Coming up to a higher level is the response to God’s invitation to rise up and soar as an eaglein our spiritual walk with Him.
Many believers today are satisfied with their spiritual successes but only few have a hunger to come up higher.
Both Scripture and experience teach that it is you and me, not God, who determine the degree of our intimacy with Him. Every Christian is as close to God as they really choose to be.
As much as many of us will love to build a stronger intimacy with God, we find it difficult to pay the price involved. Many of us settle for a less demanding level of Christian living, because we are not prepared to pay the price.
There is a price to pay in responding to a higher-level invitation, An invitation to a mountain top experience can be costly.
In scripture we find that God is always calling people to higher level for a greater purpose.
In the book of Exodus
He called Moses and the elders of Israel.
INVITATION TO COME UP HIGHER
Exodus 24:9-16
9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So, they saw God, and they ate and drank. 12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” 13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. 16 Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
There is an interesting pattern here.
God has called everyone of us to come up to Him on the mountain, but it is not everybody that comes up that mountain can go up to the next level, even though God wants us all to come up higher. Moses goes up the mountain with the 70 elders and saw the feet of God.
Are you satisfied with just the feet of God, food and the drink.
THERE IS MORE TO GOD
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Only Moses gets called to come up to the next level, which means there is still a level higher than where we are.
There is still another level of intimacy after our salvation.
Our salvation is the beginning of our intimate relationship with God and God is inviting us to yet another level of relationship with Him and this is the mountaintop experience.
Our mountain top experience builds character and trust in the one who has called us to come up higher.
Coming up the mountain can be a lonely walk up it if with people around you.
It is a place of test when God wants to see if you can lay down what is precious to you on the altar.
Genesis 22:1-2
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham,
Abraham did not know that it was a test.
Yet this is how our character is formed in our walking with God.
When God calls us to up to the next level, He is looking out for our re-
sponse.
and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, - I have only one son
It was not later; it was now Our invitation up the mountain is an immediate call.
your only son Isaac,
It gets interesting, because God is asking for his only son
whom you love,
Now God qualifies it, not just your only son but the ONE WHOM YOU LOVE
and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Offer him there as a burnt offering – on one of the mountains
Which mountain?
Just go and I will show you.
Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.
God is saying to Abraham just go to Moriah and I will show you the mountain.
Do you realise what a lonely walk that would be for anyone?
One you don’t know where you are going and most importantly, God is asking you for the most precious thing in your life.
This Son, the one whom he loves, the son whom he adores
This is the son of promise – Genesis 17: 19-22
The son he had waited for, for 25 years. Now God wants him back. God! Why would you do that?
Scriptures tell us that Abraham rose early in the morning without wasting anytime God must be obeyed.
This is a three-day journey, Abraham had the opportunity to change his mind. God gave him the opportunity to change his mind on that road.
But Abraham knew his destiny was in his obedience to God.
God is more happy to bless you than to take from you.
God is working in you and me to come up to a higher level so that His purpose and our purpose becomes one.
