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A New Perspective

A New Perspective

 

In View of the Mountain

With his right hand trapped literally between a rock and a hard place, Aron Ralston waited for what seemed like an eternity. Five days had passed, and there was no sign of rescue. Hot Utah sun pounded down in miserable pain. His mouth became chalky, and his saliva became thick. His aching body lacked consumption of food and water. Forced into the unthinkable, Ralston drank his own urine to stay alive. His thirst was so strong that he would do whatever it took to quench that desire. With no water and as little hope of survival, finally, Ralston used a pocketknife to amputate his own arm and free himself. Cutting through bone, muscle, nerves and unthinkable pain, he released himself and walked, hiked and repelled the reaming distance to rescue.

Ralston did the only thing possible in his situation. Although the cost was significant, the end result greatly outweighed the price he paid. There was only one thing to do in view of his situation.

In View of Mount God

Starting in Exodus 33, Moses asks God, "Show me Your glory?" The Lord granted Moses’ wish and told him to climb a mountain. “When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." If anyone sawGod’s face, they would die. But Moses did just as the Lord said.

Moses got a glimpse of the Creator and was never the same. Later, when he came down from the mountain, everyone was scared to go near him because his face was so radiant (a result of seeing God’s back, not even His fullness). And from that day forward, Moses wore a veil around his head because he was so changed by God. In Isaiah 40, God is described: “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. ‘To whom will you compare me?

Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”

Are we getting this? God is like no other, more amazing than we can begin to comprehend. God is so wonderful, words do not even do justice to Him. The God who overwhelmed Moses is the same God we call our father and friend.

In View of Our Lives

Just as Aron Ralston had only one thing to do in view of the mountain, we have only one thing to do in view of God …

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1).

There it is—In view of God we must all sing some more worship songs—wait? In view of God we must pray all the time, or pass out tracts on the street … hold on. While all these things are great, we are called to become “living sacrifices,” making our worship not limited to songs, prayer and preaching, but rather a lifestyle of worship found in the posture of our hearts.

We don’t give offerings of meat and such on altars of stone anymore, but we are the sacrifices on the altar of life. And, even though it’s tough, we must make our life holy and pleasing to God. After all, really, it’s the only thing we can do.

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