Faith To Walk In The Valley
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Matthew 8:1
When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
This short verse that begins chapter 8 of Matthew is the transition from the Sermon on the Mount and the first encounters Jesus has after his sermon. There seems little there for our meditation and consideration on first look. But there is an important and profound statement that Jesus “came down from the mountainside”.
Many of us have experienced mountain top experiences in our spiritual lives. Those moments of spiritual insight and inspiration are wonderful to enjoy. Sometimes we have these spiritual mountain top experiences during a spiritual retreat. Some of mine have literally been on the top of mountains. They may occur during a revival meeting. Or they may occur during a meaningful group Bible study or worship experience. Or we may experience these spiritual highs through our quiet personal devotion.
But, Matthew is giving us an important message here. As Jesus concluded his talk – the Sermon on the Mount – as he prepared to walk the walk to put into practice what he had taught, he did not begin on the mountain. He came down the mountain into the valley.
Isn’t this where we put our faith into practice? Isn’t it in the valley that we have to live out our faith in front of others and demonstrate these radical principles of “loving our enemy” and putting others first before us?
Those of us practicing the healing arts usually live our lives in the valley, not on the mountain. As we attempt to walk the walk of our faith, it is in the toil of challenging professional lives that we do it. If only we could walk the walk on the mountain. How much easier it is for me to be loving in church on Sunday morning than in the middle of a very busy clinic on Monday.
Lord, give me the faith to walk the walk in the valley of my professional life.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
Photo by Hans Luiggi on Unsplash
