Anyone who has ever been on Trek knows all about this subject. False peaks is a term used when you are trekking up the side of a mountain, look up and see what appears to be the top, then, upon nearly reaching this "peak", another peak comes up from behind it. It is really depressing to be honest. The goal is almost reached and then you realize that there is still quite a hike ahead of you.
I think this happens to Christians everyday. We go along working toward what we think will be our summit. This is the point where we can stop, relax, and look around. We can take in the view from the top of the world. On a side note, the view from the summit of a mountain cannot be matched. Anyway, we are working so hard and we look ahead to that point where the work will be over, where it will be easy. For a lot of teenagers it is summer. We think about how we will be with our "youth group friends" and not sinning will be super easy. For me it was Harding. I figured that it would be easy not to sin because this school makes it so hard to sin. For you, maybe it's your marriage day, your retirement day, or some other occasion that looks like the point where the work will be over.
Unfortunately, this day never comes. Another summit always comes up behind it. Another false peak for us to set our eyes on. I was just as much a sinner during each summer of my high school years. I am just as much a sinner here at Harding. I will be a sinner when I'm married and when I retire. It will never be easy.
So where is our summit. Where is the peak on which we should fix our eyes. I think the answer is Jesus. We are told to fix our eyes on Him as He perfects our faith by enduring the cross. The great news is that He knows that we cannot reach the summit on our own. We cannot be perfect as He is perfect. But isn't that amazing? While we were still sinners, Christ died for us! He sees us on this never ending hike and reaches down to pull us up. And now, to use one of Paul's ideas, we are His. And if He died on the cross while we were sinners then how much more grace will He pour out now that we are His.
Never will the day come when it is easy not to sin. But we can hike each day knowing that we have been given a free ride to the summit. We can live knowing that we are in Christ.
