Cut Rate Tickets

Cut Rate Tickets

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables
me to stand on the heights." Psalm 18:33

The permit that has to be purchased from the government of Nepal to climb Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak, can range in cost from $10,000 to $25,000, depending on the number of climbers in a group. But in the 1970's (talk about inflation), the sign posted by the government read as follows:

Climbing Permits
$630 to climb Mt. Everest
(Cut rate tickets are offered for lower peaks)

The principle can be found everywhere, the best always costs more. It applies to clothing and food products, to cars and bicycles, to computers and cell phones, and yes, even to climbing mountains. The axiom is true, tried and tested, you get what you pay for. If you want the distinction and honor that goes with climbing the highest mountain in the world, you will have to pay more. If you want the sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment that is a part with going for the best, you will have to pay more. If you're willing to settle for less, you can go the "cut rate ticket" route.

When I was reading about the cut rate tickets offered by the government of Nepal, my thoughts turned to our walk with the Lord and to the reality that anyone can choose to settle for less than God's best for their life. As people progress in their Christian journey, often the costs associated with serving the Lord become more than they are willing to pay. Sometimes that cost if reflected in sacrifices and changes that have to be made; at other times, it is seen in trials that have to be endured, in relationships that have to be severed, and in priorities that must be reordered. And when those costs are too high, we settle for the cut rate tickets, for a Christian experience that is less than the Lord desires for our life.

We see it in scripture in the 2 1/2 tribes who settled for an inheritance outside of the promised land. God had promised to bring them into a land that was blessed in every way, a land flowing with milk and honey, but they chose instead a land that met their present need. They settled for second best in a situation where the best God had for them required more faith, more effort, more endurance and more determination.

In Switzerland, the story is told of a mountain guide who slipped on a high incline and fell to his death. He was so loved that a sculpture of his likeness was made, with the inscription at the base of the statue "He died climbing". For each of you, my prayer is that you will be found still climbing, still pressing in for more of God, and still seeking God for all that He has purposed for your life. Don't settle for those lower peaks, go for the Everests in your life, they're worth the cost!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church