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- Written by: Don Goulding
“Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor of the Lord shines on you!
For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:1, 2)
The surface temperature of our sun is 5778 K. White-hot gasses, light, and energy particles erupt from the massive sphere in every direction, including toward earth. Solar radiation destined for our planet should destroy all life down to the most resilient microorganisms. On the second day of creation, however, God made an atmosphere to absorb our sun’s incinerating heat. The air and magnetic field around us—invisible as they are—protect the world from the eradication of organic life.
Jehovah is the wholly righteous God. His blinding righteousness radiates toward everything in creation. Guilt can no more withstand his burning holiness than a twig would endure on the sun. Sin, imperfection, and lies are engulfed in flames when they touch God’s righteous light. He may tolerate my polluted heart while I float in this bubble of time, but it will soon pop. I must face him and see my unrighteousness turned to ash.
From the epicenter of Golgotha, a supernatural atmosphere poured from the Messiah. Ether with the power to absorb God’s righteous judgment streamed out to cover the earth. The heat of Divine contempt for our betrayal was taken into the shield that is Jesus. This blanket of grace reached forward and back in time to protect repentant sinners throughout history.
The foundation of existence is still righteousness, but now it’s buffered by Grace. God filters the intensity of his holiness through Jesus, so we don’t burst into flames. With Christ Jesus overshadowing me, I can finally begin to reconcile my life to God’s burning light.
Prayer: Great Jehovah, thank you for righteousness covered by grace.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
“Hey, Junior, get your old man another beer, and move your fat carcass out of the way of the Home Shopping Channel.”
Except for the grace of God, it might have been me saying those words. Thankfully, as a Christ infused human, I’m transformed from a spiritual couch potato into a cosmic adventurer.
Every day Jesus asks if I want to come out and join his fun. But, before I jump in, I have to pack for a spiritual adventure. First, I must strip down to only the material belongings necessary for a warrior. Whatever possessions I keep will call me indoors, out of the excitement. Second, I must release my claims to health and longevity on earth. Mollycoddling my body will make me cry like a baby at every discomfort and skinned knee. Third, I need to throw off the sour blanket of my agenda. Only the sweet joy of doing God’s business will satisfy.
There are souls to rescue, casualties to heal, and strongholds to pray down. No demonic barrier will stand before my King. We will march out under his banner to pillage the enemy’s camp and hurl spiritual mountains into the sea.
When Jesus went to the Father, he left us in charge of liberating captives. Before he departed, our big brother put his truth in our hands, his Spirit in our hearts, and his name on our foreheads. We are fully armed to have conquering good times.
The question for my heart is this, “Are you up for eternal adventures, or do you want to watch sitcoms?”
Prayer: Jesus my warrior King, lead me out.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16, 17)
There’s a tree in the center of my garden. All around the tree, the garden provides abundant life. But of the tree, I may not partake.
My tree has a name. I don’t like to say it, but I know it well. Each day, I see the tree, there in the middle. Everybody has a tree. They have names like fear, lust, and pride. I don’t know all of them, but I know my tree. It peeks through other foliage reminding me of its forbidden status.
My bent nature, and the indulgences of those around me, keep me from loathing my tree as I should. And so I tasted the fruit. I hated myself afterward, and stayed far from the tree. But even at the edge of my garden, I spotted splashes of color from the fruit.
Jesus came into my garden. He led me back to the tree and touched each fruit. My bite marks instantly healed over, but at the same time, wounds appeared on his body. Then he took me by the hand and we walked through the garden in the cool of the evening. Joy interlaced its fingers with peace. I didn’t feel the usual tug of the tree, not even when we were near it.
“There’s another, the Tree of Life,” Jesus said. “One day you’ll eat of that one. It has all of the bliss of your tree, but none of the addiction, destruction, or neurosis. Wait for that tree.”
While we laughed and played, my thoughts were consumed by Jesus. Then I bounded away to investigate a waterfall. From the height of a verdant cliff, I could see red dots hanging from the tree at the center of my garden. I thought, If I don’t get back to Jesus, the tree will have me again.
Prayer: Jesus, keep me close, protect me from temptation.