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- Written by: Don Goulding
At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock - even the fattest of them. And the Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. Genesis 4:3-5 (NETFull)
I fell in love with my second-grade teacher, Ms. Goodrop. She was pretty and kind. She lit up durning show-and-tell as other children exhibited a picture they’d painted or a praying mantis they’d captured.
I so wanted to please Ms. Gooddrop that when she asked if I had anything, I said yes, I wanted to share a poem from the book a classmate read from. There was confusion and embarrassment when the girl handed me the book and I couldn't find a suitable poem. Ms. Goodrop tactfully suggested I come better prepared the next week. The awful feeling of disappointing my pet teacher sticks to me these many years later.
All too often, the heart-sacrifices I bring to God are as hastily prepared as my show-and-tell poem. The Holy Spirit illuminates an area of my character that needs renewal and I easily agree. What actually transpires is that I think briefly about the matter, then move on with nothing truly changed.
When a weakness is exposed, I must get to a quiet place and pray until there is absolute surrender of the stronghold in my heart. Often, multiple sessions are necessary. In fact, it’s a lifelong process but I must not hide behind the idea that I have my whole life to work on it.
Maybe at this time I can only walk halfway to purity. Latter, I will walk half of the remaining distance, then when the Lord gives strength, I’ll walk half again. Eventually the halves become minuscule but I’ll never fully arrive in this life. I’ll always have another half to cover and I can’t ever give up.
Changing who I am is hard work, but then acceptable sacrifices always are. It’s the only way to shamelessly hold up my heart for show-and-tell when we all stand before God’s throne.
Prayer: Patient Jesus, help me make honest offerings of my heart.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Exodus 38:8 (NETFull)
“You there, stop. Moses said no more donations,” a tribal leader shouted at his people.
A mound of gold earrings and jewelry stood at the temple site and the people were restrained from giving more. It was a high point in Israel’s devotion. They were caught in a wave of revival and on the crest were the godly women who served as temple concierges. They melted their bronze mirrors to make the basin used for washing in front of the altar. Their hearts were redirected from self-worship to cleansing before God.
Those who spend a lot of time before the mirror miss the point of life. So I asked the Lord to show me what mirrors I have in my heart, where I am more focused on me than on him. A few things surfaced.
I worry about how to make what comes next in my life pleasant. The days I have remaining should be about honoring Jesus, not about staring into my comfort. So that’s a mirror.
Then there are the cravings of my old nature—over-indulgence, distraction, laziness. Surely those are mirrors of self-interest.
Finally there is my work. To the extent that I make my vocation about what I do instead of about what God does through me, it’s another mirror.
To melt these reflectors of vanity I have to do what the women at the temple did. As I redirect into praise of the Holy One—lying facedown, pressing my adoration heavenward—flames melt my concerns about self. Homage generates heat that recasts the object of my devotion into the washbasin of Christ.
Prayer: Beautiful God, melt these mirrors into worship of you.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
On that same occasion Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.” Luke 10:21 (NETFull)
Our daughter, Ashley, had a growth in her ear canal that caused minor discomfort for two years before she had it examined. The doctor feared it was a tumor and referred her to a specialist. Ashley decided to go to her own specialist first—to Jesus. After an anointing prayer by her church, she went to the recommended doctor. He found nothing and the pain was gone. It was a miracle of God’s response to prayer.
When I relayed the event to an American Christian, he typified our worldview by saying, “She probably had a plant seed that fell out between examinations.”
Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples with authority to heal, cast out demons, and preach. They returned jumping with excitement over God’s power. Jesus said the miracles they experienced were hidden from the wise and learned. Only those with childlike faith can see what God is actually doing.
The problem is not the rarity of God’s interventions but the jadedness of our faith. I wait for physical manifestations of spiritual realities, which is like waiting for a bird to fly past before I’ll accept that there must be air around me. Back when I was a child, I used to know that our tangible life is only a byproduct of God’s spiritual realm.
If I want to rejoice as Jesus did, I have to go back to innocent trust. Cold, mute cynicism will never get me there. I have to ask, then reach up for God’s touch like a three-year-old. No doubt or fear, just eager expectation that I’ll see all that made Jesus celebrate in the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father, give me childlike eyes for the unseen.