- Details
- Written by: Don Goulding
And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation. (Hebrews 9:27, 28)
I first saw the gate when I was a boy. It looked like a dark speck on the horizon. I couldn’t be sure, it was so far away.
During grade school, I came to understand I’d have to go through the gate. A few people said it wasn’t necessarily dark, it might open to light. I hoped so. If I stared long enough, I thought I saw a silver glow.
Gradually, I realized most people acted like the gate wasn’t there. If they had to talk about it, they whispered. And to be polite, no one looked that direction.
As teenagers, we used to run toward the far off speck. Then, it got too close. We tried to move away. Still, it got bigger. Old or young, everyone was pulled to the gate, and we pretended otherwise.
One crazy day, I faced the gate. Yes, a silver glow, silver and gold. It wasn't the dark void, it was the entrance to life. I couldn’t recall why we feared it. True, we shouldn’t rush through, but rest, let it draw, and don’t be afraid. The gate wasn’t the end, it was the beginning.
Now I’m aging, and up close, the shining portal consumes my horizon. Wondering, I stare through the opening into an airy expanse. It secretly thrills me. But I have to remember, don’t talk about it. It’s not polite.
Prayer: God my Savior, I will not fear death.
- Details
- Written by: Don Goulding
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. (John 3:17)
“Bothell, has anyone ever told you that you’re a strange Christian?” Rupert said over his white picket fence.
“I’m a strange Christian? What do you mean?” Bothell thought about the other fence that divided them.
“Most people shun Georgi and me. They don’t want our type in the neighborhood, if you know what I mean.” Rupert nodded toward another house. “But you’ve been a real friend. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s not what we expected.”
Bothell smiled at Rupert’s fluorescent yellow and pink robe. He sent a silent prayer up, Lord give me the right words.
“When I read my Bible, I don’t see that Jesus condemned anybody except the self-righteous. He was a friend of sinners like me.” Rupert seemed to be tracking. “I hope what you see in me is a little of the real Jesus. You and Georgi are loved.”
“Oh, you are just so sweet.” Rupert reached over the fence with a hug and a flutter of pats.
“Rupert, on behalf of Christians, I apologize that we’re judgmental. It’s very wrong. We’re all sinners who need forgiveness and second chances to do better. That’s why Jesus came.”
Rupert’s eyes moistened, and Bothell knew the fence between them was dissolving.
Prayer: Savior of the world, lead me across fences.
- Details
- Written by: Don Goulding
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
A tentacled, razor fanged, bioluminescent creature lunged at its prey in the midnight-black ocean, five miles below the reach of sunlight. Less than ten percent of the fantastic life forms at these depths have ever been seen or cataloged by humans. Jesus has authority over it all.
2.7 million light years from earth, nebula NGC 604 blazes 200 gigantic stars that cause wisps of gaseous cotton candy to fluoresce with blue-green luminance, across 1,500 light years of space. Jesus has authority over it all.
“Hello Mike,” Gabriel greets Archangel Michael in a voice that booms with the crashing of a thousand waves. The two hover among otherworldly creatures so radiant a bold earthling would wet himself in their presence. Jesus has authority over it all.
The authority of Jesus isn’t some future event, he is sovereign now. From the bottom of the sea to celestial beings in every dimension, our Messiah reigns. His throne is the seat of governance and supremacy.
Jesus shares his authority with us for discipleship, baptism, and teaching. These are his specific mandates to us, and he hasn’t sent us out powerless or alone. We go with his Spirit. The same anointing that rules heaven is available for me to help others on earth.
Now is not the time for cowering before self-centeredness. It’s the time for rising up in the authority of Christ to reach his broken world.
Prayer: Mighty Jesus, may I live in your authority.