Higher Ground

[Willow99]

I've listened to the song, "Higher ground" by Stevie Wonder many times in the past few days. It just accurately reflects where I am right now.

Higher Ground, by Stevie Wonder

People, keep on learnin'

Soldiers, keep on warrin'

World, keep on turnin'

'Cause it won't be too long.

Powers, keep on lyin'

While your people keep on dyin'

World, keep on turnin'

'Cause it won't be too long.

I'm so darn glad He let me try it again

'Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin.

I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.

Gonna keep on tryin' till I reach the highest ground.

Teachers, keep on teachin'

Preachers, keep on preachin'

World, keep on turnin'

"cause it won't be too long.

Lovers, keep on lovin'

Believers, keep on believin'

Sleepers, just stop sleepin'

'Cause it won't be too long.

I'm so glad He let me try it again

'Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin.

I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.

Gonna keep on tryin' till I reach the highest ground.

I know there seems to be a lot of pseudo-spirituality in this song, but I view the lyrics as being very accurate in terms of the attitude that believers should have with regard to the world.

In this song, Stevie Wonder seems to be trying to say, "Look, everything that's going to happen is going to happen. The world is going to keep on turning the same way that it always has been turning. But you and I, we've been given a very special gift. We have a hope in something more eternal. It won't be too long until all of this is going to pass away. So what are you going to do with the gift that you've been given?

The last verse of the song goes, "Lovers, keep on lovin'. Believers keep on believin'. Sleepers, just stop sleepin'. 'Cause it won't be too long. This is an exhortation to those who are listening, rather than a factual statement of how things are in the other verses. The other verses are saying, "This is how things are," but this last verse is telling us what to do. If you are a lover of the Lord Jesus, then just keep on loving Him. If you believe in Him, and the eminent day of His return, then keep right on believing. But if you are a sleeper - if you do not know the mercy, grace, and love afforded to you by God in Christ Jesus -then you need to wake up. Because it won't be too long before He comes back.

I was on the boards all day today with a very heavy heart. I was struggling to write something, anything of value today. There seemed to be something constraining me. Not only can I not come up with the right words to bring encouragement and building up to the saints, I can't seem to type properly. Already it's taken me about twice as long just to type these few paragraphs as it normally would. And many of you saints know that I have a tendency to be very long-winded.

I guess right now I just feel like the direction this world is going is getting many of us off balance. The political and social turmoil of this age has many of us in bondage. As if it's not bad enough that money, lust, lukewarmness, and just plain wishy-washy doctrines have invaded the church with vigor in the past 10 or so years, and kept many of the saints in bondage, we have to contend with so many other distractions.

Children get trapped by "youthful lusts," after Paul's own words. Adults get caught up in "mature lusts," in my own words. Christians think that it's warranted, encouraged, and righteous to get involved in so many political and social spheres. Of course I would not prevent them from doing so. But there is a vast difference between knowing of something, and becoming so engrossed in that thing that it becomes your idol.

Children idolize some of the worse things imaginable, and so do some adults. But most adults don't stop to consider all the things that take the place of Christ in their lives. They confuse physical maturity with spiritual maturity. So they brush aside the notion that the nightly news, political commentaries, conspiracy theories, the so-called "vast left-wing (or right wing) conspiracy," etc. could ever be an idol - or even a distraction. But you talk to some folks and all they seem to be concerned with are the various issues, issues which they believe are "effecting the church." No one want to just talk about Christ anymore. You know the irony of this is that many Christians and some preachers are so caught up in talking about the issues that are affecting the church that they don't realize that they are affecting the church! Not in a positive way, but in a negative way. They are not anymore immune to these distractions than we are. In fact, I believe that many prominent Christian leaders feel that it is their commissioned duty to get involved politics.

I have to admit that I am not remotely innocent. I have let so many things become great distractions from Christ. These issues surely weigh heavily on my mind, and they trouble my spirit to the uttermost. So much so, in fact, that I begin to lose contact with the Savior to whom I owe my very life! I have become so weary, so bone weary of these things that I fall into despair at times. It is at these times that I seem to be the most keen of the Lord's asking, "Where are you?" like He did with Adam in the garden.

When we take a step back and see what the church is today, can we say that it is anything like the first century? The saints then were just filled with Christ. So much so that they had the audacity to proclaim the Lord's victory in the face of certain death, and they had the boldness to speak the truth to those religious hypocrite who killed the Lord. Remember our brother Stephen?

When we examine the situation in the church today, can we rightly say that this is what Paul invisioned for us when he wrote his epistles? These letters written by the hands of a man who had been tortured by Jew and Greek alike, who had been scoffed at, rejected, scorned, insulted and humiliated, have only one single purpose and goal: That is to establish and build up the Body of Christ. But instead of using these letters for our building up we are using them to tear down, to tear apart, to divide. The Lord Jesus grieved over Jerusalem. How much more then does He grieve over the churches today?

You know, someday we are going to reach that higher ground. That is our hope. Heaven and earth will pass away in the blink of an eye. But what about right now? We can reach a "higher ground" right now. We can rise above all of these idols and act like the rightful inheritors of the promise given to a man called from a nation of idols. As children of Abraham, as inheritors of the promises of God in Christ Jesus, we can become more than that we have been called out from.

Saints. Where are you?

Much Grace,

~O

Thank you so very much for this post! What an inspiration and encouragement it is. I want to cry thank you Lord Jesus for this precious soul. You have been a true blessing.

Willow99

[sheinhisword08]

My husband and I have found ourselves in a place cut off from so many "do what feels right" christians. Most of the church people we know are not at all concerned with living for God or about walking in a real relationship with Him.

What has happened to the passionate God Chasers? Is there none left who will rise and stand for the King?

When will we let go of the distactions of this culture and find the truly extream adventure of serving Him with all we have in this short life?

No sexual encounter, no drug, no nothing can fulfill our desires like a moment with Him, seeing Him in all His splendor.

Why are so many children of God saying I do to Him and then walking as the world?

Danika Anderson

AND WHY DO SO MANY OF US WHO CLAIM TO BE TRUE CHRISTIANS COMPARE OURSELVES TO THEM? WE MUST NOT COMPARE OURSELVES TO OUR BROTHER IN CHRIST BUT ONLY TO CHRIST SO THAT WE MAY WALK LIKE HIM, TALK LIKE HIM, FEEL LIKE HIM AND THINK LIKE HIM..

[sheinhisword08]

and i also ask you WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO WORLDLY MUSIC?

[patricia1]

My pastor use to say A lot of some of these song were birthed for us and the nonchristian got them....

What is spiritual...it is not a show. It is having Gods Heartbeat in you and every step one takes it is His step, and every word spoken, it is His word, a hand extended... it is the Fathers hand. His countenance not yours, His will not yours.

And that means being seperated from those who are not sold out because being ostricized as Jesus was from the majority will occur.

We somehow think that If the gifts of God are used through us it is Gods favor .It is the fruit and be-attitudes God wants to see. That is the hard working out your salvation and on your relationship with Jesus. It is God healing someone ,or having a word of knowledge, The Holy Spirit who speaks in tongues. Very little effort is required on your part at all.

[Ovedya]

and i also ask you WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO WORLDLY MUSIC?

And I ask you, "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?"

Having an appreciation for song, melody, and especially the profundity of heartfelt lyrics such as these, is not at all "worldly."

If we can take pagan observations like the winter and Spring solstices and make them our own we can certainly take a song such as this (written by a Christian man, by the way) and make it our own.

"Find Christ in all things, for he is the reality of all positive things."

[sheinhisword08]

and i also ask you WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO WORLDLY MUSIC?

And I ask you, "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?"

Having an appreciation for song, melody, and especially the profundity of heartfelt lyrics such as these, is not at all "worldly."

If we can take pagan observations like the winter and Spring solstices and make them our own we can certainly take a song such as this (written by a Christian man, by the way) and make it our own.

"Find Christ in all things, for he is the reality of all positive things."

Im sorry for shouting please forgive me if you were offended by my "shouting" but my point is if something is not of gods temple we should leave it alone, the man might be christian but that is not all he stands for, and we do not make anything our own or try to make it gods. if it is gods it will be of or about his glory and getting into heaven not about worldly things. AND I am sorry that appreciating that music is worldly not in quotations because I mean it and will not make a mockery of the fathers will.

[patricia1]

Do i detect a little religiosity? God can speak to us anyway He wants to. Jesus does what He can even to get the message across to the unsaved even if its to give them a song....I supposse you don't listen to Sandi Patti and the rest who sing to a lost and dying generation...

[sheinhisword08]

Do i detect a little religiosity? God can speak to us anyway He wants to. Jesus does what He can even to get the message across to the unsaved even if its to give them a song....I supposse you don't listen to Sandi Patti and the rest who sing to a lost and dying generation...

its not religiosity, It is that I believe I should only indulge myself of what his temple has to offer. No, I do not listen to Sandi Patti who sing to a lost and dying generation... reason being I am not part of that lost and dying generation. I am a part of his temple and I will praise and worship him, only him. I also want you to know that you may think that god can speak to us anyway he wants to but once he has, we should be faithful to him. you said it yourself to get the message to the unsaved. Are we saved? Are we different? If we are not part of the world then why do we insist on loving and wanting worldly things? It is time sister, time for a change from the way we speak to the music we listen to. It is time for us to be manifested in his glory so that others may see Christ lives through me and through you lets show them, let us turn them on to god

[kat8585]

I happen to love listening to Elvis singing spiritual songs. He had a beautiful voice.

[Scarletprayers]

I happen to love listening to Elvis singing spiritual songs. He had a beautiful voice.

Ooops you'll be in trouble now kat!

"its not religiosity"...............yes I'm afraid it is.