I am always amazed when a portion of Scripture jumps off the pages of the Bible and into my heart. This happened to
me this morning as I was reading a portion of Scripture in Exodus 24. The prople of Israel have revently come out of
Egypt and they have arrived at Mt. Sinai. It is here, on the verge of entering the Promised Land, that Moses hears the call of God, "Come up to me on the mountain." (verse 12) Here Moses meets with God, receiving the directions that were
to govern God's covenant people. What an experience! Direct communication with God! We have even developed a phrase for occassions when we feel especially close to God - mountaintop experiences.

But as I was reading over the passage, there were a few things that stood out to me. First, Moses is called up to the mountain, but then he is asked to wait. In fact, Moses waited for six days! Have you ever just sat and waited for something? I have dificulty waiting quietly before God for six minutes; I can't imagine waiting for six days! But this is what Moses did and after six days God "called to Moses out of the cloud." (verse 16) The lesson for me is that mountaintop experiences don't just happen. Our "mountaintop" experiences flow out of a daily discipline of seeking the Lord - waiting
in His presence, reading the Scriptures, worship, prayer, and gathering with other believers. I have been contemplating
an extended time of fasting and prayer (feeling the need for personal renewal in my relationship with the Lord), but I was challenged this morning to rededicate myself to a deeper daily commitment of prayer and devotion.

Let me conclude by saying ther are no shortcuts in our relationshp with the Lord (or any of our relationships). If we are going to grow in Christ, develop godly character, and have mountaintop experiances, we need to lead a mor disciplined
life today.