For August 22, 2026
It’s An Uphill Walk by Greg Holmes, D.MIN – Director of Missions serving 17 churches
THE FIRST FOUR COUPLETS of Psalm 119 are written to propose how the perfect person lives out their life, beginning with: “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.” (cf. Psa. 119:1-4) The second four deal with the realities of life for most—they start with: “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!” (cf. Psa. 119:5-8) These are all thoughts that you and I have expressed in our most honest contemplation of our relationship with God. We grasped at some point in time that our flawed worldview disclosed the disparity between life as lived, and life as truly desired; beyond that, we have discovered that the way in which we were shaped has become our frequent enemy on the metaphorical pathway of life. We know by experience that on our upward path we may unexpectedly encounter our foe at any of the switchbacks leading to the summit. And, as we labor upward, we know that at each encounter both of us will engage in a life-or-death battle.