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- Written by: Don Goulding
But now, ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea declare to you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this … (Job 12:7-9)
Clouds heaped themselves into billows, round on top, flat and gray on the bottom, with a tasteful hint of orange worn low on their hips. Standing apart, they populated the sky, shrinking to the horizon. Beyond their aesthetic beauty, each cloud was a scientific marvel of liquid particle suspension and solar light refraction. Whether humans took notice or not, they broadcast the glory of their Creator God.
Snow-white seagulls rode the breeze above a scalloped ocean. They wheeled about, stabbing yellow beaks into the wind. Their wingtips banked left, then corrected right. Each gull followed its whims but stayed inside the boundaries of the gathered flock.
Clouds, gulls, stars, dolphins—everything in our universe declares the majesty of Jehovah God because that’s the purpose of its existence.
Humanity is different. Created in God’s image, we are bequeathed with the freedom of choice. We can choose to glorify God with our lives, or not. If I want to disregard the biblical standards for life and hurt others when it pleases me, I can. The primary consequences of my actions are deferred until the next era.
The game is on, and the clock is ticking. I’m given a limited number of years to see what I’ll do with the divine gift of choice. One day, the tally will be totaled, and recompense will arrive. For now, there is an excellent opportunity to stand with the rest of creation as it shouts the glory of God.
Prayer: My blessed Creator, I join the animals, birds, and fish to praise you.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. (Ezekiel 43:8)
Dani and I once lived next to furloughed missionaries with a doorway connecting our apartments. Residing adjacent to them made us self-conscious of playing loud music, the clutter we left out, and our conversations near the thin door.
The Bible says we are the new temple of God. That means his Most Holy Place is inside me, just over the threshold from the Holy Place of my mind. It makes me think twice about the garbage I permit into my thoughts.
In the days of the physical temple, the Holy Place was where consecrated priests continually offered incense. Today, it’s the place in my mind from which prayers float upward, offered by a purified conscience. This is meant to be a quiet, reverent space in my being, filled with sweet thoughts of my wonderful Savior. I fear it is otherwise.
Oh, what sacrilege I permit in my thoughts, right next to God’s abode. Instead of a sanctuary, my mind is a party house with every kind of impurity running in and out. I may not act on the demonic banter in my head, but I often entertain temptation before giving it an eviction notice.
I want to clean up my Holy Place for my incredible neighbor’s sake. It’s time to refuse visitors of fantasy, envy, or worry. I must point to the narrow threshold that separates my mind from the home of the Most High God and send those thoughts scurrying.
Prayer: Holy Father, forgive my trash and help me clean up.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Are God's consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? (Job 15:11) (NIV)
A forty-something woman came trembling after I preached in Pakistan. “I had a daughter fourteen years ago, but never any boy. I am useless.” Tears streamed down her coffee-toned cheeks from under her pink shawl.
Pakistani culture dictated that she produce a male heir for her family. The poor soul had convinced herself that some great curse was on her. Her body convulsed as she pressed her palms together and begged for prayer to conceive a boy.
As I sought help from the Holy Spirit, I found myself in a difficult position. This dear sister needed to let go of her obsession with a boy and find fulfillment in Jesus. I passed a note in Urdu with the verse from Job about God’s consultations. It was a hard message, but the condition of that precious woman’s heart was more important than the fruit of her womb.
I am often a sharp knife when ministering God’s truth to others and a dull mallet when applying it to my faults. After we helped the Pakistani, Jesus worked on my heart.
“Is my love enough to make you let go of lesser blessings?”
I held secret dissatisfaction with certain cards life had dealt me. By my attitude, I had said to the lover of my soul that I wanted, that I deserved, more than him. I wanted Jesus plus an easy life, Jesus with a bit of popularity, Jesus and some fun mixed in. The consolations of Christ had not been enough for me.
I sorely needed to listen to my preaching because the condition of my heart is more important than the fruit of the world.
Prayer: Lord, I have been a fool with your love. It is enough.