Almost two weeks ago now a group of nineteen men went to the Promise Keepers Men’s conference in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This is the third Promise Keepers conference I have been to, and I left on the same spiritual high each time. We saw God work in some awesome ways, but the challenge following a weekend like this is keeping the fire burning after returning home. I returned home challenged to be a “warrior” for Jesus Christ. I had made a commitment to be the man, the father, and the husband that God wanted me to be. My spiritual batteries were charged in a way that I desperately needed. So here I sit two weeks later asking myself “has anything changed?” No, nothing has changed but I’m not sure if I am as ‘on fire’ today as I was then. Why is it so hard to stay fired up for God?
Events like Promise Keepers are what I call “Mountain Top Events.” Don’t worry I’ll explain. If you read Matthew 17, we see that Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain. How awesome to be in the Lord’s inner-circle of friends! But Jesus takes them on this high mountain and He is transfigured before them. Peter, James, and John get to see Jesus in all of His glory and majesty! His face shined like the sun, and His garments became as white as light! They got to see Jesus in a way that NO human had ever seen, and if that wasn’t enough Moses and Elijah even made and appearance! How could you ever be the same after such an event? These men would have had to been moved by what they saw. That is what I call a “Mountain Top Event.”
One gift that I have been given as a pastor is to place myself in the stories from Scripture that I read. As I read Matthew 17, the same question keeps going through my mind. Could you imagine how Peter, James, and John felt as they came down that mountain with Jesus? To make things worse Jesus tells them they can’t tell anyone about what they have seen until He has risen from the dead (17:9). What? Don’t tell anyone? What are you talking about Jesus? I don’t know how these three men could ever return to everyday life after what they experienced on the mountain top. They had just witnessed the greatest spiritual event of their lifetime. They had met with God in a very real way! Now the challenge is to return to their life at the bottom of the mountain and keep the same excitement and awe for God that they had at the top.
As great as our weekend in Cedar Falls was it is not quite as awesome as the Mount of Transfiguration, but it was still pretty cool. I wonder if we are all keeping the promises we made before God that weekend? I wonder if everyone that stood up on Friday night has been in The Word of God every day? We met with God on the top of our mountain in Cedar Falls, but we must continue to live our lives with the same desire to please God on the bottom of the mountain.
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