"Mountains are not meant to envy."
John Piper
The quote above the picture caught my attention. I was reading an interview with Dave Harvey in Leadership Journal when I saw it. Dave addresses the issue of Godly ambition verses selfish ambition. Discussing the propensity of some of us who are preachers to compare our gifts with others, Dave said:
"God is very good to the body of Christ by allowing there to be men of exceptional gifting like John Piper and C.J. Mahaney. And as Piper himself has said in A Godward Life, "Mountains are not meant to envy." He talks about how we should approach Charles Spurgeon and other preaching greats similar to the way one approaches the Grand Canyon. You don't say, "Wow, this is amazing. I wish I could dig a hole like this." No, you just stand there in awe, and you thank God that something like this exists.
Likewise when you observe a great preacher, don't envy the mountain. You just thank God that there are those with exceptional gifts. And desire to use the gifts you've been given for god's glory."1
There is so much more to glean from the article (you can click here to read it). Here's my takeaway: Thank God for the "mountain," don't envy it!
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.Romans 11:36 ESV
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1 "The Glory Drive" an interview with Dave Harvey in Leadership (Fall 2010, page 23).