Be a Climber in Your Walk with Jesus  

Our one-year-old grandson has been aptly described by his mom as a climber. I’ve witnessed his aptitude along those lines firsthand on several occasions, the latest when we were together last weekend. The toddler decided he wanted to climb up on a large wooden bench since a couple of his older cousins were sitting on the other end of it. So he tried to swing his leg up to get leverage while straining to pull himself toward his desired destination. After several moments of determined effort, he just couldn’t quite do it. So I attempted to distract him to go elsewhere since for safety reasons he really didn’t need to stand up on that bench. However in a couple of minutes he was right back at it again. This time he managed to get his leg a little higher, which made all the difference. After a few more strenuous attempts, he was successful in achieving his goal. He was even allowed to revel in his victory for a few seconds before he was removed to safer ground.

Could we be appropriately described as “climbers” when it comes to our spiritual lives and our walk with the Lord? We certainly don’t want to be known as backsliders or those who are heading in the wrong direction. But are we striving to reach greater heights in our relationship with the Lord? Are we continually looking to draw closer to Him? Or are we simply staying on comfortable ground, maybe even having grown somewhat complacent and satisfied with where we find ourselves? Are we looking to grow, to reach for new challenges, and to climb to higher levels in our spiritual journey?

We need to cultivate the attitude expressed by the Apostle Paul of “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” and pressing “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). God calls each of us to keep seeking to move upward. This world will try to drag us downward. Our own natures will tend to get us to settle in ruts or comfort zones along the way. However, God calls us to keep traveling upward – to be climbers who are determined to seek more of Him in their lives.

Such an upward journey requires focus. In that same passage of scripture, Paul declared that it was the “one thing I do”. We have to decide what is really most important to us. If we’re going to climb to greater spiritual heights, such a trek will need to become our priority. We can’t let other things distract us. Like my grandson, when something or someone pulls us away for a moment, we’ve got to doggedly get right back on track again. Making a closer walk with the Lord our top priority will mean that other pursuits in our lives will need to take a secondary position. Some activities may need to be cut out altogether. We shouldn’t let anything hinder us from seeking to ascend to higher ground.

I like the words of the old hymn: “I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining every day…my prayer, my aim is higher ground”. Too many are satisfied with just squeaking by spiritually. Too many want just enough of a relationship with God to keep them out of hell. God calls us to more than that. We need to be seeking to love Him more, to get as close to Him as we can, and to serve Him to the fullest of our ability.

Let’s not settle for the minimum needed to get into heaven or to have peace with God. Let’s keep climbing.