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- Written by: Don Goulding
When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:31-34)
While en route to an outreach in southern India, our van detoured on a dirt road, and we found ourselves surrounded by a large flock of sheep mixed with goats. In temperate climates, sheep often don’t grow a fleece, and it isn’t easy to distinguish them from goats.
“The sheep carry their tails down. The goat’s tails are up,” one of the nationals informed us.
He sounded knowledgable but tails were twitching both ways.
As our driver tooted the hooter and inched through the brown swarm, I noticed several necks in the flock sporting personal collars. This was evidence that the shepherd knew each animal by name and would certainly know which ones were sheep or goats. The passengers gawking through the van windows proved unqualified to identify the animals.
When Jesus said he would one day separate the sheep from the goats, he compared the short-haired, Middle Eastern sheep of his time to goats. The two looked so much alike that only the shepherd was qualified to identify the species.
Every day my life intertwines with both saved sheep and damned goats, and I can’t tell them apart. It’s not my job. I act like a fool when I assume the Shepherd’s task of separating the blessed from the cursed. It’s a full-time task to sort out my heart, leaving me no time to categorize others.
My responsibility is to love everybody, no matter how goatish they seem, because the Shepherd may call them sheep.
Prayer: Mighty Judge Lord Jesus, forgive me for taking over your job.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name. (Acts 22:16)
A boy beat a drum as he led our colorful throng out of his village for baptisms in Andhra Pradesh, India. Others sang, shook tambourines, and laughed as the Indian pastor and I struggled in the lake against the sucking mud. One by one, beautiful Indians waded out and were buried in the water, only to be raised in new life.
A woman waiting at the end of the line howled. Her demon lamented its imminent eviction. When her turn came, the woman forced herself and the evil spirit into the water and, after some flailing about, submitted to baptism. She left the water free of her torment.
This was not an isolated incident. I have witnessed deliverance connected with baptism in Africa, India, and Fiji. I don’t know all that is transacted in the heavenly realms at baptism, but I do know the demons take the ceremony more seriously than many of us.
Baptism is the most beautiful sacrament given to God’s children. Immersion represents the burial of the old self and then resurrection into life in Christ. This is brilliant, life-altering symbolism. Except for pride, why would any believer opt for private elopement when they can be publicly wed to Christ through baptism? I would do it repeatedly if it weren’t for the fact that union with Jesus is complete upon the first baptism of an informed follower.
Prayer: Precious Jesus, I celebrate the day I sealed my journey with you through baptism.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Jesus also told this parable [of the self-righteous Pharisee] to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else. (Luke 18:9)
Roy’s old truck rattled on a dusty Mexican road. My heart was as dry as the tumbleweeds that blew past. I’d arranged to be alone with this thin, gentle man so I could take the second step in confession. Confessing to God had gained forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Now I needed to confess to a trusted brother for healing from my sin’s wound (James 5:16).
Roy was perhaps the godliest man I knew, yet he was humble toward his own shortcomings. My admission was barely out of my mouth when he steered around a pothole and launched into prayer.
“In the name of Jesus, I proclaim Don free from the power this secret had over his life. His sin is removed as far as the east is from the west. Amen.
“Now, son, don’t speak again of what’s been pardoned.”
All Christians find forgiveness—some advance toward holiness, very few discover Roy’s combination of purity and patience. That’s where Jesus wants my heart to go next, demanding personal holiness from myself while maintaining resolute patience with his work in others. Both sides of that equation are nearly impossible to attain, yet the power of grace is available for the transformation. Through Jesus, my heart can be made into a habitat that slams the back door on sin and holds the front door open to others.
Rattling down the bumpy road of life, I must focus on the five mile gap between my holiness and that of Jesus, and not on the one inch of improvement I think I’ve gained ahead of someone else. The integrity to admit how far I fall short of God’s mark is essential to improving my righteousness, to accepting others, and to getting along toward Roy’s Christlikeness.
Prayer: Strong Jesus, work grace in me to hate my sin and be patient with others.