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- Written by: Don Goulding
So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude … (1 Peter 4:1)
The stove burned my hand, and my lip quivered during the silence before a piercing scream. Years later, Grandmother passed away and left a gaping pit in my soul. Then my career culminated in business debt that plagued me with decades of worry. The lessons of life ingrain an instinctive aversion for suffering.
Then Jesus says, “Lose your life,” “Blessed are those who mourn,” and “My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Those teachings are so counterintuitive that I need Peter to explain. His letter says to arm ourselves with suffering. There must be something strong there, like weapons and munitions.
Ballistic power comes when I give up my attempts to dodge every hurt. If I can accept the fact that life includes a season of misery—always accompanied by strength from God to endure—then preoccupation with pain avoidance no longer owns me. I’m freed to live for the Source of life instead of for comfort.
Peter challenges me to adopt the same attitude as my suffering Lord. He doesn’t mean I should seek a new boulder of misery to move into my life. He only wants me to use whatever stone is already there, lay the plank of dependence squarely over the top, and leverage my heart toward God. The fulcrum presses me into his solace, where there is power for victory over another day.
I dance a jig when I see the enemy’s most hurtful rock forced into the service of lifting me toward the lover of my soul.
Prayer: Lord, may I use trials to move closer to you.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar. (Isaiah 33:17) (NIV)
Jesus is the source of beauty. Luminous purple nebulas reach through space, and transparent feathery creatures swim in the sea, because the King of beauty made them. A beautiful Creator spoke beautiful worlds into existence.
Ezekiel, Daniel, and John tried to describe their revelations of Jesus on his throne. He was fiery, rainbow shrouded, stallion mounted, and glowing like the sun in its glory. For those already in paradise, Jesus is the center of every fascination. If we’re able to get any words out when we see his face, I’m sure we’ll stammer, “beautiful.”
The tragedy of Jesus redefined perfect beauty. He came from an unflawed existence into our world to perform the most heroic deed in all of history. Though he possessed everything, he lay desecrated under the foot of men. God called this unprecedented humility beautiful when he raised Jesus to the throne at his right hand. The final splendor of the risen Christ is more awesome than the first, because his obedience is proven by voluntary sacrifice.
It’s my destiny to share this new beauty of Jesus. I was made to reflect God’s dignity, but sin got in the way. Body, mind, and spirit were corrupted. I became ugly. Now I have a second chance to follow Jesus into overcomer’s beauty.
Adopt trust in the face of hardship, and that’s beautiful. Give to others when you yourself are hard pressed, and that’s beautiful. Overcomer’s beauty is forged in turmoil. Overcomer’s beauty is what our risen Lord shines from his throne next to God, and it’s what we will share through eternity.
Prayer: Jesus, help me be beautiful as you are beautiful.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25
If you invite me to your house for dinner, I’ll be delighted. If you say, “Please, don’t bring your wife, we really don’t like that woman,” I will decline.
My wife is my greatest treasure, and where I go, she goes. We’re a package deal.
The church is the bride of Christ, the apple of his eye. We can’t say we love Jesus, but want nothing to do with his bride. Jesus and his church go together.
People in the church are hypocritical. I should know because I’m one of the hypocrites. We say things that offend, and we judge unfairly. The bride of Christ has warts. But we cannot commune with Jesus Christ and run from his betrothed.
My responsibility is to find a fellowship of believers that needs my spiritual gifts, and bind myself to them in body, mind, and soul. I need to stick it out through good times and bad, even when they offend, or we disagree about noncore doctrine.
I’m not perfect, and neither are church goers or leaders. We need to help each other beautify the bride for the return of the groom. Time is of the essence.
May I invite you to dinner? It’s actually a banquet. It’s the wedding celebration of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). Jesus will be there, as will his bride. I hope you say yes.
Prayer: Holy Groom, use me to prepare your bride.