The Mountain Perspective Series

\

Mary Crowley is one of the richest women in America. She is founder and president of the

multi-million dollar empire of Home Interiors And Gifts Inc. She was the first woman to sit on the

board of directors of the Billy Graham Assoc. In reading her book Think Mink, I discovered she has

a retreat center in the mountains of Colorado. She brings all her displayers there for training,

because her business is helping people make their environment beautiful, and she knows no better

way to get her sales people inspired with beauty than to spend some time in the mountains, where

God has designed the beauty of the environment.

She has a full length window for them to gaze out on the golden sunrise from 9,000 feet up on

the 14,197 foot Mt. Princeton. On the back of her calling card are these words: "Every morning

lean thine arm a while upon the window sill of heaven and gaze upon thy God. Then with that

vision in thine heart, turn strong to meet the day."

She gets gold from the mountains, but she never digs an ounce. Her gold comes from their

inspiration. Listen to the testimony of Dr. N. A. Woychok in his book Building Gold, Silver And

Precious Stones. He has always wanted to see the sunrise from Pike's Peak in Colorado.

"We arose at 2:00 A.M. Higher and higher we climbed until

the peak was reached, not without dizziness and "fear tremors."

Slowly dawn's rosy steps were advancing on the Eastern sky,

until the few broken clouds, hanging above the horizon as if

purposefully for effect, were gloriously lighted up into a fuchia

red against a background of brilliant blue. And then "Old Sol"

tipped the horizon and presently came forth ablaze with divine

glory, adorned as "a bridegroom coming out of his chamber."

"Standing there on an elevation almost three miles above sea

level, we scanned the horizon some one hundred twenty-five

miles away and actually looked down upon the sun. I gazed

upon this beauty with an indescribable inner exhilaration, as

if under the spell of some strange magic. My mind, soul, and

spirit feasted sumptuously. The vision inflamed my imagination

and became a permanent part of my life, just as much as if some

special "tabernacle" had been built to preserve it. It became a

thing of beauty whose loveliness increases, and it shall never

pass into nothingness."

We only spent four days in the mountains of Colorado, and though we had been there before,

they fill you with awe because of their massiveness and majesty. It makes sense why God does so

much of His business with men on the mountains. They are a fitting environment for man to

confront the majesty of their Creator. God began the new world after the flood on Mount Ararat

where the Ark landed. The second half of Exodus all revolves around Mount Sinai where God gave

His law to His people through Moses.

There are dozens of mountain scenes. For example, where Abraham offers up Isaac on Mt.

Moriah; where Lot flees to the mountains; where Jacob offered sacrifice on the mountains. Aaron

died on Mt. Hor and Moses on Mt. Nebo, and Saul on Mt. Gibbon. Elijah won his great victory

over idolatry on Mr. Carmel. In the New Testament Jesus did so many special things on mountains.

His most famous sermon is the Sermon On The Mount. On Mt. Tabor He was transfigured. On Mt.

Calvary He died for the sins of the world. On the Mt. of Olives He ascended into heaven where He

reigns on Mt. Zion, the name of the New Jerusalem, or heaven. We sing about marching upward to

Zion the beautiful city of God.

There are hundreds of verses on mountains in the Bible, but we want to focus on the last

mountain in the Bible. It is a mountain so high that John could see heaven from it. Rev. 21:10 says,

"He carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City,

Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." Seeing heaven from a mountain top was the

unique experience of the Apostle John. Millions have seen the glory of earth from the mountain, but

only John saw the glory of heaven from the mountain. Moses was allowed to see the Promise Land

from Mt. Nebo, but only John saw the Eternal Paradise for all God's people from the mountain top.

This was the ultimate mountain top experience.

God is saying something to all His people by revealing so much of His will and truth from the

mountain top. What He is saying is that our perspective determines our perception, or, in other

words, our stand point determines what we see. Why do men and women climb mountains? It is not