While you have the light,
believe in the light… —John 12:36
{CHAMBERS} “We all have moments when we feel better than ever
before, and we say, “I feel fit for anything; if only I could always be like
this!” We are not meant to be. […] we must bring our everyday life up to the
standard revealed to us on the mountaintop when we were there. […] If, during a
prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don’t say, “I’ll do it”— just do
it! […] We must learn to live in the ordinary “gray” day according to what we
saw on the mountain.[…] Burn your bridges behind you, and stand committed to
God by an act of your own will.”
{ELGIN} A question is posed in the Focus On The Family seminar – The
Truth Project. “Do you believe that what
you believe is really – real?” A
piercing question, no? It gets to the
core of the problem with most of us. We
like the idea of living a sanctified life .. one that endures no matter what storm
we might find ourselves in, and yet, when we feel the boat rocking .. hear the wind
howling .. and the salt spray in our faces … we shrink back … just like the
disciples … (Matthew 8:23-27) “And
when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose
a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but
he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are
perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”
Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And
the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea
obey him?””
That is what makes being on
the mountain so great for so many … you sense the presence of God … that fear you
felt in the storm is gone … it is a glorious time … but like Peter .. even
though you want to stay on the mountain and worship, you were made for the valleys. Your purpose is to walk in the valley … not
to be a spark on the mountain top but to be a light in the dark valley … even
in .. especially in … the storms of life.
God does not want to spare you from trouble .. He wants to use you in the
midst of it. It might mean that you will
lose something … but even in that loss, God will not abandon you. When Moses came off of the mountain, his face
shone (Exodus 34:29-35) but
eventually that glory faded. The same for
us. You may experience times of great
spiritual encouragement, but those times are like seasoning on food. They enhance the flavor, but the seasoning is
not what sustains and nourishes you. As
Christians we are sustained and nourished by faith through obedience, and all
of that for and to the glory of God.
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