Who
May Ascend Into The Hill of The Lord?
THOSE
WHO WILL EXERT THEMSELVES – THAT IS, STRETCH, BEND AND MOVE – MAY ASCEND INTO THE HILL OF THE LORD.
As I've interacted with congregants who are over the age of 60, I've
heard them say repeatedly that one of the keys to successful
aging is to keep moving. Seniors know that, when you stop moving, it
should be because you are dead. Those who do not keep moving will, eventually,
not be able to move.
“Therefore
as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
in Him” (Col. 2:6) That word
'walk' suggests activity, not passivity.
Climbing a
hill, including the hill of the Lord, requires energy, effort and
discipline. The Christian walk contains nothing that is automatic. There is no spiritual teleporter that you step into, then have someone push a button as you
say, “Beam me up, Jesus.” That
worked in the television show “Star-Trek”, but has no value in
real-life walking toward Jesus. (Yes, I'm
aware of the Rapture, but that's not our subject today.)
What would it
look like if you determined right now, “I'm going to be more
careful, intentional and disciplined in my upward
pursuit of Jesus? Don't say, “I
have attained.” Don't say, “I
have arrived.” Don't say,
“There is no room for improvement.”
“Brethren,
I
do not regard myself as having laid hold of it
yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
reaching
forward
to what lies ahead, I
press on
toward the goal for the prize of the upward
call
of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14)
