PRESSING TOWARD THE MARK

[Albert Finch]

"The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me." - Acts 20:24

There are no shortcuts and there are no other paths. There is only your CALLING in Christ and it is this path. If you stay on it, it will lead you straight to the top of the mountain; and to make the climb, you have to lay down all your baggage. It will also change you from the inside out. This journey will do a work of humility within. If you stay steady in the midst of the steep climb, it will produce diligence and endurance for your next season.

You are CALLED to serve God. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service.

"We must run with patience the particular race that God has set before us." - Hebrews 12:1

As we ascend to the very top of the magnificent Mountain - as few men and women actually endure the climb.
Those who lay it all down cry out Psalm 24:7: "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in."

They stand in a place of great authority. This is the place where we have the authority to cry out, "Lift up your heads, O you gates!"

STEADFASTNESS IS THE KEY

Many people get this invitation, but few make the whole journey (into God's DESTINY for their lives). For many start the climb yet want to keep their baggage and are unable to continue up the Mountain. Some people wander off the trodden path for other adventures that looked better to the eyes but were worthless to the soul.

"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10

There are no shortcuts to the top of this Mountain. It is easier to stay on the PATHWAY of your CALLING in Christ. It is easier to keep walking. This Mountain, this climb, is an invitation of the Lord to climb His Holy Mountain with clean hands and a pure heart, and all the while embracing humility which produces great authority. Though some people start with baggage, or offenses, or unforgiveness – we all have the opportunity to lay it down. In order to continue upward, you have to lay everything down, otherwise, it is impossible to make the climb, for the weight of these will make the climb too burdensome.

You are commanded to serve God. Jesus came "to serve" and "to give" -- and this should define our life on earth, too.  We are to serve others by helping them develop their spiritual lives in Christ and help them find God's purpose for their lives.  
"Jesus said. "Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life." - Matthew 20:28

THE INWARD LIFE

This PATHWAY produces an inward life, a steadiness that you can only get if you stay on the path. This trek is a place of great gain, living from the inside out...and if you can make it to the very peak, it's a place of new authority.

Where are you in this climb? Is the pathway too steep and hard because you need to lay down some baggage? Do you find yourself looking for easier paths, easier ways to reach the peak? Maybe you have become distracted with the pleasures of this age, they might have caught your eye.

For we are all invited. We all receive the invitation to lay down our baggage, to stay on the pathway. We all get to be a part of this great climb up the Mountain of the Lord.

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself." - Philippians 2:5

This is the season to lay it all down and to stay on the path: Lay down offenses, lay down unforgiveness, lay it all down, and stay steady for the journey of a lifetime.

"Always think about Jesus Christ." - 2 Timothy 2:8

"Fix your thoughts on Jesus." - Hebrews 3:1

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
https://afministry.ning.com/