September 14: CLIMBING TO THE TOP

An Alpine guide died when he slipped while trying to ascend a mountain peak. A simple monument marks the place of his death. It is inscribed, “he died climbing”. That inscription is a noble tribute to a hero. His attitude should be ours: looking upward and pressing forward. This should be a fitting inscription on any Christian’s gravestone.
The ongoing challenge to every Christian is in discovering God’s will for his life and the going on to complete it. Discipleship is a lifetime experience. You never graduate.
Churches that think Sunday School is only for children are making a terrible mistake and hurting their people. Adults who think they do not need Bible study are only hurting themselves.
If you memorize a verse a day from the Bible, it would take you a lifetime. Some have tried to study the Bible but stopped after a while because they “couldn’t understand it.”
Climb on! Nothing is ever attained by giving up. Jesus said, “follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) The woman in Mark 5:28 is saying, “if I can just touch Jesus, I can become complete.” All of this is about going forward and climbing on.
I remember a radio Bible teacher from my childhood signing off every program by saying “and always keep looking up”. There are too many challenges for us to stop now.
You have never lived in such a time that had so many mountains to climb. We need to defeat hunger, homelessness and poverty. The mountain of prejudice still looms large on the horizon.
This is not the time to throw in the towel. People often die in the hospital simply because they have lost the will to live and stopped fighting their disease.
Our children used to sing, “climb, climb, up sunshine mountain.” Remember, we do not become discouraged, we just put and shameful deeds behind us (2 Corinthians 4:1) and climb on.

“Give us courage, Lord, to keep looking up and keep our eyes on the Goal.
Remind us again that we have Holy Spirit strength to climb the mountain. Amen”