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- Written by: Don Goulding
But a time is coming- and now is here- when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)
“No way. How do you do that? That is so amazing.”
Patrick was the envy of the kids on our elementary school playground. He’d taught himself to wiggle his ears. The rest of us clamped our jaws and pretended there was movement, but only Patrick demonstrated real twitches.
The Apostle John said God looks for worshipers who engage him in their spirits. I feel my spirit resembles the muscle used to wiggle my ears. I know it’s there, but I can’t quite get it working.
I inherited weak spiritual muscles from Adam and Eve. In the beginning their spirits were robust and they freely conversed with God, who is Spirit. Then they spiritually died when they sinned, and the blessed fellowship between God and mankind was severed for millennia.
Since the time of Jesus, his work on the cross cleanses me and allows God to reestablish fellowship. The potential for divine friendship is restored. Herein lies the great purpose of my days on earth—walking in communion with my Father in spirit and truth.
My spirit and soul should be primary and my body secondary. Spiritual infant that I am, I operate in the reverse order with physical needs taking the lead.
I must learn to quiet my demanding body, and even my restless mind, so the Holy Spirit can get a word in edgewise. I need to discipline myself to inquire of the Lord before acting, then shush my body and mind while I wait for his answer. Like Patrick, I have to show at least a tiny bit of movement in my hidden muscle.
Prayer: Patient Holy Spirit, strengthen me to worship you in spirit and truth.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
A pile of Bibles, clothes, hypodermic needles, and twenty pounds of vitamins lay heaped in our living room. On our trips abroad, Dani and I minimize personal gear so we can courier supplies to the mission stations. For weeks, we toss everything we hope to bring into the corner of the room. Before we fly, we pack our suitcases and jettison everything over the weight limit.
Now I’m sorting through my pile of messy living. What will go with me into eternity and what gets left behind? I can’t gamble to have time to pack for eternity later. Rare is the person who goes on the big trip when they expect to go.
In Romans 14:17 Paul says, “For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” So temporal activities will be ditched, while righteousness, peace, and joy get to come along. Those are the commodities I’ll be keenly glad to have with me in eternity.
My heap of life is so mixed and my flight might leave any moment. I’m frantic to organize what fills my days. I’ve got to stuff in some right living while there’s still time.
Daily quiet times go into the travel bag, wasted hours are left behind. Teaching children about Jesus goes with, dropping quarters in a slot machine, not so much. What about that service day for the elderly? Did it add to righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirt? No, it only made me look good to others. Toss it and move on. Time is short.
Prayer: Lord of departures, please help me pack before it’s too late.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)
Our son, Aaron, invited Dani and me to his furry convention. Furries are a subculture of young adults who wear character costumes made of artificial fur. There were giant squirrels, puppy dogs, and fantasy creatures of rainbow-colored fuzz.
Aaron wore a brown and white Australian sugar glider costume. The large eyes and velvety ears made for a six foot tall huggable masquerade. Most of the participants were there to enjoy friends and laugh at one another’s creations. There were, however, a few mystics who believed they were born as a koala bear, or a dragon, and, somehow, got trapped in a human body.
I also take my temporal costume far too seriously. This world becomes my absorbed reality as I adopt the false identity of my physical aspect. I look at you and invent perceptions based on your exterior appearance or your present circumstances.
I have a furry mentality.
In actual truth, we are not our costumes. I am not only this physical body, permanently disfigured, and destined to sin forever. By joining myself to Jesus, I received a new existence. It came with a promise for a new body, and a new heaven and earth as well. For now, I am to live inside this character suit, but be fully aware of my true identity as I look out the temporary peepholes.
One day, the suits will come off, as they did on the mount of transfiguration. When the disciples saw Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, they appeared in glorious splendor with clothes as bright as a flash of lightning. That’s what lies beneath the furry suit—glory and splendor. For those in Christ, that’s the real you and the real me. We are the immortal children of God, destined to dwell in blinding majesty within his kingdom—not here, and not in these costumes.
Prayer: Mighty Redeemer, help me know who I really am in you.