"From the Summit"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

(Friends: Frances and I hiked in the mountains of North Georgia last week.  As always, such ventures resulted in numerous ponderings regarding the Lord's glory and truth.  I plan on sharing some of those thoughts with you in this week's messages.  Thanks, Glen).

"From the Summit"

    Scenic views provide one of the greatest rewards of hiking in the mountains.

   

   

    Steep ascents on rocky trails lead to glorious vistas that reveal God's artistry and engineering.  Whatever hardships accompanied the journey fade into forgetfulness when gazing out over miles and miles of peaks, valleys, and hues unavailable in any other setting.  From mountain summits, a different view of creation presents itself to our hearts in thrilling display.

   "God… hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4; 6-7).

   In spiritual terms, the Apostle Paul declares that born again believers already reside "in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus."  Certainly such truth challenges our understanding.  However, it also provides a practical way of walking with God in the sense that He calls us to view our lives from a higher vantage point.  Our Lord provides opportunity to see matters with a Heavenly perspective, as opposed to our normal earthly perceptions limited by our human frailty and blindness.  The Bible serves as the primary means whereby we see God and life from the summit, as it were.  We naturally respond with a horizontal view of things.  Scripture, however, beckons us to look down upon earthly realities by choosing to see as does our Heavenly Father.  "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  What does the Bible say about this situation, or that circumstance, or some condition that requires our determination to think in terms of spiritual truth and reality?  Embracing the answers of Scripture means we see things from Above, and walk according to glorious views unavailable to limited earthly understanding.  "To be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

   A lifetime of spiritual ascents awaits every born again believer in the Lord Jesus.  Our initial lowlands response to reality mandates that we remember our Heavenly citizenship, and respond accordingly.  "I will trust in Thee" (Psalm 56:3).  What does the Bible say about God, ourselves, others, and the matters of life?  Keeping this question ever near in heart and mind grants scenes of grace viewed only from Above.  By faith, we see with Heaven's perspective, and thus walk in the "life and peace" of glories seen only from the summit.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

(Philippians 4:8)

"We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

(II Corinthians 4:18)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even His eternal power and godhead."

(Romans 1:20)

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