Beware the Ordinary

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
"Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt."
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
~ John 12:14-16 (NKJV)

A crowd gathered for the high holy days of Passover certainly contained people wearing their best cloaks. Yet they willingly laid them across the road to be tread upon by a donkey. Their shouts of "King of Israel" surely fell upon the ears of Roman soldiers. After six centuries of waiting for another son of David to sit upon Israel's throne, their expectations of Jesus surely matched their bold actions.

Did any of them actually think of King David? He likewise threw off his king's cloak, dressed himself in the attire of the ministers, and praised "with all his might" as Jerusalem welcomed the Ark of the Covenant—the presence of Most High King entering His city.

Did the Palm Sunday crowd understand that they welcomed not only royalty but divinity?

If His disciples didn't understand the significance of their actions (as John's Gospel says), perhaps walking with the Son of God had become ordinary to them.

I daresay that each of us reaches the point where walking with Jesus becomes a little too ordinary. Perhaps it is inevitable that such times occur upon the approaches to a personal Calvary. When we again face the altar, where something else must die, we cannot help but offer sacrifice, and then worship anew our Lord who is God and King.

You are holy, Lord, enthroned in the praises of Your people. Renew our love and recognition for You daily. Please invite our worship. Please give us strength of joy in sacrifice.

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Killing the Inconvenient People

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
~ John 11:53 (NKJV)

There were a handful of occasions when Jesus outraged people, and they spontaneously rose up in the effort to kill Him (second degree murder). Then the day arrived when Jesus became so inconvenient for the Pharisees and Jewish leaders that they plotted His death (first degree murder).

Murder is always a matter of degrees.

Jesus explained that lust is adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:28). Likewise, hatred is the seeds of murder in the heart (Matthew 5:21-22).

Murder always begins with hatred of a person found to be inconvenient.

There are those people who perpetually annoy us. The arrogant know-it-alls and the repeated screw-ups and the awkward social-inepts. The one-step-aheads, who stand between us and an ambition.

And then there are the people who really are out to get us.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
~ 2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV)

At what point to do we look at another individual and decide that our lives would be better if they were dead? We may not think in those terms. Perhaps we dream of either (s)he or me quitting a job so that our paths will no longer cross. Or we hear they're absent due to sickness and wonder how long a break we'll get. Or the day comes when they're no longer in church, and in our relief to see them gone, we have no sorrow over what becomes of them.

We wish only that they might become dead to us.

Such are the seeds of hatred, bearing fruit in curt speech, a cold shoulder, or an inward smile at misfortune.

Each of which chips away at a person's well being, a tiny dagger of murder.

"... I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you... If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them."
~ Luke 6:27-32 (NKJV)

Lord Jesus, thank You for the example of love and grace You gave us. Please enable us to see people as You do, and to be Your ministers of love to every neighbor, even the inconvenient and hateful ones. We do it only by Your power in us.

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Absolute Zero

We had this conversation in our Michigan home yesterday morning, as the kids woke up after forsaking their bedrooms to sleep by the wood stove.

"It's 9 degrees out."

"Yuck."

"It'll get warmer. They forecast a high of 19."

"That's double!"

I'm not sure if my little one was thinking that's double cold, but the remark did get me thinking about how relative temperature is.

While the Fahrenheit scale is based on zero degrees being the coldest temperature Mr. Fahrenheit measured outdoors (with 100 being the warmest), and the Celsius scale is based on water freezing at zero and boiling at 100, both scales measure only what is familiar to human experience.

Scientists say "absolute zero" (the absence of all heat) is - 459.67° F. I don't know (and didn't find) what the hottest scientific temperature might be, but I'm guessing that it's also something I won't ever experience.

Recent cold has seemed downright intolerable. But if I consider absolute zero—the complete absence of any heat—zero Fahrenheit seems quite sufficient.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

I'm inclined to think of God's grace the same way. We have good days that feel like high 70's with a gentle breeze and the sun shining pleasantly upon us, and we consider His grace sufficient. Then we get those zero degree days when circumstances seem downright intolerable.

But our conception of "zero" is relative. Think for a moment of what "absolute zero" grace would be. What would life be like with the absence of all God in our lives—the forecast for those who reject Him? Such a thought enables us to quickly recalculate our perspective and immediately see how abundant the His grace is on even the bad days.

I don't yet have experience with how high the Lord's grace goes, but I understand it goes something like this:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
~ 1 Corinthians 2:8-10 (NKJV)

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Can the Holy Spirit and a Demon Live Together?

Now this [Caiaphas] did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied ...
~ John 11:51 (NKJV)

A recent comment asked, "Can born again Christians be possessed by demons/evil spirits?"

The above verse shows the Holy Spirit using a person who resists Him. Caiaphas did prophesy, but he was also an evil man who sent Jesus to Pilate for crucifixion.

To answer the above question, an important distinction should be made about whether the Holy Spirit or demonic spirit fills or inhabits a person, or is "with" or "upon" a person.

King Saul is a striking Old Testament example of having the Holy Spirit and then an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14). But it appears that the evil spirit did not dominate Saul until the Holy Spirit left him, and it nowhere says that the Holy Spirit was ever within him. The Old Testament tells of several instances when the Holy Spirit was upon a person or with a person, but only once says the Holy Spirit was actually within a person (Exodus 31:2-3).

In New Testament times, after Jesus died for sins, those who put faith in Him—who are "born again" of the Holy Spirit—become the temple within which the Holy Spirit resides. It is unthinkable that the Holy Spirit would share residence and live together with a demonic spirit. When Jesus was accused of driving out demons by the power of the devil, He pointed out the absurdity of Evil working against itself to cooperate with Good. Rather, the evil spirit, or "strong man," is driven out before being plundered of its human spoil:

"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house."
~ Matthew 12:28-29 (NKJV)

We know from numerous Bible passages that even after the Holy Spirit inhabits us, evil spirits still try to access us.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me ...
~ 2 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)

[Other references to the devil's presence include 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11; Ephesians 4:26-27; James 4:7).]

There is no reason to fear the devil or his minions residing in the same person as the Holy Spirit. But they can still wreak plenty of trouble if they get a foot in the door. The Bible teaches us how to become strong in the Holy Spirit so that doesn't happen when demons come knocking.

Lord Jesus, our adversary the devil is strong. But you are good and wise and almighty. You have already defeated him. Please remind us of our spiritual armor. Please alert us to our enemy's schemes even as we ask You to thwart them. Please let us fear no one but God.

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Never Mind, Lord

Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
~ John 11:39 (NKJV)

I don't know about you, but I have the audacity to invite God to step in and bring life to a situation, and then hesitate and draw back when things get messy. I have the tendency to decide the situation isn't worth this much trouble and say, "Never mind, Lord."

If God numbers the hair on our head and watches over every sparrow (Luke 12:6-7), then what situation is too small for Him? On the other hand, how far gone is a situation before God won't repair it?

And the Lord said ... "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you ..."
~ Genesis 18:13-14 (NKJV)

Lazarus was only dead four days. When Jesus was crucified and resurrected, "many" people who had been in their graves for certainly longer were also raised (Matthew 27:51-53). And a day lies in the future when all the dry bones of all the saints in all the earth will be raised alive (Ezekiel 37:1-10).

The fact that things get messy or we must wait for God's appointed time or is no reason to say, "Never mind, Lord." We need only believe, and then wait for the impossible.

Jesus said to [Martha], "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
~ John 11:40 (NKJV)

Our Creator, thank You for taking delight to bring life, light, and love wherever You are invited. Please help us in our unbelief and our impatience. Please increase our faith and longsuffering.

Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.