Mount Everest is the tallest and most prominent mountain on the face of the earth. It towers to the cruising height of a 747 aircraft at 29,032 feet. Even its basecamp in Nepal starts at 17,598 feet. Not everyone who starts the accent to the top of Mount Everest makes it. Many have to turn back or have even died on the perilous journey. Much of life and our Christian walk can feel the same way.

We plateau, turn around, give up, settle for “ok,” when the Lord is calling us to the mountain top. We start on the journey with hope, souring emotions and bright aspirations as the Holy Spirit moves us upward. Somewhere along the way the weight of the journey begins to wear on us, or sin distracts us, or the cares of the world; and we stop moving upward. What we were believing God for, our relationship with Jesus and our witness begin to tapper off. Jesus warned of just such things.

Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”-Matthew 13:3-9 NLT. 

This month Pastor Will has been preaching a series simply entitled “More in 24”. The premise is to do just that to expect more in 2024. Time to get your hopes up again. Time to draw into His love more. Time to brush your witness off and start to share your faith. You see each of you are called and anointed to fulfill what God has put on your heart. Time to get that great faith engine oiled and moving again as we pursue God to greater heights! The mountain is vast, the dangers are real, but we can and do have the victory in Christ Jesus. Let’s trust Him as we sojourn to the summit. 

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.-Philippians 3:14 KJV