Hungry for the Top
(Picture credits at end of post)
Sir Edmund Hilary, who, conquered Everest in the early 1950’s, described himself as “hungry for the summit.” It was to this “hunger” he largely ascribed his success in conquering such a daunting mountain; he could not rest until he had accomplished his goal.
Very few of us would have aspirations climb Everest to and reach the summit of the world; even fewer would have that desperate hunger to reach at goal as Edmund Hilary and a few others had.
And so, it seems, is the case with the Christian church.
There are many who are quite content to wade in the shallows of spiritual attainment, but a mere handful who cannot help but plunge into the deep things of God.
There are many in the church who are happy to claim the many benefits of being a Christian, but few who would risk all to claim the rewards of absolute surrender to Christ as Lord.
Many of us in this current church age are happy to dwell on the lower slopes of God’s mountain, but few who wish to explore the peaks of Christian experience, and even fewer with a hunger to reach the top.
And yet, that is what we have all been called to as Jesus makes clear in His Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 – AKJV)
In the heart of every true disciple is a holy dissatisfaction with mediocrity. They hunger for the top – for the zenith of all that Christ has purchased for His people with His own blood. They will not sully themselves with the pat phrases Christians bandy about, such as, “We know that nobody is perfect.” They see this, and other generalizations as mere excuses not to reach for the highest. They cling to promises such as that in Hebrews:
For they [our fathers] disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He [disciplines us] for [our] good, so that we may share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10 – NASB)
These true disciple seek to follow in the footsteps of Paul who declared:
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:14 – NASB)
These noble souls want to be “made perfect in love.” As depicted in the first letter of John.
The Noble Few
(© Monday 2nd March 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)
Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 – AKJV)
Lord, please make me dissatisfied
With a life of languish and ease;
Plant in me a hunger to know
The fullness of Love, and to please.
Don’t let me dwell on lower planes
Of the mountain of Truth and Light;
Make me a part of the noble few
That are willing to join the fight.
They are willing to fight for Truth,
And hunger to reach for the top;
No half-hearted quest can be theirs –
They will give it all that they’ve got.
I want to be part of this band
Of brave souls whose hearts are afire;
They spurn the cool age they live in,
And always want to go higher.
Please visit My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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Photo by Kimberly Casey. Copyright. Used under the CC BY 2.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this link. No changes were made to this photograph.
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