Going Back up on the Mountain

And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.  -Deuteronomy 9:18 (KJV) 

A story is told of a little boy who went to his first day of school.  At the end of the day his mother asked him how everything had gone.  The little boy indicated he had not liked it.  The next morning the mother woke the boy up for school, and the child said, “You mean I have to go back?”  The process of spiritual growth and maturing in faith is ongoing.  Each day we learn, develop, and continue to draw closer to the Lord.  The Scripture says Moses spent 40 days alone with God on Mount Sinai.  Upon coming down from the mountain Moses found the people had sinned by making for themselves a golden idol.  They had bowed down to it and in so doing had defied God and turned away from Him.  In exasperation Moses shattered the stone tablets containing the commandments.  God replaced them on Moses’ next prayer vigil on the mountain. 

We see how Moses, after spending 40 days alone with God, immediately did so again.  He pleaded with God on behalf of the people and implored for them to be spared from the Lord’s wrath.  We see how growing in the faith is ongoing.  We never reach a place where we have prayed enough, studied the Scripture enough, or worshiped enough.  The process of serving Christ and being His witnesses in the world is a task we live out and grow in each and every day.  Moses was willing to do whatever it took to bring the people to where they needed to be.  If this meant going back up the mountain for another 40 days he was willing to do so. 

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to grow in our faith?  Will we arise earlier each morning to seek the Lord?  Are we willing to turn off the TV in order to devote ourselves to reading God’s Word?  Will we follow Jesus’  example of humility and turning the other cheek?  In order to grow in Christ we are called to not just walk one mile.  Instead, we go the second mile for the Lord each day.  As followers of Christ, what could be more important than our relationship with Him?  As we grow in the Lord we also grow in all other areas of life: love, grace, patience, knowledge, devotion to family, and love for God. 

You might believe you have reached a plateau in your relationship with Christ.  God is calling you to come back up on the mountain and spend time with Him.  Spiritual blessings in abundance are waiting.