40-Day Devotion, Day 14

PREPARATION: READ PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14

Discipleship “Survival Kit”

The following was taken from Visitor Comment Cards that were returned to the staff of the Bridger Wilderness Area in Wyoming:
1. Trails need to be wider so people can walk holding hands. 2. Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill. 3. Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests. 4. Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow during the winter. 5. Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them. 6. The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.
7. A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? 8. Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 feet so people can hike at night with flashlights. 9. Escalators would help on steep uphill sections. 10. A McDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead. 11. The places where trails do not exist are not well marked. I laughed out loud when I read these! Yet I must confess, I understand the sentiment of many of the cards— especially the one that complains about trails that go uphill! A few years ago, I had the pleasure of doing some hiking in the Grand Tetons in Montana. I have never really been a mountain climber— and I certainly didn’t scale any bare rock faces on that trip—but several times during our hikes, the path grew so steep that I wondered how I would possibly make it to the top. I found myself gasping for breath; stopping to rest; even contemplating turning back. Were it not for my stronger-than-average struggle with male pride—(my friends would have NEVER let me hear the end of it if I had turned back!)—I probably would have quit. But I am so glad I didn’t.

Climbing to the top of a mountain gives you a different perspective of the mountain and everything around it. Every hike on every day in Montana brought a reward of its own, and without fail, I found this principle to be true—the more strenuous the path, the greater the reward when we reached the end. During that week in Montana, I saw some views that remain burned in my memory as the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen. I saw pieces of God’s creation that literally made me gasp; things that most people have never seen in person... and I pity the fact that they have missed them!
Our Christian walk is a lot like climbing a mountain... or at least hiking a steep path. The Bible exhorts us often to walk with God, but sometimes the trail that He forges seems difficult to follow. It exhausts your strength; challenges your stamina; leaves you gasping for breath. I guess that explains why so many Christians choose to stop climbing. They sit down to rest and never start moving again. It explains why others just turn around and walk back to the bottom. I suppose these people wonder if the view is really worth the climb... which explains why they never get to see it. Pity these people.
You see, God keeps His greatest treasures in high altitudes. Ponder that thought for a moment. The treasures I’m talking about aren’t money or fame or power or anything else the world esteems. God’s treasures are wrapped up in wisdom; maturity; strength. They are the types of treasures that can only be appreciated from the perspective of a higher walk—a walk with God. He, alone, offers us clarity and perspective and peace... the very things we need if we are to find joy in this world. God wants these things for us, but He doesn’t leave them at trailhead. They are things we discover as we walk with Him, and walking with Him always means climbing.
OUR CHALLENGE
Pray for the other members of your Home Accountability Group.
PREPARE FOR TONIGHT’S HOME ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP:
Looking back on last week, list something (or some things) that stand out to you from your devotional time.
List some of the earthly “rewards” of a closer walk with Christ.
Why do you think so many Christians stay in the “valleys” of the Christian walk? What is the danger of neglecting to climb?
Read Philippians 3:12-14 and Hebrews 12:1-3. What does Paul want us to understand about the Christian life?