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- Written by: Don Goulding
He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds,
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well;
because of his wounds we have been healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus went homeless on earth to give me a residence in paradise. Refused hospitality in many towns, he ensured my permanent welcome into the New Jerusalem. And by relinquishing his rights of sonship, he legalized my adoption forever.
Splayed on the cross before every eye, Jesus silently accepted the demise that mankind deserved. He was whipped with shards, spit upon, and nailed. That is how the powers of darkness would have treated us for eternity had Jesus not taken our place.
After a lifetime of insolence and apathy, my sins filled many pages in the books of heaven. The list was to be read aloud and the images replayed before beings of all realms. But now when the books are opened, my every sin will be lined out with the red blood of Jesus. My public shame has been shifted to the Lamb of God, while his virtue flys to me.
Jesus lived a sinless life. When he was done, he took up my guilt and, though his nostrils burned at the stench, he pulled it over his head. He then laid the robe of his righteousness around my shoulders. He wore my filth, I wear his purity.
Prayer: My blessed Lord Jesus, thank you for trading places.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Your words are sweeter in my mouth than honey! (Psalms 119:103)
A cooking fire smoked up the inside of a dirt floored restaurant in Nigeria.
“What are those?” I pointed at the morsels remaining in the serving bowl.
The Africans consulted one another about how to convey the answer in English. “The goat’s … testicles.”
As a missionary, I’ve been served a variety of delicacies—caterpillars, chicken feet, fish eyes. Some of it went discreetly to a neighbor and some went into my mouth. Proof that when I get hungry enough, anything tastes good.
My hunger for God’s word is much the same. When ease fills my life, prayer and Scripture are often like cold oatmeal. It’s only in the grip of trials that I hungrily press my face into every word from God.
The remedy for flavorless consumption of God’s word is to first contemplate how famished my shortcomings leave me. Only when I’m conscious of my dire need am I ready for the daily sustenance offered by Jesus, the true bread of life.
Jesus is my daily nourishment, but he is much more. He is also the honey that brings joy to life. Thus, I need a daily fare that includes a big helping of redemption, at least a spoonful of correction, and a dessert of his amber goodness melting in my mouth.
Prayer: Sustaining Jesus, may I taste your words today.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, along with all their multitude of stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9:6)
Our cat charged across the floor chasing an imaginary mouse. It was a comic burst of life from an otherwise inert pet. Thank you, God, for frisky cats. A lot of smiles would disappear from the earth without them.
A friend peeled back swaddling to show off her newborn baby. The ruby mouth stretched into a yawn all of one inch across. The elixir of life was doubly concentrated in this tiny masterpiece. Hallelujah, thank you, Lord Jesus, for babies. We’d be so much less without them.
A spray of water shot from the Alaskan ocean. It was the exhale of a thirty ton humpback whale. After several breaths, her tail fluke rose, then slipped down to a forest of kelp and sardines.
God, you didn’t have to create lifeforms in such wild diversity, but you did, and it is glorious. Thank you for whales that play beneath the waves. I can’t imagine the seas empty of our mammalian cousins.
On par with God’s incalculable gift of life is his second gift of reclaimed life. His initial invention was too brilliant to be discarded after mankind vandalized it. Nature lies defaced, but the heartbeat flutters. And Jesus has come with a plan of renewal.
We are given a window of time to participate with our Redeemer’s solution. Cats, new babies, all creation will be remade, and very soon. Until then, heaven and earth watch to see if we’ll champion his two mind-boggling gifts—birth and rebirth.
Prayer: Blessed Creator, thank you for the gift of life, and its reclamation.