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- Written by: Don Goulding
Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad. (1 Peter 4:12, 13)
We were newly married, and evening shadows met across the slopes where Dani and I backpacked in the San Gorgonio Wilderness of California. We arrived at the backcountry camp, tired, but spirited by the pine scented air. A quick dinner over a Primus stove left just enough time to string a rope through our plastic tube tent before the rain fell.
The next morning our gear was wet, but then the sun made a few surprise appearances. Mist rode through the fir trees like a child sledding into the rounded valley. I could scarcely hike a hundred feet before stopping, over and over, to photograph rainbows set against hunter-green forests.
It didn’t matter to us that we had slept on the ground, eaten dehydrated soup, and steamed through damp clothes the next day, the backpacking trip exceeded our expectations.
Expectations define satisfaction. If a hotel tried to offer the conditions we enjoyed while backpacking, I’d be irate and demand my money back.
I need to adjust my ambitions to the reality of my current situation. I’m a spiritual soldier in a war zone, behind enemy lines, with a mission to infiltrate and liberate. Now is not the time to seek a soft living. Today I’ll encounter the groans of nature, attacks from demons, and friends broken in grief. It won't be easy going.
The glorious appearing of Christ will come soon. So I need to adjust my expectations, and lay hold of spoils before I’m withdrawn home. Because how I spend my remaining hours of deployment is critical.
Prayer: Mighty Warrior Jesus, let me expect nothing but a glorious fight today.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized- not one promise is unfulfilled! (Joshua 23:14)
I live in the town of Maybe, in the state of Perhaps, and the country of Could Be. We humans are a flaky lot. Even when we have the resources to fulfill a commitment, we often back out if it suits our agenda.
Because I’ve come to expect unreliability, I assume God must be noncommittal too. I find myself looking for the exclusions, or metaphorical meanings to his promises. Jesus coming on the clouds, streets of gold, trees that heal some, fires that burn others—really? I try to believe, but my old nature rolls his eyes.
While I played Frisbee with our missionary family, the disk disappeared over the edge of a cliff and was lost among bushes by the Danube River. My nephew climbed down, followed the last known trajectory, and miraculously found the toy in the thicket, right where he predicted.
If we follow the trajectory of God’s promises that were fulfilled in the past, we find where his future answers will come to rest.
God promised Abraham he would make him into a great nation and bless all people through him. Fulfillment came through the Jewish nation, and the person of Jesus Christ. That promise was over fulfilled.
God promised a Messiah would be pierced for our sins. Roman crucifixion made his prophesy a reality in horrific detail. Again, over fulfilled in an unexpected manner.
Jesus promised a helper, someone to comfort and guide. Fifty days after his resurrection, tongues of fire distributed the Holy Spirit, who is with us today. This promise was understated, compared to the answer that unfolded through history.
By following the path of the previously completed covenants, we can predict where the blessings that are still up in the air will land. The trajectory of God’s faithfulness points to a future of surprising, radical fulfillment of promises. Heaven, hell, living with God, everything hinted in the Bible, will be over fulfilled.
Prayer: LORD my God, my heart rests in the future you spoke into existence.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
I have a photograph of two Chinese girls who are part of the underground church. Their hair is in pigtails and their dimples are beaming. As I colored pictures with them, they taught me about attention to joy and ignorance of oppression.
Six Nigerian boys have their shirts off and they’re drenched, with white toothed grins on every face. They were playing soccer in a torrential storm and stopped long enough for me to snap their photo. They showed me how to turn an inconvenience into fun.
Then there’s my video of our missions team romping with Indian orphans. There are toddlers riding piggyback on adults, and others squealing in a game of tag. These kids were oblivious that they received a fraction of the affection of other children.
No teacher is more eloquent than the children of the world, who demonstrate living without guile. I wish I could get their lesson right. Instead, I’m perpetually fixing problems, so I can one day enjoy life. I spend years contriving a path toward happiness, and forego hours of childlike joy. When did I outgrow the wisdom of a child?
I need the kids to reteach me. When I watch a grade schooler play hopscotch, I assume she doesn’t have the maturity to worry about global warming. Instead, I need to realize what she doesn’t have is the cursed pride to pretend mankind has the answers for a dying planet. I need less of my problem-solving mania, and more of her patient humility.
Prayer: Mighty God, with childlike trust, I cast my cares into your mighty hand.