A man had three
sons. He wanted to evaluate their ability to discern. So, he gave each of them
a piece of apple with a rotten spot in it. The first ate the whole thing. The
second threw the whole thing away. The third separated the bad and ate the
good. The father noted that the third was the wisest, and he exclaimed, “When
we receive instruction, some of us believe everything we hear. Others reject
everything because some of what we hear is bad. But the wise separate the bad
from the good and benefit from the good.”
Believe it or
not, there are two mountains named, "Mount Disappointment.” In 1894 workers from
the U.S. Geological Survey were looking for the highest point in Los Angeles County,
California. They found a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains with a summit
elevation of 5,960 feet. Intending to use it as their next triangulation point,
they climbed together to the top. When they reached it, however, they
discovered they had made a mistake. The San Gabriel Peak, just half a mile to
the east, was 167 feet higher. As a result, they had to descend the peak they
had climbed and start over. They named the first peak, “Mount Disappointment.”
What a waste of time, money, and effort.
The other “Mount
Disappointment,” 37 miles north of Melbourne, Australia, rises 2,625 feet. European
explorers from New South Wales, Hamilton Hume, and William Hovell, first made
the difficult climb of it in 1824. They hoped to view the distant Port Phillip
Bay. Unfortunately, the mountain’s many trees prevented this, and so they chose
this sympathetic name.
You’ve had your
disappointments too, perhaps more than your share. Maybe you’ve never landed
that job for which you had hoped. Your dream home developed cracks in the
poorly prepared foundation. Perhaps you’ve lost all your possessions in a flood
or a fire. Disappointingly, your health or youth have prematurely faded. Possibly
your spouse has passed away. Probably many people have disappointed you over
the years. And in retrospect, you have probably disappointed yourself and
others in your life. There are many warnings in the Bible about the
consequences of our words. The most powerful is expressed by Jesus. He said, “But
I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of
it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
[Romans 10:11] “For
the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” Moses
was often disappointed by the Israelites’ disobedience, grumbling, and
unbelief. Yet it was his own sin that cost him the most (Numbers 20:7-12). He
climbed Mount Nebo and from there he could only see what he was not allowed to
enter - the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). Jesus found the three disciples
sleeping, three separate times, when he had asked them to watch and pray
(Matthew 26:36-46). Paul felt the loss of Demas, Crescens, and Titus (2 Timothy
4:10). Alexander the coppersmith had done him great harm (2 Timothy 4:14). At
the time of Paul’s first defense no one had stood with him (2 Timothy 4:16).
From the top of his “Mount Disappointment,” Paul saw and recognized something higher,
more powerful, and quite capable of giving him victory (2 Timothy 4:17-18). We
too, when we look toward heaven, see “Zion’s glorious summit.” We see a God who
never disappoints. We chose a Savior who knows – and bore on the cross – all our
disappointments. We are blessed, forgiven, renewed, and feel energized.
Everything looks better because our perspective has changed. Jesus has delivered
us and continues to deliver us (1 John 1:7). On Him we have set our hope. And
there will be no disappointment. We will cross over into the “Promised Land”
one day.
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