Keep Climbing!

From: The Word For Today - Bob Gass Ministries

James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who perseveres."

It's said that halfway up the Swiss Alps there's a popular rest house. It's a good day's climb from the bottom to the top, but you can usually get to the rest house by lunchtime. And that's where you separate the men from the boys. When some amateur climbers feel the warmth of the fire and smell the good cooking they say to their companions, "I'll just wait here while you go to the top. When you come back down I'll join you and we'll go to the base together." A glaze of satisfaction comes over them as they sit by the fire, or play the piano and sing mountain-climbing songs.

But at about 3:30 in the afternoon everything changes; they start looking toward the mountaintop as their friends reach it. Suddenly the atmosphere in the rest house changes and they think - If only I'd kept climbing!

Three things can cause you to lose sight of your God-given goals:

(1) Weariness. Jesus told Peter, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail" (Luke 22:31-32). We all have to overcome the failing faith syndrome.

(2) Fear. Some days the mountain just seems too high and we're tempted to give up. Then a voice whispers, "Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you" (Joshua 1:9).

(3) Comfort. "Woe to you who are at ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1). Conflict and hard times keep us on our toes - and on our knees. But too much comfort can seduce us into settling short of our goal. So keep climbing!

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