Life at Camp Part I

Hebrews 12:29
29 for our "God is a consuming fire."

Today I'm kicking off my series entitled "Treasuring the Abundant Life." It's based on theological ideas in "The Great Divide" by Mike Guzzardo. Expect this series to last for two to three weeks.

We’ve all heard about our spiritual walk with God compared to a mountain hiking adventure. Well, it was probably a very general story that said something like “your experience with Christ will have its ups and downs. Sometimes you’ll make a lot of progress and hike the mountain quickly while other times you’ll fall.” An interesting point that Guzzardo mentioned was that the reasons for those ups and downs are how we respond to God while we're climbing the mountain.

Sometimes, as we're going up the mountain our backpack is too heavy. In order to successfully climb, we have to take a few items out. Similarly, we should say "yes" when we have to remove things (anxieties, sins, past experiences, etc.) out of our life to allow for more room to climb and approach a climatic point in our relationship with God.

However, if we say no to taking out the items, that equates to a harder climb and eventually we have to rest on one of the campgrounds alongside the mountain. This can be a stopping point for days, months, or even years.

If we're at the campground for too long we can become too cozy which makes it harder for us to climb to the peak since we're stuck in a rut and we're convinced by Satan that we're not going to be satisfied by our relationship with God. What about that abundant life? As we climb higher and higher up the mountain, we realize that since the journey began, we're much closer to God and enjoying the extraordinary things he has to offer. The closer we get to the summit, the more we get to encounter God’s character and unbelievable freedom that he provides to us.

As for the Bible verse, it is used to remind us how much God desires to change us. When a piece of wood burns, it obviously changes its appearance completely. It's a noticeable process. While our transformation won't be as noticeable, in time you and others will be able to see a difference. God wants us to light a consuming in our hearts for him.