Several years ago a co-worker of mine and I had to take a business trip to Phoenix, AZ. While there, we decided to climb Camelback Mountain. Camelback is a large rock formation that rises 1200 feet above the city below and it looks like… well, like the back of a camel. It has a trail that you can climb up to the top of the mountain. It is not an easy trail. At times you have something that resembles stairs. At other times you have rails to help pull you along the incline. But at other times, you are literally rock climbing. Not being in the best of shape (although admittedly better then than now), it was a very difficult uphill climb for me. I thought I would never make it to the top. I kept thinking “surely, the top is around this next turn” or “over this next ridge” but the summit kept alluding me. About the time I reached a spot that was about 100 yards from the top, I realized that I could not go another inch. This last 100 yards was the hardest of all. It was a steep, sloping incline with no steps, no rails, no rock formations to hang on to. I would probably have to scramble up the slope on my hands and knees. I just couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t go on. My legs were burning. I had no strength left. I had reached the end of what I could bear. I was ready to give up, so I called my buddy (who was already at the top) on his mobile phone and told him that I couldn’t make it.
Sometimes, we reach a point in our Christian life where we feel like we simply cannot go any further. We feel like we’ve given everything we have to give. We’ve endured all we can endure. The pain is too great. The burden is too heavy. We just want to give up.
Cheer up. Those are precisely the times when God can give us the strength to persevere. It’s easy to live the Christian life when things are easy – how’s that for a statement of the obvious. It’s even easy to live the Christian life when things are less than easy. But when things are at their darkest, that’s when living the Christian life has its greatest rewards. We will face temptation in this world. We will face tribulation in this world. Both of these trials builds within us perseverance, and perseverance through the trials results in many blessings.
When I called my friend on the phone, he told me that it was fine if I wanted to give up, but I would have gone all that distance and faced all that pain without having experienced the reward of the view from the top. So… I dug deep and found the strength to clamor up that last 100 yards of extreme pain. The reward was the most amazing view I had ever seen. From that summit, you could see the entire city. In the late afternoon sun, the view was astonishing… Blessings do await those who persevere. James 1:12 says
Sometimes, we reach a point in our Christian life where we feel like we simply cannot go any further. We feel like we’ve given everything we have to give. We’ve endured all we can endure. The pain is too great. The burden is too heavy. We just want to give up.
Cheer up. Those are precisely the times when God can give us the strength to persevere. It’s easy to live the Christian life when things are easy – how’s that for a statement of the obvious. It’s even easy to live the Christian life when things are less than easy. But when things are at their darkest, that’s when living the Christian life has its greatest rewards. We will face temptation in this world. We will face tribulation in this world. Both of these trials builds within us perseverance, and perseverance through the trials results in many blessings.
When I called my friend on the phone, he told me that it was fine if I wanted to give up, but I would have gone all that distance and faced all that pain without having experienced the reward of the view from the top. So… I dug deep and found the strength to clamor up that last 100 yards of extreme pain. The reward was the most amazing view I had ever seen. From that summit, you could see the entire city. In the late afternoon sun, the view was astonishing… Blessings do await those who persevere. James 1:12 says Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
If you want to hear more about the blessings that await those who persevere, click on the link below to hear this week’s sermon.
Perseverance: Blessings Still Await
If you want to hear more about the blessings that await those who persevere, click on the link below to hear this week’s sermon.
Perseverance: Blessings Still Await
No comments:
Post a Comment