Common Sense

A piton (PEE-tawn) is a device that mountain climbers use to safely climb mountains. They pound these metal spikes into cracks in the rock as they climb and hook their ropes on them.

A mountain climbing instructor once was asked by one of his students, "How often do you place these pitons?"

The instructor replied with a question of his own, "How far are you willing to fall?"

Pitons, and a rope, are the only things keeping mountain climbers from falling to their death.

What do we 'normal' people have that can protect US when we get into dangerous situations?

Well, for one thing - common sense. Common sense seems hard to come by for many these days though. There HAS to be something else.

There is. Jesus.

Jesus may not keep us from struggling but He CAN help us through those hard times. It's just common sense to have Jesus on your side, whatever struggle you're in.

Just as it is common sense to use pitons and ropes while climbing mountains, it is also a good idea to know Jesus, especially when the rope breaks or the piton comes loose. Remember the words of that climbing instructor . . . .

"How far are you willing to fall?"

"The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand." - Psalm 37:23-24

Mountain Man

When you hear the words "mountain man" who do you think of? For me it's Jeremiah Johnson - a character portrayed by Robert Redford in the 1972 Sydney Pollack film aptly named Jeremiah Johnson.

Johnson got tired of life in the city, the crowds, and also the war (the Civil War). So he left all the noise and people behind and moved up into the mountains.

Does anyone else come to mind as a mountain man? What about Jesus? It seems like every other story about Him took place on a mountain, of after coming down from a mountain, either alone or with the disciples.

How about Moses? Didn't he go up on a mountain by himself to receive the ten commandments? He was up there for 40 days!

Let's look at Jesus in the Book of Matthew and The Mount of Olives.

"Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them."- Matthew 5:1-2

You know, it's interesting to note here that Jesus is going to return to the Mount of Olives one day. The prophet Zechariah spoke about it.

"And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives." - Zechariah 14:4

It seems like there is something about going up on a mountain that literally, and spiritually, brings us closer to God.

We don't have any mountains here in Wisconsin, but we can get closer to God by reading His Word, by convercing with "God On High" through prayer, or serving Him by serving others in our daily lives.

So, let us lace on our hiking boots, grab our walking stick, and be off on our journey this week.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:19-25

Jeremiah Johnson Trailer

The Fall

Did you see the news report last week of the woman who fell off a cliff while repositioning herself for a photo? Tragic. A 100-foot drop to the forest floor below. Could her death have been prevented? Yes. But that would have required thinking.

The picture to the left is the cliff the woman was on. Would YOU go out there without a rope?

There is a trend in Internet photos to take the most daring images possible. People do really dangerous things and then post pictures of them on-line so their friends will think they're cool. The problem with that is two-fold. First, it's just plain stupid. And second, it encourages others to do the same thing. Also stupid. Yet, it happens.

The woman who fell to her death was 20 years old. My dealings with youth and young adults has taught me that there is a general feeling amongst them that they are invincible. They will try all kinds of stupid things in the hope that their friends will think they are cool. Fast forward to the funerals of these same young ones and you will find all of their friends thinking, "That was dumb. What was he/she thinking?!?"

The woman who died while taking a picture could have worn a harness and tied herself off to a tree or rock but that wouldn't have made for a "cool" picture. It seems we are always trying to cheat death and please others.

When you and I walk through this world without Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we too are "cheating death." We think we can make it through another day without committing to God. After all, we want to look cool amongst our friends. "Jesus is for losers," they say.

"21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:21-23

Have you ever seen people climbing a very tall mountain? What do you notice about them? Well, the smart ones rarely ever climb alone. That would be dumb. They also use a lot of ropes and anchors. Why? Because they don't want to fall to their deaths!  Not using anchors would also be dumb. Don't be dumb. Use your head.

If you don't know Jesus, don't walk through this world without a rope or something to anchor yourself to. This place will kill you! Please, don't be dumb. Tie yourself to Jesus before you take another step.

"9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10