Joan E. Mathias' - Gardenjems
  • Gardenjems
  • About
  • Contact

Ascending the Stairs

2/19/2017

Comments

 
Picture

There is a solution to every challenge that faces us.  Over the years I have observed that there is usually a spiritual analogy to a physical challenge.  Such is the case with the challenge that I faced last week.  Here was my dilemma:  How am I going to climb my stairs after foot surgery when I may not put any weight on the foot?  The answer to my dilemma was the installation of a stair lift. It allows me to sit in a chair that rides on a rail to the top of the stairs.
 
As I was riding up the stairs after Friday's surgery I recalled a book written by Wade Taylor called The Secret of the Stairs.  He writes about the ways in which a Believer is able to draw closer to the Lord through ascending the "spiritual stairs."  We read in the book of Song of Solomon how God calls us to "rise up and come away with Him."  Before my surgery the Lord reminded me that He made me with the feet of a deer.  "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.  He enables me to go on the heights." (Habakkuk 3:19)  Like all of us, I was made to ascend the stairway to heaven and to live with the Lord.
 
Psalm 139:13-16 tells us that God made us fearfully and wonderfully and that all of the days ordained for us have been written in God's book.  Every one of us has a God-ordained destiny and has been given gifts in order for us to reach our destination.  The Lord longs for intimate fellowship with us and wants us to have a similar longing for Him.  The spiritual gifts He has placed within us are meant to help us ascend the stairs that bring us face to face with our Lord.  He is our Bridegroom and we are His Bride.
 
During our lifetime we will have many opportunities to climb the stairs that take us closer to the Lord. Salvation is our first step in the journey of faith and sanctification. Then a unique set of life circumstances will be placed before us that are meant to take us up into the heavenly realm.  We must ask the Lord to draw us up into a more intimate place with Him and cooperate with His prescribed way to climb the stairs.  Our focus must be solely on Him, for He is the one who will lead us up step by step and help to prepare us to be His pure and spotless bride.
 
Our life on earth is meant to fit us for heaven.  Here is what Wade Taylor says about our journey: "The height to which we have attained will be determined by the cumulative result of our choices, decisions and attitudes toward the things of God here in this life...It is here in this life, as we continue our ascent up the stairs, and are faithful in our times of testing, that our being 'called' by the Lord will be changed into being 'chosen' by Him to become His Bride."
 
As we fellowship with the Lord, there will be an awakening of our desire for Him and a revelation of the deeper things of the Spirit. Wade Taylor explains that "There are two levels of experience--or identification with the Lord...Through our devotion and submission to the Son, we experientially relate to Him as a Bride...Through our overcoming obedience and cooperation with the Son, we are raised up into a place of identification with Him as a son (or daughter)...Progressive, step upon step dealings are arranged by the Lord to produce within us that level of spiritual maturity and integrity which will enable us to become both compatible with, and productive in, our being seated with Him in His Throne--as a Bride, and as a son (or daughter)."
 
The Lord makes known the way to ascend the stairs that lead into His chambers where we can have intimate communion with Him. This requires us to have a single eye for Him.  Wade Taylor concludes His book with this admonition:  "Let us respond to His knocking upon the door of our heart, and begin the upward ascent on the stairs, one step at a time, until we stand before Him in our Bridal garments, awaiting our marriage to Him.  That will be a glorious day!"
 
Comments

    Joan E. Mathias

    Categories

    All
    Authority In Jesus
    Celebrations/Holidays
    Foundation Of Our Nation
    Hebrew Calendar/Celebrations
    Intimacy With God
    Israel/Jewish People
    Kingdom Living
    Music
    Nature
    Revival
    Roots Of Our Christian Faith
    Victory In Christ

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from BPPrice, joncutrer, kennethkonica, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, GollyGforce - Living My Worst Nightmare, ohitzanna, AlicePopkorn2, slgckgc, Chris_Short, homethods, PrincessAshley, Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel, donald judge, Branson Missouri, slgckgc, David A Mitchell, Martin Pettitt, homethods, toptenalternatives, llamnudds, mikecogh, Martin Pettitt, kun0me, mareeshastar, A_Peach, Boris Kukushkin, cantanima, Renaud Camus, Accretion Disc, teofilo, Dushan and Miae, bertknot, Ellemgee Photography, Robert Couse-Baker, Oh Paris, peter.tully64, Patricia Pierce, http://globalquiz.org, *_*, markus spiske, Rob.Bertholf, blondinrikard, archer10 (Dennis), Art4TheGlryOfGod, Arran Bee, James St. John, blumenbiene, Like us on Facebook at CAGuard, Kanguru Adventure, USDAgov, hassage, Vironevaeh, Rick Camacho, Rennett Stowe, Accretion Disc, alexander.parsalidis, Infomastern, Actual Brian Crawford, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, grongar, pburka, James St. John, daspader, Giuseppe Milo (www.pixael.com), gitsul., Traveller-Reini, slgckgc, xiquinhosilva, Bernt Rostad, EinarMostad, afunkydamsel, byzantiumbooks, drewgstephens, Rod Waddington, BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives, Antonio Calero Garcia, Leimenide, idovermani, Kaarina Dillabough, Janitors, Somuchtwosay, michael_swan, Joey Z1, cristina.sanvito, Wonderlane, cliff1066™, Elekes Andor, Vincent_AF, DonkeyHotey, @jbtaylor, Jason Rosenberg, ian?, Ian W Scott, markbyzewski, cowbite, Infomastern, homegets.com, chrismetcalfTV, wuestenigel, timpeartrice, David Jones, Randy Son Of Robert, jimw7, Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon, Rachel-Esther, runneralan2004, hedera.baltica, CaliforniaDFW, spbda, itmpa, Sir, Rony, slgckgc, Boston Public Library, oliver.dodd, slgckgc, barnimages.com, fbaett, Oli-Oviyan, Robert Couse-Baker, hello-julie, blmurch, Lonni.besançon, DPP Business and Tax, Ervins Strauhmanis, Rylee Isitt, kuhnmi, Björn S..., Laurie Nature Bee, samsaundersleeds, Waiting For The Word, Bananenfalter, plantronicsgermany, Mark Wordy, JoanDragonfly, Lodo27, aaron_anderer, x1klima, Photography by Brian Lauer, amseaman, emiliechenphotography, Mangiafazula07, 津山市立図書館 Public Library of Tsuyama, Rob.Bertholf, slgckgc, srqpix, pburka, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Christine Wagner, Jaykhuang, sonstroem, Sam Howzit, C Jill Reed, John.P.Rairdon, Steenbergs, MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife, FotoGuy 49057, Neeta Lind, cattan2011, wuestenigel, D. Scott Taylor, The Travelling Bum, South African Tourism, claydevoute, Skley, Pedro Paulo Palazzo, alexliivet, JIRCAS, pasa47, blumenbiene, *_*, susieq3c, ishaandave1991, Me in ME, slashvee, mutovkin, kcxd, TravelBakerCounty, wuestenigel, Don & Janet Beasley, Schneidersphotography, Panegyrics of Granovetter, Eusebius@Commons, USDAgov, edenpictures, slgckgc, Ninara, Carly & Art, elmetatron, slgckgc, BadSoull, NathalieSt, Humphrey King, Mark Berbezier
  • Gardenjems
  • About
  • Contact