Keep climbing! The view gets better!

"a mountain great and high"
Revelation 21:10

Recently my thoughts were on the mountainous country in the Promised Land, and how rewarding the effort would be to claim that land.  Today, I got to thinking about the mountains themselves.  The Israelites were not about climbing mountains, they were about inhabiting the area.  But sometimes, simply living a life pleasing to Him and growing more like Him, seems like climbing a mountain.  There are many places we can stop, and be pleased with our progress, but we won't have reached the pinnacle He has called us to.

When climbing Mount Everest, all climbers must stop at the Base Camps. There are four of them, and they are a chance to rest and refuel from the climb they have made thus far.  It's also where they acclimate to the altitude, and re-supply for the climb that remains ahead of them:  food, water, and supplementary oxygen.  The Base Camps are at 17,709 feet; 21,300 feet; 24,500 feet; and 26,000 feet.  I imagine the views are spectacular.  But those aren't the view the climbers came for.  The most arduous journey is yet to come, and the reward is far better than what they've already achieved.  The view from the top, 29,029 feet, is even more spectacular.

The life of a Christian is a climb.  As we grow, we are rewarded with a better view; an understanding of the Lord that we did not know before.  We receive the Bread of Life, and the Water that will keep us from ever thirsting again.  But there is more we can achieve, and more rewards ahead.  Yes, the effort will be more intense.  We will need more oxygen:  the Holy Spirit, the breath of God in us.  But the achievement, the view from the pinnacle will be more glorious, more beautiful, more awesome than we can imagine.

"And he carried me away in the Spirit

to a mountain great and high

and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem

coming down out of heaven, from God"

Revelation 21:10