"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."
~ John 12:46 (NKJV)
How many forms does darkness take?
Michigan February—when even one extra day stretches the shortest of months into interminable gray and cold—is the least of darkness. True darkness is despair, sin, isolation from God.
I say there is no darkness but ignorance.
~ William Shakespeare
Knowledge is power. However frigid and colorless the landscape, it may be borne in the knowledge that the sun is merely veiled, and an explosion of spring color lies beneath the barren snow.
To know God is to understand His power—and have hope amid the bleakest circumstances. In knowledge of God we recognize sin, so we may repent and ask forgiveness. To discover God's love is to discover the door to fellowship which pierces the deepest loneliness.
Beyond a doubt truth bears the same relation to falsehood as light to darkness.
~ Leonardo da Vinci
Whatever other form darkness might take in your life at any moment, seek to know God and bask in the light of His truth.
Lord, Your love and light and life shatter a million forms of darkness. You are all goodness. Please draw us to seek You, and reveal Yourself to us.
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Faith That Trembles
Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him ... for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
~ John 12:42-43 (NKJV)
These rulers believed in Jesus. But if Paul's words of Romans 10:9-10 are taken into account, then their failure to confess Jesus indicates they were also not yet saved.
Saving faith is not a private matter, between a human and God alone. To believe without works and confession is no more than the useless knowledge of truth that a demon possesses (James 2:17-19)—and James says that even demons have the sense to tremble.
If we have confessed with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, do our actions offer the same testimony and give glory to God? Do we have enough sense to tremble as we work out our salvation?
... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
~ Philippians 2:10-12 (NKJV)
Belief is of little value until it becomes more than academic and gives glory to God.
Please permit me to be so bold as to suggest that you to stop and think about whatever truth has God most recently revealed to you.
What have you done to act upon it, so that your faith is more than that of Pharisees?
Father God, thank You for the truth and light You give. Please increase our faith! Please give us enough fear to act upon faith. Please make our love for Your glory to abound.
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
~ John 12:42-43 (NKJV)
These rulers believed in Jesus. But if Paul's words of Romans 10:9-10 are taken into account, then their failure to confess Jesus indicates they were also not yet saved.
Saving faith is not a private matter, between a human and God alone. To believe without works and confession is no more than the useless knowledge of truth that a demon possesses (James 2:17-19)—and James says that even demons have the sense to tremble.
If we have confessed with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, do our actions offer the same testimony and give glory to God? Do we have enough sense to tremble as we work out our salvation?
... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
~ Philippians 2:10-12 (NKJV)
Belief is of little value until it becomes more than academic and gives glory to God.
Please permit me to be so bold as to suggest that you to stop and think about whatever truth has God most recently revealed to you.
What have you done to act upon it, so that your faith is more than that of Pharisees?
Father God, thank You for the truth and light You give. Please increase our faith! Please give us enough fear to act upon faith. Please make our love for Your glory to abound.
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Tree of Life
"There are two ways through life:
the way of nature and the way of grace.
You have to choose which one you'll follow.
"Grace doesn't try to please itself,
accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked,
accepts insults and injuries.
"Nature only wants to please itself,
get others to please it too,
likes to lord itself over them,
to have its own way.
It finds reasons to be unhappy
when all the world is shining around it.
"No one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end."
~ Mrs. O'Brien
from the movie The Tree of Life
~ ~ ~
the way of nature and the way of grace.
You have to choose which one you'll follow.
"Grace doesn't try to please itself,
accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked,
accepts insults and injuries.
"Nature only wants to please itself,
get others to please it too,
likes to lord itself over them,
to have its own way.
It finds reasons to be unhappy
when all the world is shining around it.
"No one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end."
~ Mrs. O'Brien
from the movie The Tree of Life
~ ~ ~
The highest aim of nature is to make of ourselves the best we might be, and we are damned by it.
The highest aim of Grace is to make of God all He has proven to be, and we are saved by it.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
~ Romans 8:1 (NKJV)
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Time to Press Pause
As you might guess from the scant smattering of recent posts, I have been busy. I actually took a little vacation from blogging not too long ago, knowing I needed a little more time to catch up.
The juggling act has yet to calm down.
Please excuse me from posting for a little while. My plan is to devote some more time to prayer, and ask the Lord to help me see what I need to put down BEFORE anything crashes. You can be assured that I'm grateful if you'll uphold me in prayer as well.
I hope the Lord will clear the way for me to be back with more posts very soon.
With love to all,
~ Anne
Images by Dr. Suess, © 1957, 1985
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