Insolomonsporch's Blog

Day Forty-Seven

Terrible, Ferocious Beauty, or

Great Mercy and Loving-Kindness

Which Mountain will you ascend?

“…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”

Eph 2:6

          I am an avid armchair mountain- climbing enthusiast.  I am especially fond of documentaries detailing expeditions on Everest.  One by Discovery Channel called “Beyond the Limit” was particularly exhilarating.  The visual landscape was stunning, the rigors and hardships compelling.  I was most struck, however, by two things. Once you are on the summit of Everest the panoramic view is amazing!  Even from a camera’s lens you can begin to see the curvature of the earth itself.  Beautiful!  Yet it is a terrible, ferocious beauty – for Everest is extremely unforgiving.  One mistake here, at this altitude, under these conditions will quite possibly take you out – for good.

Having now vicariously seen these two characteristics of Everest (its ability to provide panoramic perspective and its unforgiving nature) my mind immediately juxtaposed it against a more heavenly standard: the Mountain of God and the heavenly realm (Ps 24:3).

So as I ponder the most profound, “elevated” perspective of the human soul from a natural standpoint – like Everest, at its very zenith its greatest demonstration of wisdom is none-the-less still – earthly, earth-bound.  Indeed there is much in common between Everest and man’s natural wisdom.  This kind of wisdom is detailed in James 3:14-16.  It is called “superficial wisdom,” for it is of an earthly nature, unspiritual (animal), and can even be devilish.  Ironically, the characteristics of this kind of wisdom have often been well-documented in the very behavior of climbers seeking to conquer Everest.  It says in James that, “…wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices.  Climbing teams seeking to summit Everest often demonstrate these very traits: rivalry, selfish ambition, confusion, unrest — even rebellion.  Interesting….

Even as Everest is an “extreme” location upon the face of the earth – it seems to personify some extreme examples of this kind of earthly wisdom, and its inherent limitations.  As high as your field of vision is expanded in the natural realm from its lofty heights – nothing is done to ameliorate the natural condition of man still needing a Savior. You are in fact still earth-bound.  As high as this point will take you, it cannot improve you or make you better – quite the contrary.  While providing a vista for incredible perspective, Everest (like natural wisdom) cannot regenerate you nor make you better spiritually.  It cannot give life, nor increase life.  Thus, ascending Everest does not help you to arrive at true spiritual wisdom or life.  It does not bring you to Jesus Christ as Savior.

One cannot help but hear the words the prophet Isaiah expounded in 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

How different then is heavenly wisdom and a heavenly perspective from this earth-bound view on Everest and its natural wisdom? When we have Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can approach the very perspective and heart of the God of the Universe.   We are seated with Him in heavenly places, and we have the mind of Christ as the word says.  It is not enough to be “on top of the world” (such as on Everest) and to have the world’s perspective – we need the wisdom that comes down from above which is only available when Christ lives His life in you. This wisdom is first of all peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle.)  [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straight-forward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity.) (Jam 3:17)

But unlike the unforgiving nature of Everest – the Father’s presence is the source and well-spring of  forgiveness!  Psalm 103:11 declares, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercies and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.”  You cannot top that! (Actually – no one can. )

People may mistakenly look to the grandeur of Everest to fix their life.  They may think it can help them to see truth.  They may even believe it can give new insight on life’s meaning, situations, and challenges.  But at best these will be fleeting shadows of reality compared to the splendor of the rarefied air of God’s heavenly perspective, finding His wisdom, and being in the presence of the One Who created it all.  In Him – alone, we live and move and have our being.

So we ask ourselves — can the creation outshine the Creator in any manner? Can Everest top the One Who is Tops? The greatest value to climbing Everest would be that it would prompt you to then desire to ascend God’s Holy Mountain?  That natural wisdom would be found so wanting it would cause you to hunger for wisdom from above — even God’s Holy Mountain and His Presence.  You may wonder if that is a real mountain to be scaled?  Can it even be found?  I believe it can — when we seek it with all of our hearts (Jer 29:13)