We Go Uphill Around Here

Pastor Phil Bray

            “We go uphill around here!” my friend used to say. He taught his eleven children to take road less traveled, the more difficult path. Why? A dead inanimate rock can roll downhill. It takes no life to roll down hill. A gentle shove from another and it is on the move, no effort, no life required. Going uphill though? That is another matter altogether. Going uphill requires effort, it requires life. A rock will not go uphill on its own. Left to itself it will remain unmoving and if moved it will only roll downhill, the path of ease and less resistance. 
            So very often we take the path of least resistance in everything we do. We grow very loathe to expend effort of any kind to accomplish any task. We would rather eat out than cook at home. We would rather pay for someone to perform a task than expend the effort to accomplish the task on our own. This lack of ambition and zeal, this lack of life even manifests in our version of Christianity. We go to church, so long as nothing more important is happening on Sunday morning. Yet, the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible memorization, giving, fasting, serving, or even mentoring others are beyond the realm of what we are willing to do. It is easier to just coast, to take the easy road, the road that is wide, smooth, and downhill. We want God to bless us, of course, but we are unwilling to do much more than expect God to just walk by and dump blessings onto our lives morning, noon, and night. When life gets hard, we often grow angry that God is allowing us to suffer. He is the God who is love, is He not?
            Dallas Willard wrote, “Once we learn that grace is not opposed to effort (action) —though it is opposed to earning (attitude —the way is open for us to “work out” all that is involved in our salvation, not only “with fear and trembling” but also with the calm assurance that it is God who is at work in us to accomplish all of His goodwill (see Philippians 2:12-13).” (Willard, The Great Omission, 2006, pg. 133). What we must understand is that Jesus calls us to follow Him, and in order to do that we must deny ourselves, sacrifice ourselves, and go where He goes (Mark 8:34). Not many are willing to pay the price to follow Jesus. Not many are willing to walk the hard, uphill, and narrow road of Jesus’ way. Many like the rich young ruler simply turn away from Jesus because what he requires of them is more than they are willing to give (Mark 10:17-31). 
            Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). There are only two ways. There is the easy, well traveled road that gently slopes downhill. It is smooth, requiring no effort, self-denial, or self-sacrifice. It is the road populated by those whose greatest ambition is to please self. That road leads to destruction. The only other road is the narrow and difficult road, the road uphill. It is the way of Christ who laid his life down in crucifixion saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; YET NOT WHAT I WILL, BUT WHAT YOU WILL.” (Mark 14:36). The way of Christ is uphill. It is the way of self-denial and self-sacrifice. It is way that says, “Not my will but yours be done”. It is the way of effort but not earning. It is the way of everlasting life.