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
You know I had never thought that the Lord carried with Him the stigma of being born out of wedlock, such a powerful stigma that it was. Only a decade or so ago was it still frowned upon by most and now every sin that was instinctual for us to understand has been stripped as the enemy turns our world upside. (Sorry for the rant). It saddens me that He was born with that bruise on His existence, but with the insight from the bigger picture it was a beautiful thing to be conceived by the Holy Spirit to save all mankind.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, this phrase jumped off the screen:
ReplyDelete"His will was broken at Gethsemane when He laid it down before the Father's will."
I want my will to be broken. Your post has helped me today. Thanks for sharing.
Jesus became a broken thing, so that all of us broken things could be mended - and have life. Wonderful post, Anne.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I kept singing, "Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up."
ReplyDeleteSuch a powerful reminder here. Something I will be praying about today.
In His likeness...
~ Wendy
The great physician knows well how to heal "broken."
ReplyDelete"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."
ReplyDeleteVery true.
I remember looking at a picture of Jesus being crowned with thorns when I was a little girl and crying "Why Daddy? Why did they have to kill Him?" and my daddy answered "Without Good Friday there is no Easter." As a child, I couldn't wrap my brain around it, but it is very true.
This post encouraged me to find my place at the foot of the cross. Broken, I come. And His blood can heal.
ReplyDeleteThere were many powerful phrases in this post!
T ~
ReplyDeleteThough Jesus might have been unconcerned with the stigma associated with His birth, He did despise the overwhelming shame of our filthy sin upon Him (Hebrews 12:2).
Scott ~
ReplyDeleteIf I forget other times, I try to remember when celebrating the Lord's table that I have commUnion with broken flesh—broken Self.
Glynn ~
ReplyDeleteNicely said. Your "Broken" post was SO good. And thanks. : )
Wendy ~
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if "humble yourself" was always enough, and we never needed the nudge of being broken. But "in His likeness" does make it worthwhile, after the broken.
Susan ~
ReplyDeleteHe knows, and He does. Halle-lu Yah!
Helen ~
ReplyDeleteI think your little child is still there, and understands better. You've been a beautiful example to others. Thank you. The Lord remembers.
Duane ~
ReplyDeleteI'm encouraged by your comment. My first thought about "broken" was to write about the way a little kid brings stuff before a parent to be fixed, and the way our Father fixes us and the stuff in our lives. After about an hour of writing in circles, I prayed, and all I could think about was the brokenness of Jesus.
The magnitude of brokenness that He suffered for us puts our own brokenness and that of the world in proper perspective. The reality that He offered Himself as redemption and restoration for us is humbling and amazing. Thanks for pointing us to Him, Anne. Great post.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe you can write that post about the toys in the future. :) It's amazing how sometimes our pens and fingers just go in a different direction that we thought they would.
ReplyDeleteIt's proof that Someone Else controls them. :)
It's amazing, after documenting the brokenness of our lord, how we can still NOT come to him because we ourselves are broken, and we think we need to be fixed first.
ReplyDeleteThat was a beautiful post, sister. It was a reminder of all that was broken so that our souls could be mended. Love and miss you!
ReplyDeleteThe One who was broken for us is the same One who lives to intercede, save, heal and deliver us. How amazing is our God! Blessings.
ReplyDeleteSuch a precious post sis, love you.
ReplyDeleteJason ~
ReplyDeletePerhaps more than anything else, the meaning of life is found and shaped by perspective. And as you point out, seeing Jesus gives us the right perspective.
David ~
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Even when we know He is the One to fix broken, we persist at trying to "fix" something before coming to Him. I continue to be surprised by the new ways I catch myself doing this. Praise the Lord for His patience!
Clare ~
ReplyDeleteThanks! Love and sloppy kisses to you! :D
Melissa ~
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing some sweet Water to my place!
Denise ~
ReplyDeleteYOU are precious! You bless me : )
I'm still back at the title, Anne. After the Broken.
ReplyDeleteAfter.
There's an after. There really, really is. As much as we get caught up in the being broken and the brokenness -- all having infinite value, I know.
But there is an after.
For this I eagerly wait.
I love all the ways you show that Christ allowed himself to be broken so that we might be healed. No greater love. This is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLyla ~
ReplyDeleteThe Lord has made me understand this just recently:
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)
After isn't only for Heaven. After is also for now, in His timing, as He completes His work.
And you were so, so right. His intent was never to restore us to what we were before. Your words have been so healing, Lyla. You have my deepest gratitude.
Lisa ~
ReplyDeleteThank you. The beauty on your blog is as satisfying as Babette's feast to the soul.
Such an awesome Post and I was blessed as I viewed all the words in Blue. His brokenness went to unfathomed depths unknown to many of us, yet we accept him as He accepts us with His unconditional love.
ReplyDeleteHazel Moon ~
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had time for all those links. How can a person not be blessed when reading God's Word, thinking about Jesus, and considering His great love for us so we would not remain broken?
When I thought of the word broken, I didn't thought of Jesus. And you described it perfectly, He made himself broken for us. When we talk to Him, He knows exactly what we are going through. And we know, because of Him, that everything that is broken can be healed and made new.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this powerful post.
Chris ~
ReplyDeleteYes—Jesus being human gives Him an entirely new compassion for us. His brokenness is the salve for ours.