Offline Again ...

... for a day or two while occupied with a funeral. Stay in the Word! Hope to be back soon.

Love,
Anne

Testimony

"Jesus is my Lord, God and King.
It matters less what people think of me
than what they think of Jesus Christ because of me."
~ @anne4JC Twitter bio

Testimony

"... the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
~ Revelation 12:10-11 (NKJV)

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God,
and the prisoners were listening to them.
~ Acts 16:25 (NKJV)

The Revelation saints who overcome do so not only by the blood of God's Lamb, but also by the word of their testimony.

Paul and Silas had been slandered, unjustly beaten bloody, and imprisoned in stocks. Yet rather than rant or whine as most of us would, at an hour when sleep might have relieved their misery, the two prayed and sang hymns—and the prisoners were listening to them.

Hebrews 12:1 says we are all surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Even in the hours when we are without human witness, we are on display before heavenly witnesses. Our words and actions (as well as the thoughts and feelings revealed by words and actions) give a testimony to God which carries great weight as we come under spiritual attack.

We may think our words insignificant. Those of us who are writers may think a small audience makes us insignificant. Scripture reminds us that we have a large audience at all times, who sees our lives in entirety—and that the purpose of our testimony is to magnify the Lamb and His blood rather than ourselves.

Lord Jesus Christ, we are not worthy to bear Your name. Please keep us mindful that long after we are forgotten by the world, You will be remembered by the way we have lived. Please empower us to live well, for the sake of Your name.

: : :

My plans for Saturday are to offer a glimpse of how living out that quote at the top of today's post has changed my life.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: dailycaller.com

Kiss the Son

"My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored."
~ Julia Ward Howe, from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," 1861

Kiss the Son

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars... She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
Revelation 12:1,5 (NKJV)

" 'Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance ...
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' "
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
~ Psalms 2:8-12 (NKJV)

John describes Jesus here as a King to rule over all nations with a rod of iron. Psalm 2 describes His rod dashing the nations to pieces.

This is the side of Jesus we rarely think about.

Not unlike the website on royalty etiquette where I found this photo, the psalmist instructs the kings of nations to kiss their divine Monarch in homage, to serve Him with fear, to rejoice with trembling—lest He be angry.

Though I hold reverent fear for my Father's discipline, I am at peace with God. On the day I see Jesus, I do hope to kiss Him. Whether I fall on my face and kiss His scarred feet, or am permitted to kneel and kiss His scarred hands, I look forward to finally expressing, face-to-face, my profound gratitude and love.

Lord Jesus, I long for our first kiss. Don't You? Have Your people not waited sufficiently? Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord!

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: www1.nst.com.my

And He Shall Reign

Then the seventh angel sounded:
And there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdoms of this world have become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever!”
~ Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)

And He Shall Reign

I searched through numerous videos of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus to select one for today's post. I was dismayed that the majestic piece has become a source for farce, for gay pride promotion, and even for a movie opportunity to drop the f-bomb in connection with Jesus.

The video below may not have the highest quality of photos and text, but it is certainly faithful to the reverence for God with which the piece was written.

This passage of Revelation inspired the beloved music which looks to the day when "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of His Christ." I pray these verses might inspire you to think of the day when the sound in Heaven may be something like this ~

Hallelujah Chorus



I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Hallelujah Chorus composed 1741 by George Frideric Handel.

At Home

Me, Julie Carobini, John Olson, Randy Ingermanson

If you missed me last Saturday, I was busy in Indianapolis at the annual conference of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)—a most intense weekend, yet a place where one is right at home.

The schedule offers breakfast at 7, last session ending at 9, and late worship until at least 10. Short breaks throughout the day leave little room to digest the incomparable information offered in sessions on writing, publishing, and career management. For three days one is immersed in the company of some of the brightest minds, most generous hearts, and dearest in-love-with-God spirits one could hope to meet. Worship is both morning and evening, and is likely to draw tears with its passion. Now throw in meals and appointments with editors and agents—when one most wants to have a discerning mind, ears of sponge, and articulate tongue.

At "bedtime" we head to the lobby / lounge area for fellowship and a glass of [INSERT FAVORITE BEVERAGE HERE—mine's Riesling]. We should be too exhausted to function by now. But everyone is so excited to be together that even when we force ourselves to return to our hotel rooms sometime after midnight, we soak up more writer talk, reveling in the companionship, able to encourage one another in a manner unique to ourselves.

We deeply appreciate the support and sacrifices of family members which allow us to be here. Yet we also appreciate one another so much that nary a whiff of competitiveness can be found on site. It might be expected that people struggling to receive a coveted book contract would resent the authors who beat them out. Instead, words of affirmation saturate the air.

On banquet night, when the ballroom was an agreeable blend of tuxedos and formals mixed with Sunday morning casual and evening cocktail dresses, we all applauded those whose work wins recognition for excellence. We stepped into the lobby for a photo, and a circle of friends about to be photographed just happened to all be wearing elegant black and white—except for me. Not wishing to stand out, I said, "Oh, let me take the picture." Someone pulled me back into the group and said, "You can be the rose in the middle."



Such are the people I work with—Wendy and Rosslyn and Keli, Sara and Sarah, Cathy and Kathi and Katie, Christa and Christy, Heather, Erika, Cindy, Jeannie, Jody, Julie, Melanie, Randy and John and Chip and Sandra. Then there's Rachelle and Kristine, my agent and my editor. I would go on for 620 names if I could possibly remember them all. I'm grateful for every single one of them.

My weekend began with a stop to visit Snady for breakfast. Using words to make me cry, Snady later shared The Meeting with the world. We were both sad that she was to miss the conference. But I if she'd gone I'd not have had her all to myself for those 105 minutes she called an hour—the shortest hour of the whole weekend.

My trip home included a treasured but uneventful lunch stop to see my age 98 aunt, who also happens to be a writer. She seemed a little down, for the first time since I've known her, refusing to allow discussion of a one hundredth birthday party in two years. Then Thursday she quietly made her own trip home—to Jesus. I head back to Indiana next week for her funeral.

In days to come, I'll see some of those ACFW loved ones on Twitter and around the blogsphere. Some I'll likely encounter again at a conference or meet. Some I won't meet again until I see them with my aunt.

What unites me to all these dear people is not our love of recording words, but our record of loving The Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. He brought us all together in different ways last weekend. His Spirit keeps us together until we make a final trip home.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Photo thanks to Keli Gwyn and Wendy Paine Miller.

Question of the Week: How to Forgive Self?

"What does the Bible say about forgiving yourself?
What does it say about our faith
when we still experience guilt after being forgiven?"

~ Anonymous

Last year I spoke to a group of ladies gathered for a church rummage swap. I compared sin and guilt to the trash discovered during spring cleaning. The drastically condensed version below is a bit longer than my usual answer, but it makes the point "cleanly." ;D

: : :

There are three kinds of trash in our lives.

The FIRST is trash that has always been trash and always will be trash. Until we clean it out, it will sit around and make the house dirty.

The ugly little critter above is trash.

Let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us.
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

Until we go looking for dust bunnies in all the places they like to hide, they just keep getting bigger.

Sin is like a hidden dust bunny. We need God's Spirit to show us what sin is hiding in our hearts. Until we clean sin out of our lives, it will make our souls sick and dirty and just plain ugly.

The SECOND kind of trash is stuff that used to be good and useful, but isn't anymore.

Guilt is good when it makes us feel bad for sin so that we'll want to ask forgiveness.

If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

The first Person we need forgiveness from is God. God sent Jesus to die for our sins so that we could say to God (in our own words), "Father God, since Your Son Jesus took my punishment for sin, would You please forgive me and give me peace with You and be Lord of my life?"

When we say we’re “saved,” we mean that because we have God’s forgiveness, we’re saved from any punishment for sin after we die.

But even if we’re saved, there are at least three reasons we might experience guilt:

1) we still sin, and we still need to confess that sin to God so He can clean it out of our lives;
2) if we haven't done it yet and if it's possible, we have guilt until we ask forgiveness from the people who have been hurt by our sin;
3) if we've asked forgiveness from God and others, (even if they refuse forgiveness), and we still have guilt, then we're allowing someone to remind us of our sin in a way that steals the joy and the peace of forgiveness.

There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

When guilt compels us to confess sin and ask forgiveness, it's from God’s Spirit and is a good thing called conviction. But when guilt stops being conviction from God and it starts being condemnation—whether from the devil, from others, or from ourselves—it has become trash which must be thrown away and replaced with the truth of Scriptures like the one above.

The LAST kind of trash started out as trash, but is no longer trash.

These tiny cheeses each come wrapped in wax to stay fresh.

You peel open and eat the cheese, then throw away the wax—unless you're my daughter Elizabeth, who found a way to make treasure out of trash.

Elizabeth shaped this rose using only her fingers.

God can do the same thing.

The story of Joseph and the brothers who sold him into slavery 22 years earlier comes to a climax when they voice fear that he will now retaliate. Joseph responds:

"Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:19-20)

God used something as ugly as his brothers’ hatred to put Joseph where God could use him to save the lives of his family during a famine.

Every person here has been hurt by sin, and sin is always trash. But we have a God so good and so powerful that He can shape the leftovers of sin and hurt into something good, whether it is our own sin or someone else sinned against us.

God wants to heal our hearts from the hurt that sin causes. The first step is obtaining forgiveness from God, and then asking it of others. It’s just as important for us to forgive, even if we haven't been asked for forgiveness.

If Joseph hadn’t forgiven his brothers before they even knew who he was, he would have killed them or put them in prison instead of saving their lives. But because he forgave them, something bad became something good.

When we forgive the sins of others, we begin to turn evil into good. We begin to be free in our own hearts from the hurt they've caused us.

And in the practice of forgiving others, we also learn to forgive ourselves.

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This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments click here.

Vindication

Image: Biography of Cassie Bernall,
killed at Columbine High School immediately after
she answered "yes" when asked if she believed in God

"If you stand true to Jesus Christ you will find
that the world will react against you with a butt,
not with a caress, annoyed and antagonistic."
~ Oswald Chambers

Vindication

"And I will give power to my two witnesses ... they will prophesy ... fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies ... These have power to shut heaven ... and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire."
~ Revelation 11:3-6 (NKJV)

Imagine what faithfulness these two witnesses must have demonstrated, that God turns over the keys to His power. They have so closely aligned their will with God’s will that He allows them to kill whomever threatens them, and to destroy the earth according to their own desire.

What is the final challenge to such great faithfulness and power? The two fight the beast of the bottomless pit, they are overcome and killed, and they are denied the dignity of burial so that their many enemies may hold grandiose celebration around their decomposing bodies.

When we are faithful, we may anticipate that God will trust us with power to testify on His behalf—and perhaps allow us to suffer for His name’s sake. We could conceivably endure public humiliation or death.

Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.
~ Revelation 11:11-12 (NKJV)

The vindication of the two faithful witness will be public resurrection and ascension into Heaven, before the eyes of all who hate them.

If being a Christian causes us to experience any disrespect—however small or great—we can likewise anticipate a day of vindication and reward from our God.

The Lord forgets only our sins, not our gifts of faith and love.

Lord, please teach us to be faithful, that we might be found worthy of Your use. Please strengthen us to not shrink back from any form of ridicule or maltreatment, if it is for the sake of Your great name.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: sheppro.com

Difficult Sayings

Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
~ Revelation 10:10 (NKJV)

Difficult Sayings

The Bible has many difficult sayings. Some seem to be at odds with reason, some seem at odds with other portions of Scripture, and some simply defy us to apply them.

If you've been around this site even a little bit, you know how sweet I consider the words of the Bible. My heart leaps when the living Word speaks to me. But I'll admit that my stomach can likewise do a flip when God's Word issues a challenge such as Philippians 3:12-13 (NIrV):

I have not yet been made perfect.
But I move on ...
I forget what is behind me.
I push hard toward what is ahead of me.

How does one move on to grasp the impossible when one is not yet perfect enough to touch the reachable? How does one sufficiently forget and travel light—light enough to follow hard after Christ without falling out of step?

Anyone else care to share what difficult sayings you've run across in the Bible?

How great You are, our God. How small we are. How much we need You to understand, to reconcile, and to apply Your Word. Please give us such great love for you that we never grow weary in the effort.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: holytrinitytunstead.co.uk

Invisible Woman

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name ...
~ Hebrews 6:10 (NKJV)

Invisible Woman

This is the best message I can remember ever hearing condensed into such a brief time. Though it was offered to an audience of women, I believe it has much value for men as well—whether they need a reminder to keep their eyes open, or a reminder of their enduring purpose.



Video by Nichole Johnson, freshbrewedlife.com

Question of the Week: Religion or Spirituality?

What is the difference between religion and spirituality?
~ Renatta Szukhent, Michigan


Good question! Especially because when being religious is compared to having relationship with God, religion is worthless. But when placed next to spirituality, religion is absolutely necessary.

Worthless religion is religion narrowly defined by law or doctrine. It puts emphasis on good works or obedience to law to make a person righteous. People who pride themselves on how well their actions conform to the standards of their religion—especially when they look down on those who they feel do not conform—are also called pharisaical, after the Pharisees of Jesus' time.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls people everywhere to give up any attempt at being made righteous by any religion. Every person is guilty of sin and condemned to eternal death. The payment required for sin is death, not good works. (A death row inmate cannot compensate for his crime with community service.) As the only Man to never sin, Jesus is the only Person Who did not need to pay the death penalty for Himself. He was therefore able to pay the death penalty for us, and He did so by dying on the cross. (He stepped into our place before the Executioner.)

The blood of Jesus Christ is the only acceptable compensation for our sin, no matter how much good we do.

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified [made righteous], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
~ Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

To believe God raised Jesus is to believe in His death. To declare Jesus as Lord is to be purchased with His blood and belong to Him, to then be made righteous and repent of the sin which once condemned us, and to receive His Holy Spirit. Salvation includes the whole package.

Once saved, good works can't make us more righteous, and failure to do good works won't make us less righteous. Religion is no longer the law which condemns us, but the truth which defines our righteousness and faith.

Spirituality is uniting our will to the Holy Spirit of God so He might work into our lives His fruit: love, joy, peace, patient longsuffering, active and merciful kindness, goodness (godliness), faith-filled faithfulness, meek and humble gentleness, and temperate self-control. Again, it is an entire package, not pick and choose. Spirituality includes expressing such fruit with good works.

For those who belong to Jesus, religion might be called the foundation and framing, and spirituality the roof, floor and walls. The former is necessary for support, but will soon prove of little purpose unless covered with the latter. And the latter doesn't hold up well without the support of the former.

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image source: cha-amproperty.com

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This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments click here.

Sealed Up

"I know not what the future holds.
But I know Who holds the future."
~ Unknown

Sealed Answers

Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them."
~ Revelation 10:4 (NKJV)

I wonder why the Lord sealed up what the seven thunders said, but still told us that they said something.

I wonder lots of things.

Lord, how much longer before Your return? (Surely the world is too evil for God to tolerate much longer.)

Will You really rapture us before the Great Tribulation? (I want to believe that.) Or will we experience both tribulation and The Tribulation before You return as a thief and steal us away before the Wrath? (Best to be ready for either and stay tight with Jesus.)

The Lord has chosen to reveal many things, and to seal up other things. We all have questions about the future. He reminds us over and over to not be anxious about tomorrow.

Sufficient the trouble for today.

When it’s not possible to pray for all I need, what should I pray for most?

How do I experience Your rest when I live with the tension of being suspended between accepting Your will and engaging my will with You—being willing to have hope but not expectation? How do I keep caring enough without caring too much?

These are questions I still hope to have answered. Do you have questions with no answer? Do you have questions you keep asking in hope for one?

LORD, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
~ Psalms 131:1-2 (NKJV)

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: lonelyplanetimages.com

Not Appointed to Wrath

Not Appointed to Wrath

By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed ... The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
~ Revelation 9:18,20-21 (NIV)

Fast-forward from 2010 AD to Earth's Great Tribulation. A fourth of the population was killed at Revelation 6:8. A third are killed here at 9:18. If one guesses that a third of the original population was Christians (who were raptured and are now absent), the planet has lost perhaps three fourths of its people, perhaps more.

Those remaining are a stubborn group. They have some clue that God is making war upon them (see Revelation 6:16). Yet like the Pharaoh of Moses’ time, they refuse to bow to His will. As the plagues of God’s wrath intensify, so does the pride which despises the goodness of God and refuses repentance Romans 2:4-5.

Rewind back to 2010.

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
(1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NKJV)

The whole creation now groans because of sin (Romans 8:19-22). World governments are crumbling under waste and ineptitude. We who are Christ's face tribulation, trials, temptations.

But we are not appointed to wrath.

We are appointed to live together with Him (to abide in Jesus through His Word and Spirit), to comfort each other (one-on-one is implied), and to edify one another (build up the whole body).

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
~ Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV)

Rich comfort and peace and strength to each of you in such words.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: globalpost.com

Fire of Prayer

Fire of Prayer

"I pray because ...
God always intended to bring humans in on the act,
without letting them get proud in the process."
~ Tom Wright

: : :

And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.
~ Revelation 8:4-5 (NKJV)

Like the fire line (or firebreak) which is burned in the hope it will provide protection from a fire which might destroy protected area on the other side, our prayers for His mercy are currently presenting a barrier to God's wrath against humanity. Our prayers are even called incense, offered before the throne of God as a soothing aroma to Him.

One day, the church will be raptured from the earth. In an interesting turn of events, our prayers will provide the fire for the trumpet tribulations—cast down in various forms of fire—upon the remaining inhabitants of the earth.

I'm not sure what conclusion might be drawn from all that. But seeing the connection brings to mind the above quote and the below verse:

"For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you."
~ 1 Samuel 12:22-23 (NKJV)

What other thoughts can you offer?

Lord, teach us to pray. Help us be faithful to pray without ceasing—without giving up. Thank You for the privilege of allowing us to be engaged with Your will.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: iamthewordthecomforter.blogspot.com

Created for Glory

"The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible,
and only possible by the work of Christ,
that some of us, that any of us who really chooses ...
shall find approval, shall please God."
~ C.S. Lewis

Created for Glory

"Who are these arrayed in white robes ...? These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
~ Revelation 7:13-14 (NKJV)

A great deal is said in Bible dictionaries about the Greek word doxa, translated "glory." Zodhiates* includes this striking description:

... The true glory of man ... is the ideal condition in which God created man. This condition was lost in the fall and is recovered through Christ and exists as a real fact in the divine mind. The believer waits for this complete restoration. The glory of God is what He is essentially; the glory of created things including man is what they are meant by God to be, though not yet perfectly attained ...

We bear the image of God. We were created for glory.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
~ Romans 8:18 (NKJV)

The Hebrew netsach has multiple nuances and translations. It is used once as a name of God. It sometimes refers to "glory." It also refers to strength and vitality, and to the glorious, vibrant red color of wine—or of blood.

Revelation depicts the saints—created in the image of divinity—clothed in robes which are made glorious white by the blood of the Lamb.

Whatever else we think we might do to attain "glory"—of appearance, of reputation, of renown—the glory of the saint is revealed through the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, we cannot begin to comprehend all You have done for us. Please let us glimpse Your glory and long to manifest it, both now and in eternity.

: : :

* From The Complete Word Study Dictionary, © 1992 By AMG International, Inc., General Editor: Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: iamthewordthecomforter.blogspot.com

Ascribe Greatness to Our God

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be[long] to our God forever and ever. Amen."
~ Revelation 7:11-12 (NKJV)

"For I proclaim the name of the LORD:
Ascribe greatness to our God."
~ Deuteronomy 32:3 (NKJV)

Ascribe Greatness to Our God

The book of Revelation provides another glimpse of Heaven's worship. Those present ascribe greatness to our God using these seven words, (all seven are feminine nouns in the Greek):

Blessing (Greek eulogia)
fine speaking, elegance of language; commendation (“eulogy”), adoration; (different than a pronounced blessing which is bestowed)

Glory (doxa)
splendor or brilliance which excites admiration, or to which honor is ascribed; not merely outward glory, but glory from within which is reflected in appearance
(more tomorrow on God's glory in us)

Wisdom (sophia)
wisdom with clarity or in knowledge of relationship to God; (different than prudence)

Thanksgiving (eucharistia)
gratitude; grateful language as worship; response of accepting grace by one undeserving

Honor (timē, pronounced tee-MAY)
valuables; esteem of the highest degree; act of ascribing worth

Power (dunamis)
a force; miraculous power; ability or capability

Might (ischus)
strength, physical power, capacity

For
of Him and
through Him and
to Him are all things,
to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
~ Romans 11:36 (NKJV)

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: iamthewordthecomforter.blogspot.com

Traffic in Hope

"Hope is to be alive at this moment."
~ Maureen Doallas
from the poem "Hope Is"

: : :

I am guilty of counting time my enemy.

Time is too brief to appreciate the good.
Time is too crowded to accomplish the better.
Time is too protracted to touch the best.

Hope has been my study. Bible words for hope are connected to waiting with expectancy or with trust or with confidence, but always with that agonizing waiting which brings me to despise the time which is both too short and too long.

: : :

Whenever my first encounter with Maureen Doallas, I took notice of her nearly a year ago when I read a piece she wrote titled "Uncommon Community," about those dogged by cancer. This is an excerpt:

We need time. We want for time....

We struggle to hold on to faith when faith doesn't answer our questions. We have too many questions and not enough answers.

Mostly, we traffic in hope.

: : :

Everywhere I turned this week, Hope and Patience confronted me.

Maureen challenges me to make time my friend, to live with a hope placed not in the future, but in the moment—to traffic in hope rather than with time.

A video I encountered three days ago complements her words with an additional challenge for living in the moment: use whatever comes to my hand to make something wonderful, and say of the waiting, "This too shall pass."

For a moment, His anger,
For a lifetime, His favor;
For the night weeping may tarry,
But the morning is for rejoicing.
~ Psalms 30:5

: : :

THIS TOO SHALL PASS



You know you can't keep lettin' it get you down
And you can't keep draggin' that dead weight around.
If there ain't all that much to lug around, cultivate
Better run like hell when you hit the ground.

When the morning comes.
When the morning comes.

You can't stop these kids from dancin'.
Why would you want to?
Especially when you're already gettin' yours.
'Cause if your mind don't move and your knees don't bend,
well don't go blamin' the kids again.

When the morning comes. (Repeat ...)

Let it go, this too shall pass.
Let it go, this too shall pass.

Let it go, this too shall pass.
(You know you can't keep lettin' it get you down.
No, you can't keep lettin' it get you down.)

When the morning comes.

: : :

Postscripts:

Notre Dame fans may appreciate their marching band's unconventional performance with OK GO on an alternate video.

My prayer is that our nation will call to mind each September 11th that our only hope is dependence upon our Creator.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
"This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go © 2009 Capitol Records

Question of the Week: Relationship Priorities?

“Should you go to the person who needs you more or the person you love?”
~ Renatta Szukhent, Michigan

We are to love everyone. Everyone has needs we can meet. And the Bible's directions on how we respond to others is usually put in the context of relationship. So let’s look at priorities with one another based on relationship.

The greatest commandment gives God primary priority. Only when we first love Him with all heart, soul, mind, and strength are we able to truly love others or effectively minister to them.

The second commandment says love neighbor as self. Like the airline directive to don your own oxygen mask before assisting others, nurturing our own souls in God’s Word, Spirit and love enables us to love others equally.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
~ Philippians 2:4 (NKJV)

Here are priorities set by the Bible:

First: Spouse (with whom we’re one flesh, part of “self”) –
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
(Ephesians 5:28-29 NKJV;
also see Matthew 19:4-6 & 1 Corinthians 6:18)

Second: Immediate Household (parents and children) –
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
(1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV;
also see Ephesians 6:1-3 & 2 Corinthians 12:14)

Third: Household of Faith (Christians; called “brother” or “brethren”) –
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
(Galatians 6:10 NKJV;
also see Ephesians 4:1-6 & Romans 12:4-5)

Last: All Unbelievers (as the Lord brings them into our lives) –
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all ...
(1 Thessalonians 3:12 NKJV;
also see 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 & Luke 10:29-37)

[LATE ADDENDUM TO POST: – There is actually one more category of people the Bible places after this: the person who claims to be a Christian but lives in flagrant and continuing immorality, committing serious sin without repentance, bringing disgrace to the name of Christ.
See Matthew 18:15-17 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.]

The unbeliever might seem to have greater need for love and ministry than the believer, but the Bible gives preference to other Christians, with whom we are to be united.

We might seem judgmental to categorize others as "Christian" or "unbeliever," but the Bible makes that distinction, and also between "judgment" which condemns and "discernment" which protects.

No one is able to meet all the needs of others, no matter how close their relationship. The Lord alone is able to meet all human need. Maintaining a close relationship with the Lord enables us to discern how He desires to meet their needs through us.

And incidently, even God needs us—He needs the praise, worship, and fellowship which flow naturally out of our love for Him.

: : :

When she posed the above question, Renatta also asked about the difference between religion and spirituality. Next week's Q&A will tackle this.

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image source: 21stcenturystrategiesinc.com

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments click here.

Hostage to Promise

"All I have seen teaches me
to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo credit: Jason Erdkamp

Hostage to Promise

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
~ Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

Hope is my topic for a third time this week as I continue grappling with it. I've thus far spoken of hope as a wish, and hope as confident waiting for a reliable promise to be fulfilled. I sidestepped a third kind of hope. But it couldn't be avoided at Bridget Chumbley's blog carnival.

Hope is safe when placed in the reliable promises of God's Word, in which there can be no disappointment. A post by Tammy beautifully illustrated such hope with the rainbow:
"Christ is Light refracting in the world... the skies testify this Hope like a rainbow-written promise."

Jason Stasyszen compels me to admit to dangerous hope, founded not only on the promise of what will be, but also the promise—the potential—of what can be:
"Hope isn't flimsy, frail, or fragile
Hope is towering, strong and agile ...
I will put my wild hope in this untamed God ..."

Though hope of any kind does not disappoint when it Fully Relies On God (FROG), this dangerous hope—infused with intrepid boldness—risks disappointment, because presumption, self-reliance, and all manner of sin interfere with FROG.

I've lived fearlessly and chased impossible dreams. Enormous disappointments have resulted. At some point I closed my eyes in weariness, allowing the Lord to lead where He desires, a willing captive to hope in no more than His promises of what will be.

He won't let me off so easily. "Untamed God" asks me to put my hand in His, marry my will to His sovereignty, and once again grasp other hope—to remain willing hostage to promise of what can be.

I've yet to open my eyes and peek. But I can't imagine refusing Him.

"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him."
~ Job 13:15 (NIV)

: : :

Your indulgence is asked for one more mention of hope on Saturday, when I bring together a most unlikely pair: flamboyant OK GO and elegant Maureen Doallas.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Photo taken by Jason Erdkamp
Image source: writenow.wordpress.com

Expiration Date for Hope (Part II)

"Be joyful in hope ..."
~ Romans 12:12 (NIV)

Expiration Date for Hope (Part II)

I've been living with the notion that waiting is painful, and Heaven is the end of waiting. My recent ‘aha’ moment was the realization that waiting—and therefore hope—continues in Heaven. The expiration date for hope isn't when we first get there (yesterday’s Part I).

But waiting in Heaven can’t be painful. It surely has the excitement of anticipation, the pleasure of assurance, and plenty of joy.

And joyful hope is not exclusive to Heaven, because God's Word directs us to “Be joyful in hope."

Waiting for painful circumstances to change and difficult people (including me) to change can deplete hope before the expiration date on me and it. Yet I’ve found at least three ways to persevere with true hope:

Give thanks. We live in a suffering world. No matter what expectations are fulfilled, this place will have pain. We still have abundance of blessings worthy of our attention and gratitude.

Love others. Nothing pushes me out from under a black cloud faster than recognizing that I can’t offer much love from that place. I need to clothe myself in joyful hope to love others.

Offer praise. I do not sing “It is well with my soul” when I look at me or my life and see defect, but when I look upon my Lord and call to mind His perfect love with faith and hope.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
~ Philippians 1:20 (NIV)

We know that waiting is easier when we stay busy. The saints in Heaven stay busy giving thanks, expressing love, offering praise. If we do the same, we hasten the expiration on waiting—with joyful hope.

Lord, please help us keep our eyes on You, on others, and on Your blessings while we wait for You to fulfill all Your good promises.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: flickr.com

Expiration Date for Hope (Part I)

The theme for today’s blog carnival (hosted by Bridget Chumbley) is "Hope." To see what others are saying, visit her site
"One Word at a Time".


But for right now, until that completeness,
we have three things to do
to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God,
hope unswervingly,
love extravagantly.
And the best of the three is love.
~ Eugene Peterson, from The Message,
1 Corinthians 13:13

: : :

Expiration Date for Hope (Part I)

Hope. This blog carnival theme brought to mind three initial thoughts.

1. Hope can mean either "wish," without anything solid to rely upon ("I hope it doesn't rain"), or confident waiting for a reliable promise to be fulfilled.

2. Hope means waiting, whether it is expectant waiting (Hebrew yâchal—"hope, stay, tarry, trust"), or the possibly painful waiting engaged with someone else (Hebrew qâvâh—"twist together, writhe, lie in wait").

3. Hope, like faith, expires once it is fulfilled, unlike love, which lasts forever.

It comforts me to know that I won't always be waiting. When I get tired of waiting for various things with the wishing kind of hope, I remind myself to stick to the confident-expectation-in-God's-Word kind of hope. I know He'll fulfill some things on Earth, but everything will be fulfilled in Heaven. In Heaven, faith ceases when it becomes sight, hope is fulfilled, and waiting ends.

There is an expiration date for hope.

I'm presently blogging out of the book of Revelation, looking not at prophecy of events to come, but on prophecy which reveals the Lord Jesus and speaks of His bride, the church. Since chapter six was up for today, I thought to study it with "hope" in mind. This is what I read:

I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer ...
~ Revelation 6:9-11 (NIV)

(Close eyes. Smack palm on forehead. Groan.)

I must have read this passage—no exaggeration—fifty times, maybe even a hundred. And I just realized that waiting doesn't end in Heaven. Our loved ones are waiting for our arrival. Angels and saints alike are waiting for Earth's end game. Even the Lord Jesus is waiting for the day He will return and establish His kingdom.

Yes, there is an end of waiting, and an expiration date for hope—and it's not when we expire.

Consummation and the end of waiting doesn't happen when we reach the present Heaven, but when a new Heaven reaches us.

That is our confident expectation.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
~ Revelation 21:1 (NKJV)

Tomorrow, Part II—"Be Joyful in Hope" (Romans 12:12)

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: zazzle.com

The Book of Eli

"People had more than they needed,
people didn't know what was precious and what wasn't,
people threw away things they kill each other for now."
~ Eli, describing the pre-apocalyptic world

The Book of Eli

[God] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son ... [who is] upholding all things
by the word of His power ...
~ Hebrews 1:2-3 (NKJV)

By request, I'm today sharing some thoughts about the movie The Book of Eli.

Aside from historicals, I generally avoid movies of gratuitous violence. But I’m one HUGE fan of the Book of Elohim (also called Holy Bible), so there was no way I’d miss a movie centered upon pursuit of a Bible for the power in its words.

As with any other post-apocalyptic movie, one must suspend belief in the Bible's version of end-time events to engage with the story line. The irony here is that the story asks the viewer to believe that the Bible holds words so powerful that one man (Eli) will kill to protect it, and one man (Carnegie) will kill to obtain it for his personal ambition.

I have enough imagination to suspend belief in both prophecy and the movie's various technical oversights while I watch the story.

Eli's use of violence (beyond self-defense) didn't bother me. In society, government is responsible for administration of justice. In a vacuum of governmental authority, where vigilante justice rules, Eli demonstrates righteous use of the supernatural protection and defense tactics he employs. He seeks peace with other men, but does not tolerate their evil attacks on innocent people. I am reminded of Samson, who God used to punish evil Philistines in a similar manner.

As in societies the world over throughout human history, most people in the movie employ power through physical might rather than intelligence or honor. Women are the physically weaker sex, and therefore exploited by the evil and protected by the righteous. The movie's R-rated profanity is not gratuitous. Both these elements are realistic rather than sensational.

Jesus is never mentioned. Such a glaring oversight might be expected in a movie which operates on more Old Testament principles than New Testament ones. I appreciate the movie's scriptwriters' expression of faith in divine protection and preservation of God's Word, and in the great power of God's Word—power which men employ for good or evil. But failure to see the truth in that power as relevant to the story shows their faith to be marginal.

Despite its many flaws, faith was in evidence throughout The Book of Eli. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it. Aside from The Passion of the Christ, this is the only R-rated movie I've allowed my 11-year-old son to see. (I had him skip an attempted rape scene.)

And the ending scenes had too many good surprises for me to spoil them here.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image are from the movie "The Book of Eli," © 2010 Alcon Entertainment

Holy Beauty Preparation

Today I share what might be seen as a somewhat fanciful perspective of brokenness in contrast with praise and worship.

Praise lifts up hands and voice,
exalts the Lord,
and provides a throne for Him.

Worship bows low,
makes oneself small,
and invites the Lord to bend and show favor.

Brokenness is not a superficial crack or chink. Brokenness thoroughly shatters, releasing sin and pride. It hurts, bringing plentiful tears which make the heart soft and tender. It makes one weak enough to cry out to One with strength.

Brokenness serves as a holy beauty preparation if one chooses to use it that way. It prompts a bride to be perfumed and anointed, to be clothed in finest linen of bright righteousness, and to call out to her Bridegroom with the invitation, "Come, lie in the bosom which has been made soft for You, and find the place of Your rest."

Brokenness invites the Lord to look, and then to display His strength.

"For the eyes of the LORD
run to and fro throughout the whole earth,
to show Himself strong on behalf
of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
~ 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

I Wept Much

"Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?"
And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy ...
~ Revelation 5:2-4 (NKJV)

I have wept much. My family knows I cry at movies, happy and sad alike, and sometimes they see other tears. But the tears go back to well before their time.

Because one I trusted for protection dealt harshly with me, spurned my innocence, and abandoned me, I wept much. When those dearest to me died, when they suffered at the hands of others or for their own mistakes, or when they chose to persist in a living death, I wept much. There were times when I was rejected, ridiculed, or unfairly judged, and I wept much.

I wept enough to suffer eye problems, stomach problems, skin problems, breathing problems, memory problems. I wept enough to despair of life, for many years before I knew Jesus, and again after many years of walking with Him. I wept enough to understand how a woman could literally wash the filth of ancient Israel's streets from a man's feet with her tears.

My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my body!
For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
~ Psalms 31:9-10 (NKJV)

I understand the tears of the sinful woman who bathed Jesus' soon-to-be-pierced feet with them, because of all the things over which I have wept much, my sin tops the list. I cannot bear to think of all the suffering caused by my sin to myself, to others, and to my precious Lord. I despise the thoughts, feelings, words and actions of which I'm yet capable.

Those who have eyes filled with tears
should live as though they have no sorrow.
~ 1 Corinthians 7:30 (GW)

I am able to go on living with hope only because of a day 25 years ago. I possessed the book with words of life and light and love, but was not worthy to break its seals. The One Who gave His life for me broke open the seals, showering me with Truth.

I now know of the God Who has saved me from my oppressive sin, does not condemn me for it, and washes feet which still walk in filth; I know of His promise too never to forsake me; I know His comfort and love.

I identify with John's words "I wept much" not because I've also done so, but because of where I'd be without the words on that scroll.

: : :

Today's post was to be on the movie The Book of Eli. That will appear on Monday instead, with posts on the Revelation of Jesus Christ resuming on Tuesday after the holiday weekend.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: What is Marriage?

In God's eyes, what is marriage? What is divorce?

~ Jodi, Michigan

The short answer I'd offer is that marriage is God making two people one flesh and divorce is humans ripping flesh apart:

[Jesus] said to them, "... 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh' ... they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV)

Marriage is the lifelong covenant relationship between a man and woman, instituted by God for our temporal time on earth, officially established by formal vows made before witnesses. Among the purposes of marriage are:

• Supportive human companionship (Genesis 2:18)
• Procreation of godly offspring (Genesis 1:28)
• To clarify God's relationship with His people (Ephesians 5:22-33)

Marriage is the most significant human relationship, but it is only a model of a bigger, spiritual relationship between God and His people. We are to love the Lord and be united to Him physically (yielding our bodies to His Holy Spirit), in mind (conforming our way of thinking to His), in heart (loving who and what He loves), and in soul (our identity is attached to Jesus Christ).

"The goal in marriage is not to think alike,
but to think together."
~ Robert Anderson

"One flesh" signifies that two people are joined not just physically, but also by thinking together from different perspectives, by sharing desires and aspirations, and uniting their identities as part of each other.

Through His relationship with us, God also indicates how we respond to an imperfect spouse. God loves us despite our neglect, shortcomings, misplaced priorities, and indifference. He asks us to do the same.

The Old Testament permitted a man to divorce his wife for sexual "uncleanness" (or "shamefulness"), though the Jews came to divorce for other kinds of disfavor. Jesus made clear that while Moses permitted divorce because of hardened hearts, only sexuality immorality provided legitimate grounds for divorce. Paul went on to explain that a Christian shouldn't divorce an unbelieving spouse, but was released from the marriage only if the unbelieving spouse abandons the Christian.

God calls divorce "violence." Its effect upon our souls is no less than if we ripped an arm off a person, separating flesh from flesh. An arm would only be amputated when it contains disease which has already separated it from life in the body.

It might be said that when all other means of recovery have failed to restore the member diseased with sexual immorality or abandonment, divorce cuts off what is already dead. To use divorce for lesser reason is to commit unnecessary violence to ourselves and to the model of God's enduring covenant.

A final note: The sanctity of the marriage covenant never demands self-sacrifice which allows oppressive abuse. Jesus says, "... learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' "

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image source: 123nonstop.com

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments click here.

Bodies and Souls of People

"We either love people or we control them.
There's little room for anything else.
And it's far easier to control them than to love them."
~ John Eldredge

Bodies and Souls of People

"Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?" ...
"You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; because You were slain, and You redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and language and people and nation ..."
~ Revelation 5:2,9 (EMTV)

And the merchants of the earth will weep and will mourn ... for no one buys their cargo any more: cargo of gold and of silver ... and of bodies and souls of people.
~ Revelation 18:11-13 (ALT)

Though Jesus is divine Son of God, other reasons are given for Him Who is both Lion of Judah and Lamb of God to be worthy of opening the scroll which declares God's will.

You were slain ...
The Greek word sphazō means slaughter, as in sacrifice. The human Jesus did not use His sinless perfection to claim exemption from sin's death penalty, but in sacrifice for all the humans subjected to death, whom He loves.

The Son of God asked for no privilege above other people—how can we?

... and You redeemed us to God by Your blood ...
"Redemption" speaks of purchase. The world is filled with people who fulfill themselves by using the strength, sex, or ideas from bodies and souls of others like commodities. Jesus created bodies and souls of people for the highest of all purposes—a dwelling place for God Himself—and bought them with His blood to be used for nothing less.

Might we see bodies and souls of people as either temples of God, or having the potential for that noble purpose?

... out of every tribe and language and people and nation ...
In what group of people do you feel out of place? Is there a part of town you avoid because you're the "wrong" color? Do you fail to understand what certain people are talking about? No such place exists with Jesus. His love is unconditional and recognizes no such distinctions.

There is no room for exclusion among the people of Jesus.

One last thought, on that opening quote. Though He has purchased us for Himself, Jesus loves us rather than controls us, allowing us to freely return His love—or not.

Thank You, Jesus. Thank You. You alone are worthy of our highest praise, our bowed down worship, and all the expanse of love we can offer.

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: arts.vic.gov.au

Praise You

"You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created."
~ Revelation 4:11 (NKJV)

These are the words of praise heavenly saints offer to complement praise of angels.

Today, rather than my own words, I offer words sung by our church orchestra, accompanied by the dance of earthly saints.

(If you don't have time for the entire video and wish to see the dancers, we enter at about 2:00. Please excuse the mediocre recording quality.)

PRAISE YOU



Wisdom and majesty, power and glory be
Unto Your holy name now and forevermore.

O God Who spoke creation
Whose Word has formed all things
We praise You
O God Who reigns forever
Immortal King of kings
We praise You
You dwell in holy light
You rule with pow’r and might
Heaven and earth unite
To praise You

Before Your throne of glory
Angelic anthems soar
We praise You
This world of endless wonder
Stands to applaud and thunder
Praise You

O God we bow before You
And in Your awesome presence
Praise You
For You alone are worthy
Our hearts with fear and rev’rence
Praise You
O Sov’reign Lord You reign
The universe proclaims
The splendor of Your name
We praise You

With saints who’ve gone before us
Our spirits shout in chorus
Praise You
With highest adoration
This is our declaration
Praise You

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, almighty.
The whole earth is full of His glory.

Wisdom and majesty, power and glory be
Unto Your holy name now and forevermore.

Before Your throne of glory
Angelic anthems soar
We praise You
This world of endless wonder
Stands to applaud and thunder
Praise You

Wisdom and majesty, power and glory be
Unto Your holy name now and forevermore.

Before Your throne of glory
Angelic anthems soar
This world of endless wonder
Stands to applaud and thunder
Praise You!

Words and music of “Praise You” by Tony Wood and Brian Petak
© 2004 New Spring Publishing Inc.
#worshipdance