“I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining every day, still praying as I onward bound, ‘Lord plant my feet on higher ground.’”

How often we sing that song of faith, but fail to realize the message so implicit within it. We believe that it is talking about going to heaven and the joys that await us there. Yet, should it not be the case that we strive for higher ground while here on earth? Should it not be that I am better today than yesterday, but not as good as I strive to be tomorrow?

We have so much to labor for—so many higher goals and missions for which to work. We should never be satisfied with the status quo, but always working to be better in every way! GOD DESERVES THE VERY BEST FROM EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US! Will we be satisfied giving Him the leftovers?
We need to realize that we have a:

HIGHER MISSION — Eph. 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NKJV). We are not here on earth to fight the earthly battles that come our way. We are not here, necessarily, to fight the battles of our government. We are here to fight the battles for men and women’s souls, and to fight the battle that goes on daily in our souls. When Paul uses the phrase, “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness,” he is talking about a spiritual battle. That is why, in the next few verses, Paul stresses that to win, we must put on the Christian armor. This is not just something we should teach our children and leave it at that! WE, full grown and mature Christians, must put on the armor and fight the battle daily.

War movies fascinate me, and I watch them time and again. In some small ways they tell the story of those who were willing to pay the ultimate price to win the battle. They tell of courage, devotion, honor, glory and courage. Yet Hollywood portrays the glamorous. It often fails to portray the dirt, blood, gore and attendant things of war.

Sometimes we cannot see that fighting the daily battles of flesh versus spirit is MORE important than fighting an enemy we can see. For the outcome of these daily battles have ETERNAL consequences. They can make the difference in where we spend eternity. And these battles could make a difference in where the rest of our family, our friends and neighbors will spend eternity.

HIGHER VISION — Heb. 11:13–16: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (NKJV) So many Christians have taken their eyes off of the eternal and put them on things of a temporal nature. We get sidetracked so easily with the baubles of this world and what it has to offer. Yet we cannot take anything with us (1 Timothy 6:12-16). All of the things we work so hard for on the earth will melt away one day.

Christians are sojourners here on this earth. We were not designed to live here forever. We are all pilgrims, strangers to this world. We desire a heavenly country. And we need to keep our eyes and hearts always focused on the heavenly country, not here. If we are successful, it will help us to really put things in the proper perspective.

NEXT WEEK – SOME MORE HIGHER GROUND!