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The Last Mountain

The old man stands at the foot of the mountain. The way ahead is very steep. This is not the first mountain he has climbed, but it will be his last. As he looks up the path, he is leaning on a staff that he has carried for many years. He will carry it one more day.

He is not familiar with the trail on this mountain. But this is not a problem. God has always guided his steps. This journey will be no different. He has always been faithful to his God. The Great I Am has always been faithful to him. Now, with his staff in his hand, he takes the first of his last steps.

Moses was a true hero of the faith. He had climbed many mountains for God. In Deuteronomy 34, we read about his last mountain. On that day, his eyes were undimmed, and his strength was unwavering. And yet the steps he walked that day would be his last steps on earth. However, because of his obedience and faithfulness to God, his last step on this mountain was his first step in Heaven

When Jesus invites us to walk with Him, He doesn’t promise an easy life. Instead, He calls us into a journey filled with challenges. Jesus is urging us to embrace the adventure of faith. Life is filled with many mountains. And one day, like Moses, we will come to the Last Mountain. On that day, with Faith in Jesus as our Staff, we will begin a climb that will end in the Heights of Glory.

Today, I am thinking of a precious preacher friend of mine. Obediently and faithfully, he has climbed many mountains for his God. But today, the relentless nature of time has left his eyes dimmed and his mind confused. Now he stands at the base of his last mountain. It will be a difficult journey, but his spiritual strength is unwavering. God has always directed his path, and today is no different. Soon, with undimmed eyes and a clear mind, he will step onto the summit of The Last Mountain.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

www.pavementendsministry.com

email-douglas@pavementendsministry.com

Dead Last Week

Jairus stood by her bed watching as she slept. His heart was so happy it almost hurt. At twelve, she was still a little girl yet so close to being a young woman. Also at twelve, he had almost lost her. He listened to her breathing as she slept and saw a sweet smile on her beautiful face. He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks because he knew that before Jesus came, she was dead last week.

His sisters were raising a ruckus. They did not think he should be working in the hot sun. But working in the vineyard is what he wants to do. Rocks have fallen from the wall and need to be replaced. Vines have to be pruned and briars must be pulled. At the end of the day Mary and Martha will continue to nag him about taking it easy. But his sore muscles and his sweat-soaked clothes are trophies of life. There was blood trickling from a scratch on his arm. Lazarus looked at it and chuckled. He said, “Just think, before Jesus came, I was dead last week”!

The church people are skeptical and his friends think he is crazy. But he knows the truth. He had been sitting under a bridge with a bottle of alcohol and a bag of pills. He had a plan. He was going to drink the alcohol, swallow the pills and die. Then a hand touched his arm and he heard a voice saying, “There is a better way, come follow Me. I will make you whole again.” Yes, down at the church they are skeptical, and his friends call him crazy. But his children are no longer afraid of him and his wife now stands by his side. The bottle is broken, the pills are trampled in the mud and he is alive. And he knows, if it had not been for Jesus he would have been dead last week.

Jesus is right here. He has power over death, hell, and the grave and is victorious over modern demons like drugs and alcohol. In John chapter 6, we hear Him say “I tell you this, and you can be sure of it. If you believe in Me, you will have everlasting life.” He has shown us that he can bring hungry little girls back from the dead and call a friend out of the grave. Life is but a vapor and death is but a shadow. Put your faith in Jesus and the fear of death will be gone like last week.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

www.pavementendsministry.com

Email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Trust

The other night, we ordered takeout from a local restaurant. When I arrived to pick it up, the order wasn't quite ready, so I had to wait a few minutes. As I stood waiting, I could see the kitchen area and watched the cooks prepare the meals. Seeing how the food was handled made me wonder about their cleanliness and hygiene. Despite my concerns, I was hungry and decided to have faith in the restaurant and eat the food.

Have you ever considered the various people and things in which you place your trust? When you sit down, you trust that the chair was built strong enough to support your weight. When you drive a car, you trust that the oncoming traffic will stay in their lanes. Eating at a restaurant reflects your belief in the restaurant's ability to prepare a healthy meal.

But often, the things we trust in can fail us. Chairs have broken, causing people to fall on the floor. Automobile accidents often happen due to mechanical malfunctions or driver errors, and people have gotten sick because of poorly prepared food. However, we still place our faith and trust in people and things every day. The truth is to function in life, it is necessary to place trust and faith in others.

Every day, we trust things that might prove untrustworthy. Yet, many people refuse to live for Jesus because they don't trust Him. They struggle to place their faith in a Savior who can never fail them because they don't believe He is trustworthy. In Psalm 37, we are told that if we trust the Lord, we will thrive in His faithfulness. If we commit our way to Him and trust Him, He will fulfill all His promises for us. You must trust Him. If you can trust a man in a restaurant to make you a pizza, you can surely trust Jesus to make you holy.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

www.pavementendsministry.com

email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com