COLONY — Pastor Chase Riebel shared with Colony Christian Church members Sunday lessons from the trail that he learned while on a backpacking trip in Wyoming we can apply as we journey on our path through life.
First, strip off the weight, Riebel said. Even a wristwatch is heavy at 10,000 feet.
Don’t carry the extra weight that will slow you down and wear you out. Hebrews 12:1 says “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up,” Riebel said. Lay down your burdens and strip yourself of sin.
The second lesson is to fuel yourself with real power. Cosmic brownies are a nice snack, but to maintain the energy you need to carry all your gear on your back over the mountain to your destination, you need a calorie packed, protein rich, hearty meal.
Similarly, we must consume God’s Word, Riebel said. This life is full of ups and downs, emotionally and spiritually draining experiences, and plenty of shortcuts that will lead us downhill if we have only been snacking and not filling up on God’s Word.
Lastly, don’t play dumb. When there is a bear in the area and someone spills some food on your sleeping bag, don’t just wipe it off and tell yourself the bear won’t smell it.
Thankfully, the park ranger had already secured the bear the night before, Riebel said, but how often do we play dumb with God?
Ananias and Sapphira thought they could get away with telling a little white lie in Acts 5 by saying they were donating all of the money they received from a sale when in fact they were only donating a portion, Riebel said. The problem wasn’t with the amount of the donation. The problem was that they lied to God.
We need to take an honest look at our lives and determine if we have actually given our whole life to Jesus or if we are holding parts back that we don’t want to surrender, he continued.
Don’t play dumb, God knows.
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