I don’t know why I read the article, but I did. It had to do with learning to ski, and that’s the last thing on my mind. Any activity that involves snow is on my “Never to do” list. But something about this article caught my attention, and it made a good point. Here it is, in part:

“One of the hardest lessons any novice skier has to learn is that he must lean away from the hill and not into it. His natural inclination is to stay as close to the slope as possible, because it feels safer and more secure. But only when he leans out can he begin to move and to control his own movements, rather than being controlled by the slope.”

As I read that article I couldn’t help but think of one of the first Christian songs I learned-“Leaning On The Everlasting Arms”. The writer of that grand old song tells us that leaning on Jesus will keep us “Safe and secure from all alarms”. He is exactly right!

As we go through this troubled world, we often find ourselves on slippery slopes that frighten us. Our tendency is to lean the wrong direction. What we need to do is to lean upon the Lord-lean upon Christ and away from the world. That’s the only way we can traverse the slippery slopes and reach our spiritual goals. That’s the only way we can avoid a fall.

Another song is entitled “Learning to Lean”. That makes an important point. We must learn to lean upon Jesus. Sadly, that’s not something we do by nature. Many of us had to experience many falls before we finally learned to lean upon the Lord. The truth is that we are always learning. Just about the time we think we’ve learned our lesson, we find ourselves on another slippery slope, often a steeper slope, that threatens our security, and we have to be reminded to lean in the right direction. Remember, we are under control and able to reach our goal only as we lean upon the Lord. He never lets us down! You can trust Him regardless of what frightening experience you are going through. Jesus never fails. To stay upright, lean on Jesus. Think about it!

Yesterday I commented on the sermon about digging ditches. Today I want to mention something that happened during the course of that story, which is found in 2 Kings 3:1-20. When the three kings requested help from Elisha, the prophet said, ” But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played that the hand of the Lord came upon him.”(2 Kings 3:15). That seemed a bit strange to me until I considered the context. Elisha was so perturbed by Jehoram that he needed the calming power of music to attain the right attitude. I find that interesting. A great man like Elisha in need of music before he could function in his office as a prophet? Evidently so.

The more I thought about this the more I realized that attitude matters to God. I can’t help but wonder how many times we have prayed, preached, taught, etc. with the wrong attitude, and deprived ourself of the blessing we desired. Probably more than we would like to admit. Many fathers have stormed out of the house, angry with their spouse, going off to work with a bad attitude. Many mothers have left the house in a rage, gone to church and sang in the choir with a chip on her shoulder. And then they wonder why God doesn’t bless their efforts.

Here’s the point—we all need a quiet time where we can compose ourselves, think clearly, and commune with God. Reading God’s word and even listening to good music can help us do that. We would all do well to settle down, rid ourselves of any annoyances, forgive any offenses, and get our focus on God before we embark on the activities of the day. Jesus knew the value of this and He taught His followers to do the same (Mark 6:31). Even so, we need to learn the lesson. As the late Vance Havner said, “If we don’t come apart once in a while we will come apart.” That’s still good advice. THINK ABOUT IT!