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Thursday, May 7, 2020

The Mountain of Time part 3: Are You Reading to Climb?

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise, he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 

In parts one and two of this blog series on utilizing our time wisely during the pandemic, I have stressed the importance of why it is important to use our time ascending or moving closer to God.  In this latest installment, I want to tell you how we can do it in a meaningful way.  It is not our goal to place God on our neat little To-Do list. It is, however, our goal to cultivate a lifestyle that repeatedly makes Kingdom investments and gets Kingdom returns stemming from an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

So now that you have determined to make the climb, just like with real mountain climbing, there are a few things that MUST be done first!

 1) Consult an...THE expert.  
    Jesus says in Matthew 11: 29 to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him.  God says to the prophet Jeremiah in verse three of chapter thirty-three of his writings, to "call to Me and I will show you great and unsearchable things that you do not know about". We are told in John 14:26, by Jesus, that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things.  
    THE EXPERT has given us the avenue of prayer to use as we call out to Him through Jesus while receiving an answer from His Holy Spirit.  Through prayer we consult Him, attach ourselves to Him, and to expect to be taught.  You know the saying, "You won't know until you ask"?  Well, it also applies here.  You won't know more about God until you ask Him to reveal Himself to you.  I love this scripture: "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust;  Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You." Psalm 143:8 NKJV   Ask to hear from Him.  Ask about His plans for you. He will reveal it to you as you... 

2) Gather your gear!     
Mountain climbers need what? A Map, proper clothing, tools, shelter, food, and water, right?   Well, use the Bible as your map and one-stop shop to provide all your mountain climbing needs.  Kinda like Wal-Mart.  First and foremost, use it to learn about the life of Jesus and unpack His gospel (The "good news" about His life, His death, His burial, and His resurrection...hallelujah).  Then take what you learn about Him and consume it.  In the book of John, Jesus references Himself as the Bread of Life and living water. So consume what you read about Him and let it nourish and refresh you. The bible is also filled with principles for success with your children, marriage, finances, and the building of your character. It gives us many examples of "what to do" and "what not to do".  Read through the lives of the famous and not so famous men and women of the bible and know that God often uses the imperfect, untalented, and uneducated to have a lasting impact on the lives of others.   
    But don't stop there. We also need proper attire right?  I don't think anyone would make it two miles skipping up Mt. Everest wearing a pair of Crocs and some Levi jeans. They would have to be dressed appropriately because their safety and life would depend on it.  In a spiritual sense, it's the same way. We cannot improve our intimacy with God without wearing proper attire. The Bible speaks of various garments that Believers are to wear such as;  the armor of God, the garment of praise, the garland of grace, the garland of wisdom, His yoke, and our new self.  Purposefully putting on these "garments" will guide us in translating and applying what we read into how we live. 
    Finally, as we read, we begin to unearth His promises for us.  Promises to never leave us.  Promises to protect us.  Promises to love us.  Promises to provide for us.  Promises to heal us.  Promises to empower us.  These promises are our shelter.  They are always there when we need protection from whatever life may bring.   

    To sum it up, think about some people you know.  Your levels of intimacy with them more than likely varies from person to person.  Some you aren't too familiar with and hardly talk to, others you occasionally see from time to time and exchange quick pleasantries. There may be others in which you initiate contact or you can't wait to hear from.  But within all of the folks you know, there is still a smaller more intimate group.  People with whom dialoguing is a part of your daily life.  And then, even from within that group, there are those individuals to whom you may affectionately refer to as your "heart".  
    You know, it's the same with how people relate to God. Some know of Him.  Some exchange quick pleasantries or may speak every day out of dutiful love, but to others, He is their heart. 
    If you feel like you're in a less than desirable group, don't fret! We're all at different stages in our relationship with Him, so no finger-pointing is coming from over here. We ALL fall short of the glory of God, and all of us could use a trip up the mountain.   But hey, seriously, who better to guide us during this pandemic than our loving Father?  Since we don't want to be that kind of friend or child who only shows up when they're in a bind,  let's show up now whether or not this pandemic has put us on the struggle bus. Let's give God our attention.  Let's show Him some love and let's use this time wisely.  

Check out this song, "Make Room" by Jonathan McReynolds.  It's food for thought.

(Good links: I like using the YouVersion bible app because they already have daily bible readings for just about any area of growth you need.  RightNow Media, which normally can only be accessed if your church has an account, is free and filled with videos and study sessions for you and each member of your family.  Free Armour of God poster PDF)   Read this about wearing your worship!  )


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