Moving on up

Moving is a huge pain I am always appalled at the amount of stuff I’ve accumulated every time I move. I always start sorting and packing being very organized. I put like things in each box and carefully and clearly label it Before long, though, I have 15 boxes of miscellaneous. The only thing worse than moving is moving into a place that is upstairs. It is not too bad at first., but ever trip up the stairs gets a little harder. Your arms, legs and back ace\he and you’re short of breath. You’re probably also short of temper. but maybe that’s just me. By the time you get the furniture muscled up the stairs and maneuvered into the house you wonder just how bad it would be to sleep on the floor. I usually reach a point where I say, “ If its not moved in now, its not coming.”

For many of us, God is in the process of moving us to a higher place. It may be a higher place of faith and relationship with him. It may be a higher lace of favor in work or ministry or a new level of recovery or restoration with people you love. What are you dragging behind you as you climb? What is making your heart beat faster with fear or your breath catch with memories of past regrets?What words were spoken over you that slows your spiritual steps with self doubt. What baggage do you need to leave at the bottom of the stairs?

Paul tells us that life is a journey with a prize at the end. In Phillipians 3:12-15 he says " I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Hebrews 11:10 is clear that we are  not home yet. We read, "For here we do not have a permanent city, but we are looking for the city that is to come."

This is not our home, but we are not alone. The writer of Hebrews encourages us "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

May we have the courage this week to look forward as we are moving up and leave things at the bottom of the stairs that will not help us when we get there.