what I was saying? How many would come? Thank heaven it doesn’t depend on me! It doesn’t depend on you, either.
God is HERE!
He stands at the door and knocks, but the latch is on your side. Most of us latch our door with guilt, shame, sinfulness, and the biggest latch of all… a feeling of being unworthy. Christ died...he died...to wash away all of those sins... and more! He died for ALL our sins… yours AND mine... he died for ALL of us (nobody is left out).
If you are reading this and you don’t know Christ in your life, what are the things that keep the door to your heart latched?
If you are reading this and you already have a walk with Christ, what sheer rock faces have stopped you in the past? How did the Holy Spirit lift you past those obstacles? Are there obstructions in your path today?
God is stretching out his hand to pull you up; all you have to do is to want to accept it. Will you reach out, and ask God to come into your life?
IF YOU… want God to come into your life,
IF YOU… want God to be ACTIVE in your life,
IF YOU… already have a walk with Christ, but you want to reaffirm your commitment to God,
IF YOU… find yourself in any of those situations,
THEN stretch out your hand with me, and ask Christ to fill your heart as you pray the following prayer:
Your brother in Christ,Dear God,
You gave your son, Jesus Christ, to be tortured and to die, alone, crucified on a cross. His blood washes away ALL of our sins, his resurrection ensures our salvation and everlasting life. Today, we stretch up our hands to you, Lord. We raise them up as a symbol of our willingness to have your spirit fill our hearts. Come into our hearts, Lord, and wash away the sin, and the shame, and the guilt with your perfect gift of
forgiveness; purchased by the blood of Jesus.
Fill us with your spirit, God. Cleanse us, renew us, and sanctify us with your Grace. Show us the path to that mountaintop, so that we may walk in YOUR ways for the rest of our lives.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Dave
Dave,
ReplyDeleteYou continue to encourage us with your living
witness and faith in the Holy One of God; Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
I can't help but comment on the mountain top view that seems to be limited after awhile, a wonderful serene worship experience, but our lives change more through the crises we experience and in the uncertainty of life as we come face to face with I can't; but God can.
Not much growing on the top of the mountain, as the saying goes, "it's lonely at the top", the real fruit grows in the valleys. And for the climb?? May we continue to encourage one and other wherever we are.
Side note: Rick Warren recently talked about the mountains and valleys of life saying he has changed his idea of our lives being on some sort of roller coaster being up or down, to being more like train tracks; with the good always running parallel to the troubles we face in life.
Always giving us reason to give thanks in all things and at all times.
Thank you Dave for your ongoing encouragement and dedication in using your gift of writing in the blog. We are all blessed by it. Do not be
discouraged by the silent majority you reach. You are not talking to yourself!!!
I love the observation about not much growing on the top. After all, when we are finally IN heaven, we won't have any more struggles. And man cannot bear to really see the face of God. Look at Isaiah 6, beholding the glory of God. But knowing God is so wonderful, the closer we get, the more we know Him.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems I have had with some previous churches is the 'oughtness' of what we are supposed to be doing. We ought to climb that mountain. It becomes drudgery. But *with* the experiencing of the love of God, and with the encouragement of fellow Christians like Dave, I don't have to look at the legalistic distance I have to go. In fact, the 'ought' approach usually is when we are looking to ourselves, what we can accomplish, instead of to the Lord. As Dave wrote, God is stretching out His hand to us, even as Jesus stretched His hand out to Peter who was walking on the water to Jesus in faith until Peter stopped looking at Jesus. But Jesus pulled him up to Himself.
Wow! This is exactly the conversational thread we have been talking about (and praying for) since we began this blog last year. All of these shared facets are the difference between a single shard of glass, and a beautiful diamond. All of the comments add reflections and fire that transform a single raw thought into something of brilliance.
ReplyDeleteGod bless all of you!