I want to take you here
This is where I skied on Wednesday afternoon. Very challenging. Exhilarating. Rewarding.
I don’t want to take you to this physical ski slope. However, as I was riding up the chair lift, I was thinking…what if we could go here Spiritually. A higher place. There are prerequisites before entering the territory. To get to these levels, changes might have to be made in your life. New Levels in 2008. Where ‘the best’ go. I am expecting God to lead us into some special places. In order to “flesh out” this analogy, I need to put a lot of work and writing into it. I am on vacation, please forgive me.
Are you ready to go?
=pastor
Posted on January 9, 2008, in Daily Word, My Family. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Robin Steele 
I remember once I was talked into going down one of these runs. I fell immediately and about fifty feet down the almost vertical slope came to a stop in waist deep snow. It took me a long time to get down to the bottom of that run and as I lay there hugging and kissing the flat ground a little kid about ten years old came down the double black whipping around the moguls with a huge grin on his face. The difference between us was I was out of shape, had no idea how to deal with the difficult conditions, knew nothing about moguls higher than my head, and was petrified with fear that I was going to break every bone in my body. The kid was fearless because he probably skied there all the time and had spent time in lessons and practice and had progressed from green to blues to black over a period of time. He was also young, resilient, and in top physical shape. He was in perfect balance with the mountain and having the time of his life. I hated him. Really, I hated myself for being in that situation. No, it wasn’t Pastor. He was already in line at the bottom wondering where I was.
Some of us have been up these mountains…but it has been a long while. If we are “out of shape” it isn’t going to be fun, it’s going to be scary. (Okay, I NEVER, EVER skied a black diamond). When it comes to the mountain of God, we must present ourselves holy and pure to a fearsome (not scary-fearsome; fear of God-fearsome) God.
I was listening to a message from Mark Driscoll (well-known somewhat controversial pastor from the Seattle WA area). His message was about the cross. He said that God hates religion. Religion is man’s method of being “righteous”. The Bible says that our righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God (see Isaiah). The only righteousness that isn’t offensive to God is His own righteousness. We must take our righteousness and lay it before the cross of Jesus. Jesus died that we might be made righteous. Mark then said the cross is for the sinner and the religious person…the sinner is to lay his sin and defilement before the cross and the righteous must lay his righteousness before the cross.
Ok, I’ll never go on one of those black runs. I have always been scared to death that I would end up on one by accident. BUT the spiritual run is something I would love to participate in!!! I’m ready for a “new level”. AMEN!!
By the way, your kids are doing great!!! They love us. They are terribly rotten, I am sure, by momma & poppa’s thoughts.
Last night was the most powerful promise group I have ever attended. The Lord took over and one by one we all shared our testimonies about when we received the Holy Ghost. Some took months, some years, some moments. We got to know each other as Paul had admonished us to in his first letter to the Thessalonians, 5:12. It was powerful, there was no darkness,no confusion, only Light and Truth. The Lord ministered, edified and educated each of us. I love the way Jesus is so simple for the hungry soul.
I’m ready to go Pastor!
I am ready to go too Pastor!! I have had a great week of God anwsering prayers. Something I was needing guidence in and he told me point blank that what I was doing was wrong! I just love our awsome God!!
Saturday service we are starting to experience what Pastor is saying. See God high and lifted up!