Climbing That Mountain

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

There are many stunning and awe-inspiring landscapes that the Lord has created on Earth and few are more magnificent than the plateau of Mount Roraima. Known as the “floating island” with cliffs rising 1,200 feet and an appearance of a flat surface resting above the clouds is breathtaking not only for the local hiker but even for the novice internet surfer. As beautiful as this plateau is, the Lord did not create it for believers to model in their spiritual lives. Plainly stated, Christians we are not to plateau in their faith.  The Christian faith is a climbing of a mountain which can be difficult at times as we leave the world farther and farther behind us trying to reach the Lord at the top of the mountain. The closer we get to the Lord the more we can see Him and His character and the more we should be molded into the likeness of Christ. Paul’s statement is reminding us that we should be flourishing in our faith not being stagnant. We should be eager to learn new things about the Lord. We should be seeking out for His guidance and instruction. Reading scripture, surrounding ourselves with other believers, prayer, discipleship, sharing the good news are all important elements of flourishing in the faith. Without these components being active in our life we will begin to camp out on the mountain searching for the plateau to easily scale across. Let’s not get into that complacent mode, let’s keep climbing, let’s keep growing, and let’s keep becoming more and more like Christ!