Audacity in the Face of God

[Note: It's been a year since I did daily posts. I sense the time has come to do so again. See my blog sidebar for the planned schedule. ~ Anne]

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Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
~ Genesis 4:9 (NKJV)

And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! ... I shall be hidden from Your face ..."
~ Genesis 4:13-14 (NKJV)

When I read this passage, I am astonished that Cain could stand in the face of God, blatantly lie, and show such flippant audacity.

Then I am forced to ask myself how often the Holy Spirit confronts me plainly, and I feign uncertainty that I hear His voice, or I have the audacity to not heed His promptings at once.

And it is more than I can bear to wonder what blessings I forfeit as a consequence.

Lord, please keep us mindful to respond to Your Spirit's voice as if we could see Your face.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Victory's Demand

[Note: It's been a year since I did daily posts. I sense the time has come to do so again. See my blog sidebar for the planned schedule. ~ Anne]

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Twice a week, I sit in a church gymnasium with one eye on a laptop and the other on my two sons' martial arts class. The "ki hap!" yells which punctuate the group's kicks and thrusts are merely white noise, but silent sparring interrupts me when my boys are front and center.

A group of cheerleaders recently joined the white noise. The last portion of their practice overlaps the early portion of Tang Soo Do class, resulting in an interesting cacophony when both sides of the gym are engulfed in top-of-the-lungs shouting.

On the east half of the gym, perky misses with scant clothing bounce and smile and impossibly maneuver limbs through the cheers intended to propel athletes through whatever scheduled contest their team confronts. On the west half of the gym, solemn students practice techniques which are occasionally displayed in tournament competition, but might never be confronted with a surprise contest to defend life of self or loved one.

One group trains to bolster an arranged battle where teams aggressively engage each other. One group trains for a potential battle they must avert when it is honorably possible.

Both groups develop stamina and push through pain with the fervor victory demands. Both pursue individual excellence, to be employed on behalf of others.

Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control ...
~ 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (GNB)

Few of us train for the gold medal in track or spar daily to prepare for a boxing match.

But all of us need to train hard and train daily for spiritual contests. We need endurance for the grueling race of life, and well-practiced maneuvers for the spiritual battles certain to ambush us. Running our eyes over a few Bible verses and thrusting out words of "thank You" and "please God?" toward the air of Heaven isn't going to produce the excellence Paul directs us to demand of ourselves as a necessity.

We know the war is won. But we can still suffer casualties during the daily battles if we fail to regularly train with the fervor victory demands.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

First Light

[Note: It's been a year since I did daily posts. I sense the time has come to do so again. See my blog sidebar for the planned schedule. ~ Anne]

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God said, "Let there be light" ... And God saw the light, that it was good... So the evening and the morning were the first day.
~ Genesis 1:3-5 (NKJV)

Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth ... So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
~ Genesis 1:16-17,19 (NKJV)

First light was created on the first day.
The earth was created on the third day.
Light for the earth was created on the fourth day.

It stands to reason that our eyes have not yet beheld first light.

But as it is written: "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 2:9 (NKJV)

I cannot begin to imagine the glory of first light.

Thank You, Lord, for all the surprises You've laid up for us.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: Aren't Rules of Forgiveness Unfair?

by Anne Lang Bundy

"We are most like men when we judge.
We are most like God when we forgive."
~ Anonymous

If God required a sacrifice to forgive, why should I be asked to forgive without receiving one?
~ Anonymous

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, how could the master put the servant in prison for a debt that had been forgiven?
~ J.F.

Since the master in the parable represents God, both questions imply that God unfairly applies the rules of forgiveness. There are innumerable responses that might offered for the first question. The answer offered here today will address the aspect of ownership, nicely illustrated by the parable in the second question.

Declaring bankruptcy was not an option in ancient times. Debts were paid by selling your possessions, by selling your family members or yourself as slaves, or by going to prison unless someone of means paid the debt on your behalf. Jesus tells a parable of a servant who owes millions of dollars. His master says the man, his family, and his possessions will be sold in payment. The man begs for mercy and patience to make good on his debt—as if he can. The master shows great mercy by simply forgiving the debt.

Take note that the servant is already a slave (Greek doulos). All he has belongs to the master anyway. Being sold would have separated him from his family and given him a different master, but forgiveness has not given him ownership of himself. The forgiven slave still serves at his master's pleasure, and he has incurred a new debt—the debt of gratitude.

The master owns the slave, the debt, all assets the slave considers his own, and all the slave's service. The master also owns a fellow slave whom the first slave assaults and imprisons for a minor debt. And since the master owns both slaves, he actually owns that minor debt, too. In forgiving the first debt and wiping the slate clean, the master has effectively wiped out the associated debt of the second slave.

If debtor's prison serves as punishment and deterrent for willfully acquiring debt without ability or intent to repay, then the first slave deserved prison in the first place. His refusal to extend a small measure of mercy not only proves him evil and unworthy of the mercy he received, but his ingratitude trivializes the master's goodness. The slave's actions say to the master: "What you gave me is insignificant compared to what this other slave should give me."

Jesus Christ is the payment for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.
~ 1 John 2:2 (GW)

When Jesus was crucified, His sacrifice paid the death penalty every one of us owes God for our sins. Once I accept application of that payment to my account, it also wipes out whatever sin debt I think someone else owes me, and which is actually owed to our mutual Master.

Though we may ask for our offenders to be held accountable, we cannot ask for sacrifice. The sacrifice for all sin has already been made.

[POST SCRIPT: Please see the comments below for more discussion of Jesus' atonement and God's authority to require it.]

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This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

For more on the reasons to forgive and the associated blessings, see Why Forgive?

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
image source: jshinn.wordpress.com

Hour of Eternity's Winter

We lived without care—
Our lives fast, our fun full.
Even when heat scorched
Though drought consumed life
We thought it should always be so
In that summer of our lives.
We knew not the nature of seeds sown
Nor saw the fruit bending boughs low.

Sin grew ripe and dropped heavily
Bedding down in children of dust.
Its abundance fermented and grew putrid
We staggered and fell in drunken stupor.
Laid low and lying in filth
Your Spirit blew upon us.
You covered us in crimson
And invited us to taste Your death.

Our sins blanketed and made white
We now dwell in eternity's winter.
Howling winds of barren world
Batter and bend, sculpt and suppress.
In our cove of quiet shelter
We hear Your voice whisper.
Seed buried and secure
Waits for touch of Son.

Herald's call shall sound forth
Dry bones shall awaken
Body of splendor shall rise
Touch shall stretch to embrace
Seed and soil become one
Birthing perfection of life
Sowing and harvest shall cease
In season of endless Paradise.


Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be ...
So also is the resurrection of the dead.
The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.
~ 1 Corinthians 15:36-37,42-43 (NKJV)

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This post is part of a blog carnival hosted by Peter Pollock.
You're invited to visit his site and see what others are saying
about today's theme: Winter

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: marycaytonministries.com

Question of the Week: What about the Jews?

by Anne Lang Bundy

Western Wall, Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Photo credit: Rafael Ben-Ari

Are the Jews of today heirs to the covenant made with Abraham? Are all Jews saved? Will the Lord ... allow resurrected Jews to accept Christ?
~ T. Anne Adams

God does not forget the people of His covenants or fail to provide for them.

When Jeremiah 31:31-37 prophesies of the New Covenant (the covenant established through Jesus's death), the Lord makes clear that not only is Israel heir to that covenant, but He gives the covenant specifically to Israel.

Jesus directed His Jewish followers to actively seek converts to the New Covenant. More Gentiles than Jews accepted it, and those New Covenant Jews assimilated with Gentiles and ceased practicing the Old Covenant. In time, New Covenant Jews were no longer distinguished as Jews, while Old Covenant Jews still are. This has resulted in a notion called Replacement Theology, which says the church of Jesus has replaced Israel as heir to the promises which God made to His chosen people.

Replacement Theology is not Scriptural. Although the covenant made with Moses was made obsolete by the New Covenant, covenants made with Noah, Abraham, and David are still in effect.

However, Jews are not heirs to God's covenants because of their human bloodline, but because of their faith:

Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
~ Galatians 3:6-7 (NKJV)

Righteousness has always come by faith in the Lord and calling upon His name (Romans 10:11-13). All Jews are not saved, because not all Jews have the faith of Abraham. But there are many Jews with the faith of Abraham who do not yet know Jesus is their Messiah. God has promised a day when they will accept Jesus as their Lord.

Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.
~ Romans 11:25-26 (NKJV)

"All Israel" refers not to every Jew, but every Jew of faith. There are numerous interpretations of how Israel will be saved in connection with The Tribulation and end times. But the Bible indicates there is no second chance to come to faith after death.

The Lord has already begun to fulfill this last verse. He not only restored Israel as a nation just 63 years ago, after 1878 years with no country, but many Jews have come to faith in Jesus since that time. My own take on "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in" is that a day will come when the Lord reveals to all of faithful Israel that Jesus is Messiah, and that the Holy Spirit will not bring any more Gentiles to faith when that point is reached.

I personally believe the end is very near.

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Relentless Love

Various love stories share the common premise of a person who must duplicate previous expressions of affection, day after day. The person who is object of devotion cannot remember prior attachment, whether the storyline involves a physical disorder or fantasy. Happy endings usually bring a day of transformation when relationship is recognized, love is reciprocated, and the pattern is finally broken.

My tears spring easily during any touching scene in even children's cartoons—(call me "Waterworks"). But the theme of a relentless love which endures in one heart and cannot be remembered by another moves me most deeply of all. These poignant tales stay with me for days, with an accompanying lump in my throat.

Such a story crossed my path two days ago. And for the first time, I see a spiritual parallel.

Our God often duplicates a particular expression of His affection and deliverance because we do not remember previous incidents of love and redemption. It's not that we forget, as above, but that we fail to remember. We're as helpless as characters who cannot remember. Whether The Fall altered memory bank brain cells or mortality weakens them, we have limited recall of the past.

A repeating pattern occurs throughout the books of Judges and Kings: deliverance, praise and prosperity, forgetfulness and backsliding, idolatry and lost prosperity, oppression and suffering, remembrance and repentance, cry for help and deliverance. When the people got stuck in forgetfulness and unrepentance, the Lord stepped in with horrific punishment followed by 70 years of exile, and the pattern was finally broken.

Perhaps Christians do not forget as badly, fall so far, and suffer such extreme discipline. But we tend to get stuck in ruts and routines which dampen affection, little or much. Circumstance can lure us into negative thought patterns which bring despair. Lies can be repeated often enough that we fail to remember Truth.

If we think we cannot wait another day or hour or minute for our circumstances to change, perhaps we need only call to mind past deliverance and be assured that our Deliver is standing by, waiting for the right moment to step in. If adversity brings us a taste of death, I think it is because we fail to remember the life in us.

When brokenness overwhelms, we need only recall past healing to find hope for the moment.

Regardless of whether our memory clicks in instantly or after duplicate expressions of affection, we can be sure that our God is showing His deep love, day after day, always waiting for us to remember past deliverance, recognize depth of relationship, and reciprocate relentless love.

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I am now a biweekly contributor to Everyday Testimony, where a few words of fresh thanks are daily given to God from a variety of His people. My prayer there today, of gratitude for recent deliverance, coincides with this post.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Promise

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets
even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music,
or Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well that all the
hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.' "
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Every man and woman, boy and girl has a gift and a place to use that gift for the Lord's kingdom. Whatever the body of believers in Jesus Christ lacks, it lacks because someone has not been enfolded into the body, empowered by the Word, and encouraged with our words.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him... do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.
~ Colossians 3:17,23 (NKJV)

Every person, every word and deed—however distinguished or humble—holds promise for glorifying God.

Lord, please give Your people this day a new appreciation for diversity of people and diversity of gifts which crosses all lines of denomination, race, gender, status, and age.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: What Does Sancitifed Mean?

What did Jesus mean when He said He sanctified Himself?
~ Bud Ezekiel

This question comes from the following prayer of Jesus, immediately before His crucifixion:

"They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."
~ John 17:16-19 (NKJV)

The word "sanctify" means to set apart as holy. Jesus was already absolutely holy before His crucifixion, so what could sanctify Him?

He appears to be referring to the sacrifice of Himself He is about to make, and how this affects us. When considering what the words may have meant to Jesus, these words can be applied to a Christian's day to day life.

In the Old Testament, some animals were set apart from the rest of the herd or flock for the purpose of being sacrificed to God. But if a priest rejected an animal as blemished, it would be used for other, non-sacred purposes. The set apart animal wasn't completely sacred, or sanctified, until the sacrifice was completed.

During Jesus' earthly ministry, He was completely set apart to do His Father's work. If He had healed and driven out demons, preached repentance, revealed the Father to us, set a good example for us, and then returned to Heaven without dying on the cross, we would have surely judged His ministry excellent.

But His ministry would have served us for only this world.

Jesus went further. He also set Himself apart as a sacrifice for sin, and then perfected that sanctification with the completion of sacrifice. Jesus didn't simply come to make our lives better in this world. He laid down His life in payment for our sin so we could have the eternal life that begins in this world, bypasses all spiritual death, and continues into the next world.

We receive eternal life when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and give ourselves to Him. Although salvation justifies us by changing our status before God from "sinner" to "righteous saint," the process of being set apart from the world—while at the same time being sent out into the world—continues with every choice we make. Even matters as simple as what to wear or eat provide opportunity to testify, "I live for this world," or, "I live for God."

Truth sanctifies us. Example: If I make lifestyle choices which indulge my desires, and I tell myself it doesn't matter, I believe a lie and live for this world. If I know the truth which says my body is set apart to God as His Holy Spirit's temple, and that knowledge prompts me to make healthy choices, then the truth sanctifies me.

Each sacrifice, however large or small, sanctifies us. The process of being increasingly set apart to God not only honors Him, but enables us to experience His presence and eternal life more fully.

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: worshipconcordjournal.wordpress.com

A Promise from Jesus

"Come to Me,
all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
~ Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

What is before you that seems like just too much, whether a task or a circumstance or a person?

Bring it to Jesus—not in only a moment's prayer of, "Help, Lord!" and not just today. Spend enough time with Jesus that you become yoked to Him in this matter, and feel Him shouldering the burden you carry.

"... and you will find rest for your souls ..."

This is His promise.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

What's Unreasonable to Do is Treasure

"You can't take it with you—
but you can send it on ahead."
~ Dean Stewart

"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you ..."
~ Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

Who invites a second slap upon the cheek? What defendant offers the plaintiff double? Without the Holy Spirit, our response to such directives is incredulity rather than compliance.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ..."
~ Matthew 6:19-20 (NKJV)

Each time we love and bless and do good is a deposit into our stores of heavenly treasure.

Lord, Your wisdom and love defy human logic. Please increase our faith to trust and obey You.


Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

After the Broken

This post is part of a blog carnival hosted by Peter Pollock.
You're invited to visit his site and see what others are saying
about today's theme: Broken.

"... this is My body which is broken for you ..."
~ 1 Corinthians 11:24 (NKJV)

Perhaps, when we are broken, and think it not possible to endure our pain, we forget the utter brokenness of our precious Jesus.

His majesty was broken down when He stepped into flesh and became a Man.

His reputation was broken when His mother became pregnant out of wedlock and He was reckoned a bastard.

His ties to home were broken when He became homeless for the sake of the hopeless.

His heart was broken when His people rejected His message.

His will was broken at Gethsemane when He laid it down before the Father's will.

His flesh was broken with unconscionable abuse that we might be healed.

He was broken by death that we might have life.

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
~ Romans 6:4 (NKJV)

Perhaps, after we've been broken and have died to what we thought necessary, we will remember that death must precede resurrection and newness of life.

The LORD builds up ...
He gathers together ...
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
~ Psalms 147:2-3 (NKJV)

Our Father, You are the Potter, we are the clay. Have Your way with us. Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us. Break us as pleases You. Let us fall into Your hand, for Your mercies are great.

"We are to be broken bread and poured-out wine for the lifting up of [others]."
~ Oswald Chambers

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image from the movie Passion of the Christ © 2004 Icon Productions

Question of the Week: Do Christians Sin?

"Good and Evil: The Devil Tempting a Young Woman"
Andre Jacques Victor Orsel 1832
Image source: art.com

Is it true that Christians "can't" sin?
~ Hannah Meyer

This question usually arises from 1 John 3:9-10. Here's the Analytical Literal Translation (ALT) text:

Every one having been begotten from God is not practicing sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to be sinning, because he has been begotten from God. By this are revealed [who are] the children of God and the children of the devil: every one not practicing righteousness is not from God, and the one not loving his brother.

Here is why the child of God, born again in Jesus, does not sin.

God's Word reproduces spiritual life in His children, not sin.
To be "begotten from God," is to be born again through the seed of God. Whether seed is of a plant, human, or God Himself, "seed" implants and reproduces life. God's seed is His Word (logos, Greek for "word"), whether manifest as Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), or as the living sayings of God from the Bible (Hebrews 4:12). If the Word of God is implanted in a person and takes hold, the spiritual life of God is reproduced in His new child.

God's children gain the legal standing of Jesus—"righteous."
Those who receive God's seed—His Word, Jesus—and allow it to reproduce spiritual life are born as immortal, spiritual beings. God does not call us His children as only an affectionate metaphor. We receive a legal status of child and heir. We receive Jesus' life (sinless) in place of our life (sinful). Our standing before God is changed from "sinner" to "righteous." We are no longer guilty of any sin. No matter what we do, it is not counted against us as sin.

God's children grow in likeness to God, hating sin ...
Though we gain a new spiritual status, we continue to live in sinful flesh, which dies. As we grow in likeness to God, sin is something we will become increasingly aware of (see Romans 7:15-20), continue to repent of, and hate enough to not willfully practice. Paul describes the situation of sinning but hating it as "wretched," and comforts us with the words, "Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."

... while practicing righteousness and love.
Children of the King are royalty, who are not judged by the law, but are instead members of His court, outside the law. However, the King holds His royal children to a higher standard of character than mere duty to obey the law. We are to behave as royalty, like the King Himself, out of love for our Father. And though we are no longer subject to the death penalty of law, we are subject to the discipline of our Father, Who takes a dim view of His children defaming His name with bad behavior.

A shorter explanation might modify the cancer mantra and simply say, "I may have sin, but sin doesn't have me."

For further information on this topic, readers may be interested in
"Lie of Hell #2: No More Worry About Sin."

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Place of Peace

The name of the LORD [YHWH] is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.
~ Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

To run to any one of the many names of our God is to call upon it in prayer, to live in accordance with its character, to bless it at every opportunity.

If security and peace are interdependent, then running to the Lord's name in any moment of distress will surely bring peace.

Thank You, dear Jesus Yeshua, for the power and peace and protection in Your precious name, in the name of the LORD—YHWH.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Light for S.A.D.D.

Photo credit: courtesy Bud Ezekiel Hitchcock

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked ...
~ Genesis 3:7 (NKJV)

It's been suggested that Adam and Eve were clothed with the holy Light of God before they sinned, and their physical nakedness was only manifest in the loss of such spiritual clothing.

Worse than the S.A.D.D. that may threaten with winter's dim skies and short days would be the profound sadness of having full fellowship with the Creator and be clothed with His Light—and then lose it. I sometimes have the audacity to question if the Lord really needed to make mankind’s consequences any worse.

He surely did. We have so many blessings to distract ourselves from fellowship with our Lord. If we felt no more than the loss of that fellowship—if the world was not filled with suffering, to remind us that this really isn’t the way the Lord planned for things to be—we might convince ourselves that we can get along quite nicely without Him.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
~ John 8:12 (NKJV)

Certain light bulbs are said to relieve winter S.A.D.D. for some people. The only remedy which seems to help me is The Light—Jesus. But even The Light of the world doesn’t work for me in small doses. I need to bathe in it.

If sunbathing requires a person to strip away as many clothes as is decent and expose plenty of skin to solar light, then Sonbathing is to strip away as many thoughts as are distracting and expose plenty of soul to Holy Light.

What would we do if our God did not love us so much that He pulls back the shade of this world's darkness and beckon us to immerse ourselves in His Word, bathe in His presence by pouring out our hearts to Him, and surround ourselves with His people?

"Let your light shine before others, so that they will see the beauty of your labors and will recognize your Father in Heaven."
~ Matthew 5:16 (author)

If we do not accept His invitation to be infused with Light, what will be the condition of others in darkness, who need to know Him?

Thank You, Lord, for not leaving us in darkness. Thank You for the beauty and strength and comfort of Your Light. Please shine Your love to others through us, even if we don't notice it passing through.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail me ~ buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.