The Mountain Process

Life's rough terrain can be compared to a mountain journey. I've never found myself on a mountain by accident; I've only visited them with a specific purpose in mind. God told Moses to go up a mountain and stay for a while until he had received specified instructions (see Exodus 24v12). Sometimes we are required to stay on the mountain of rough terrain until a process God is taking us through is completed.

When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away his people waiting in the camp below thought 'we don't know what has happened to him' and decided to get on with their own agendas without him (see Exodus 32v1f). The results were not good to say the least!

• When we see a process being dragged out the temptation is to find any way to bring it to a speedy end. The results of us doing this are inferior to what God has planned and we become more frustrated than when we were going through the process. Stay on the mountain or wait for return from the mountain until God's process in our lives has a chance to be worked through.
• The people saw that Moses was 'actually' on the mountain when what they 'wanted' to see was him coming down the mountain. They were not seeing what they wanted so they lost patience with the process.   

We must not throw away confident expectation that God will complete what he has started when we are not seeing what we want to see straightaway.The apostle Paul wrote:

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion...(Philippians 1v6)

Admittedly, the people could not know for sure what had become of Moses as he was taking so long to come down the mountain. Questions lingered in their minds. God often allows us to linger with our questions. This is when our focus needs to be on what we do know (what God has revealed already) not on what we don't know. 

...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10v5b)

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Clinging to The Rock

I live in a very scenic part of England near the Lake District. I'm in close proximity to some of the popular Lakeland Fells. When I scaled the one named 'Blencathra', I used the so called 'Sharp Edge' route (sounds great doesn't it). Up to the point of reaching this sharp Edge, I told myself it would not be a problem, but as I began to negotiate this section of the climb, I suddenly became very unsure of myself. I overcame this as I clung closely to the rocks every step of the way and followed the footsteps of my friend who guided me along Sharp Edge and up to the Blencathra summit.

The Psalmist declares to God: My souls clings to you; your right hand upholds me (Ps 63v8). As the climber clings to the mountain we do well to cling to God who, by His grace, upholds us in the midst of our weakness. This may involve throwing off extra baggage that is surplus to requirements. When I scaled Blencathra, I filled my back pack with stuff I didn't need - it was too warm for the extra layers of upper body clothing I brought along. If anything, I had to remove a layer of clothing that was hampering my efforts. Our efforts to cling to God will be hampered if we carry aspects of self-sufficiency which are surplus to requirements. 

Breaking Free

Some days you may 'feel' as though no one is on your side. Perhaps you feel put down at work or misunderstood by those around you. Our reaction to these scenarios determines whether or not we live in slavery or freedom.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5v1)
In Christ, God has set us free - we are accepted & forgiven. We still have responsibility to do what is right but our acceptance before God isn't based on what we do or how others view us. 
The Bible reveals that, by faith in Christ and all he accomplished through the cross, Christ's righteousness is imparted to us and we are given right standing before God. This is called JUSTIFICATION (see Romans 3v21-6).
I encourage us to know the truth of who we are in Christ and to live in the freedom it brings:
if you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8v31-2);

if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed (Jn 8v36)

Unconditional Love

God's grace is often described as 'getting what we don't deserve'. In this context, our lives can be built on what God, by grace, has already done without us having done anything to earn it. This act of grace empowers me to keep pressing on every day. 
During my school years I was good at many sports. However, a big problem for me was that I lacked confidence that I could be the best at any of them. I now recognise the pressure I put on myself to earn acceptance through my sporting performances. I remained in this performance driven mindset for a long time. 
God's grace frees us from performance driven living:
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2v8-9)
When I received God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, I did not 'feel' a more confident person overnight and I'm still developing in this area. What I am more aware of is that God, through Jesus, has clearly demonstrated His offer of unconditional love. Everyday can be enjoyed in this reality;
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3v16 NKJV)