A CALL TO CLIMB

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Mark 3:13

And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

The call of God is always an invitation to move beyond where you are. Beyond the status quo and beyond your self-imposed limitations. Our initial invitation to journey with Jesus begins with God calling us out of a life of sin and up to a life of righteousness, only found through His Son Jesus Christ. However, the call doesn’t stop there. It continues until the glorious day when we are finally called home, to eternally be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

God’s call is sovereign, meaning it is divinely designed. He determines who He calls, what the call is, and where the call will take you. But a genuine call of God will always bring a desire to go deeper and climb higher. This call to climb with Jesus is far from some predictable program, it is a real adventure. One with excitement, and at times, exhaustion, but never boredom!

Several years ago, I accompanied a few others on a mission trip to North India. Most days we would follow the missionary through the mountains in search of a person or village that had yet to hear the name of Jesus. We would go as far as the vehicle could take us, then we would climb the steep and rugged terrain to a village on top of the mountain. It was exhausting, yet the view was breathtaking! Not just the panoramic view across the plain around us, but the sight of those beautiful people’s faces. The black eyes and bright smiles of the children and the humble hospitality of the people - this was an experience that will follow me for the remainder of my days. Yes, the climb was exhausting, but the experience was well worth the climb. This has been the case ever since I began this walk with Jesus. At times I can hear a still small voice saying, “Come up a little higher, I have something I want to show you.”

The climb always comes with a cost. A season of seeking through prayer and fasting, a decision to eliminate the world’s distractions and refocus on His direction, or a choice to simply be with Him. The latter is the one we seem to brush by the most in our busyness. Perhaps as the old year closed and the new year began, you heard a still voice or felt a gentle nudge to take a climb with Christ to a new place you have never been, or a place you haven’t been in quite a long time. I want to remind you what an amazing privilege it is to receive a summons from the Savior. It is a sign He is thinking about you, that He has a special place picked out for you, or an assignment prepared for you. Whatever the reason, the climb will take effort, and at times may even be exhausting, but the experience will be beyond your expectations!

Suggested Reading: Mark 3:13-15, Ephesians 3:30-21