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- Written by: Don Goulding
For the creation was subjected to futility - not willingly but because of God who subjected it - in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. (Romans 8:20-21)
India is ground zero in the war between man and nature. Coconut palms wrestle with pollution while iridescent kingfishers choke on human rubbish. Hives of auto-rickshaws belch exhaust, and putrid rivers are smelled long before they are seen. Even still, the underlying beauty of the land and its people shows through the grime of human fingerprints.
India is turquoise beaches and jungle clad mountains. This is where radiant children and genius technicians live. But the struggle for life is more intense here. In North America and Europe, it’s easy to consider our ordered lives and accept the present earth as a permanent abode. In developing countries I can’t do that. Life too often loses in the struggle against death, so paradise will need a new home.
I long to see India after God remakes her at the coming of the new heaven and new earth. I envision her mountains in gleaming perfection. I smell the abundance of flowers and feel the spray of waterfalls. Indian Christians, brown and lovely in perfected spiritual bodies, will serve the Almighty Prince with no mark of sin or pain on them.
Next, I see these children of the Most High join with a sea of exotic, completed God lovers from every culture, embracing in the love light of Jesus.
India will be restored into a flawless virgin bride stunning in her splendor. All the nations will join her as perfected sisters ready to offer their glory as a wedding gift to the ever deserving Groom of Grooms.
Prayer: Mighty God, present us to Jesus, lands and humans alike, liberated and remade.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28)
In southern India, a scarlet ribbon stretched across the doorway of a palm thatched church. I was invited to open the mud wall building by cutting the ribbon. The thirty some Christians living in this hostile village needed encouragement. The previous month, militant Hindus burned their church to the ground. What could I dare preach to these persecuted souls?
“Satan had his way in your village for countless generations. Now Jesus is moving in and you are caught in the middle of a spiritual war. You must choose a side, but the weapons you fight with are not the weapons of the world. You must combat your enemies with love, forgiveness, and prayer. Stick to these three disciplines and you will have victory in this test.”
I knew it was the right message. I also knew it was easier said than done. Back home, I had a Neighborhood Watch program standing guard along with police and firetrucks within ten minutes reach. These desperate believers had to continue living next to enemies who would do anything to see them eliminated from the village equation.
Even though people don’t normally attack me, I do have those inside my sphere who are difficult to love. If you are human and you interact with other people, disagreement is inevitable. The grace I bring to an abrasive relationship is the measure of my Christlikeness. It matters how I respond to those who growl.
I’m confident my friends in the burned out church will stand the test. They will love their way into the hearts of many in their village. But will I do the same in my world?
Prayer: Jesus, help me deeply love everybody you bring to me.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, if you have experienced the Lord’s kindness. (1 Peter 2:2-3)
Large black hooves and spindly legs emerged from the mama giraffe. Soon, a whole calf tumbled onto the savannah grass. Within thirty minutes the baby was up and walking, an apricot and blonde patchwork masterpiece.
Eagles fly at twelve weeks of age, baby elephants follow their herd when they are three days old, and dolphins communicate with clicks and squeals from birth. Comparatively, we humans have a long childhood. Some even suggest we are born too soon because of a mistake in evolution. We would have a higher survival rate, they say, if gestation were twenty-one months instead of nine. Try saying that to a pregnant mother.
There is no mistake here. It’s by design that we take longer to mature because God loves children. He delights in keeping us in the innocence of childhood for an extended season. We all need to grow up eventually, but maturity in Christ means a return to the childlike qualities God most treasures.
Advancement of the soul is the reverse of physical development. The older I get in Christ, the more dependent I should be in my faith. I am to return to the source of my life, suckle his nourishment, and hide in his protection. I must become less reliant on myself and the world and be more sustained by Jesus.
That kind of maturity is something that even my old heart can reach for.
Prayer: Father above, grow me into union with you.