THE SPHERE OF EXALTATION

     Jesus leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by
     themselves.

     — Mark 9:2

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from
God’s standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never
allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power
to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is
a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there
in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed
and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns
and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that
is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are
in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual
selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we
could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on
the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their
meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual
selfishness wants to make them the only time.

We are apt to think that everything that happens is to be turned into
useful teaching, it is to be turned into something better than
teaching, viz., into character. The mount is not meant to teach us
anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a great snare in
asking – What is the use of it? In spiritual matters we can never
calculate on that line. The moments on the mountain tops are rare
moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.

On this day...

  1. November 16, 2010

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