Competing with God

"The church that is man-managed instead of God-governed is doomed to failure."
~ Samuel Chadwick

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters... Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand... Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
~ Romans 14:1,4,13 (NIV)

Whatever is not from faith is sin.
~ Romans 14:23 (NKJV)

"The Holy Spirit ... will teach you all things."
~ John 14:26 (NKJV)

Paul moves on from the discussion of submission to authority to address quasi-authority and disputable matters.

Throughout his letters, Paul clearly establishes what constitutes overtly immoral behavior which is dishonoring to the Lord Jesus and inappropriate for those who are His. Galatians 6:1 teaches that if someone is caught in a sin, someone spiritual should restore him gently.

But here in Romans 14, Paul brings up how to handle disputable matters. A believer is not to condemn or judge whomever he or she sees as weaker believers—particularly not over disputable matters which are not immoral.

Although we can offer counsel or help give directions to a person searching for guidance, God is the first Authority. He is able to make His will known to a person through His Word and Holy Spirit—and He is able to make the believer stand. The voice of the Holy Spirit must be the believer's first Teacher and Helper. Each of us must learn to recognize His voice, to distinguish it from the voice of Self or satan, and to live out our actions by faith in God.

If we impose our opinions upon other believers as false quasi-authority, we compete with the voice of the Holy Spirit, and serve as stumbling blocks.

Father, I confess that these words are written by one who has competed with Your voice in times past. Please help all of us in moments of stillness to read Your Word, listen for and recognize Your Spirit's voice, and heed You. Please show us if our counsel competes with Your Counselor.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Grace

"A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself,

but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself."

~ A.W. Tozer

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things... You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," as it is written.
~ Romans 2:1,23-24 (NKJV)

"The scribes and the Pharisees ... bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."
~ Matthew 23:2,4 (NKJV)

Is it more important to be proven right (and/or righteous), or to make truth (and therefore grace) manifest?

"Amazing grace" is this: to realize how utterly undeserving of God's love and mercy and favor one is, and to therefore see anyone who is without these as being in need of compassion, not condemnation.

Grace sees the sin others carry, and rather than make sure they're aware of it, is more inclined to weep with empathy for their burden because one has not forgotten what the burden felt like.

Grace is less concerned with making a determination of whether or not a person might be marked as "saved" than to make a determination from God's Holy Spirit of how He'd direct His love to be shared with that person.

Grace is less inclined to judge whether or not a person's theology matches that of oneself than to be sensitive to how the person might be drawn ever nearer to God.

Grace recognizes that God manifested truth to us not so that we would display it with pride, but so that we would have it to share with others.

Grace has nothing to boast in, save the God Who gives grace.

Dear God, the weight of sin is too great to walk in freedom from its burden and not still feel the bruises left behind by carrying the load. Thank You for sending Your precious Son to shed His blood that we might be free. Please let us never see someone struggling anywhere we are free and not say, "There—but for the grace of God—go I."

Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

YHWH Rophe-ka / YHWH Your Healer

For July, each post examines an Old Testament name of God.

YHWH Rophe-ka / YHWH Your Healer

"If you diligently heed the voice of YHWH your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am YHWH Your Healer."
~ Exodus 15:26 (author)

Zodhiates Hebrew Dictionary defines the Hebrew verb rapha "to heal, to make fresh ... describes the process ... of physical and spiritual healing ... being [made] wholesome ... it describes the restoring of a person's soul, life."

Like the word shalom, meaning "peace," rapha addresses wholeness of body, mind, heart and soul. The components of a person are not separated. If one part of the person is not well, the person is not well.

In The Word on Health*, Dr. Michael D. Jacobson identifies six reasons given in Scripture for physical illness related to the whole person:
• Sickness unto death
• Sickness to glorify God through healing
• Sickness to test or develop character
• Sickness due to a broken spirit (depression)
• Sickness due to purely physical causes
• Sickness due to chastisement [/consequences] for sin

Among reasons for sickness due to chastisement, Dr. Jacobson mentions specific sins for which the Bible describes that one might suffer illness, including immorality, lying, rebellion, bitterness (unforgiveness), a violated conscience (guilt), and taking communion unworthily. It is noteworthy that consequences may be chastisement from God as Father, from the devil (by sin giving him an opening in our lives), or the physical affects on the body from sin itself (e.g., alcoholism).

There is a time and place for physicians and counselors of various kinds. But the Lord is our foremost Healer, of body, mind, heart, and soul. When we turn to Him for healing, He does not isolate a physical problem from the whole person, and His process of healing is likely to involve more than the body. He may choose to heal upon repentance or through medicine. He may release from sickness upon death, or He may choose to perform a miraculous healing at once (to which numerous credible testimonies attest, and which I have personally witnessed).

When we seek His healing, we do well to ask Him how we might cooperate with it. When we see another suffering affliction, we must use utmost caution to not evaluate the why of sickness unless God is providing direction to enable us to assist the healing process. We should remain ready to offer comfort to the afflicted.

The greatest and most important healing God desires to do is the eternal healing of our spirits from sin. It is a healing available only through the blood of His Son. The most important healing God might use one of His servants to perform is speaking words of freedom from sin and guilt.

God promises to heal His children. The why, how and when are subject to His will—as it is bent by our prayers.

* Above excerpts taken from The Word on Health by Dr. Michael D. Jacobson, Moody Press, © 2000. Used with written permission of the publisher, 2001.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Wash One Another’s Feet

"For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves."
~ Luke 22:27 (NKJV)

"You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."
~ John 13:13-15 (NKJV)

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "
~ Matthew 25:40 (NKJV)

Though Luke’s Gospel doesn’t include Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, it records the disciples disputing yet again who shall be greatest and Jesus’ reply. John’s Gospel omits the dispute, and simply relates that at supper’s end (when the disciples were surely relaxed with wine and full stomachs), Jesus the Master becomes the One who serves in the most menial capacity.

Jesus left behind a profound image as a last act of service before His death. He strips off the elite robe for which his mockers will soon cast lots. He washes from feet the street mire and dung into which His face will soon be pressed. He bows down before the men sitting at the table as if they are greater than Himself—men about to deny, betray and abandon Him.

We’ll be tempted to see some task as beneath us—to see ourselves as better than the man or woman who does it. There are some people we can’t imagine bowing before in menial service. Jesus asks us to put not ourselves in their place, but to put Him there, and recalculate the measurement we use for one who serves.

O Lord, we’re ever inclined to think too much of ourselves. Please give us a bigger view of Yourself. Enable us to exalt You in our lives so highly that after we’ve praised You on Sunday morning, we live throughout the week in Your example of One who serves.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Judge Not

"Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
~ Luke 13:4-5 (NKJV)

"If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."
~ Exodus 15:26 (NKJV)

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned... For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
~ Luke 6:37-38 (NKJV)

The depravity for which New Orleans is infamous fueled plenty of remarks that Hurricane Katrina was a judgment of God. While I don't dispute a likely connection, I'm also careful to "judge not" lest I also be judged—whether for personal or collective sin.

The Bible makes numerous references to disease, disaster, famine (economic hardship) and violence being God's judgment for sin to provoke repentance. The Bible also gives many examples of suffering which have other purposes, Job being a prominent example.

If we are experiencing hardship, it is prudent to seek the Lord to understand the purpose of our testing—whether repentance-inducing, character-building (augh!), or faith-building. When someone else experiences hardship, we can pray for them and encourage them in numerous ways, while still refraining from the judgment or condemnation we ourselves hope to avoid.

Lord, all Your ways are perfect. We have violated your ways and suffer as a result. We surely never suffer what our many sins deserve. Please give us discernment for how to respond to suffering. Please help us to judge not when another suffers, but to leave all judgment in Your hand.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Stoop Down

O YHWH, You are God of Vengeance.
God to Whom vengeance belongs,
Shine forth and be seen!
Rise up, O Judge of the Earth,
Pay back to the proud a deserved compensation....
O the bliss of the one
To whom You teach discipline, YAH,
And train from Your law.
~ Psalm 94:1-3,12 (author)

If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens.
Galatians 6:1-4 (The Message)

Why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.... Each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
~ Romans 14:10,12-13 (NKJV)

If there's anything Christians are hated for, it's recognizing sin—perhaps because we so often recognize and condemn sin in others, especially those who are not Christ's. In condemning their sin we judge and condemn them, whether intentionally or inadvertently.

Christ allowed that one without sin may "throw stones" at the sinner. We should by no means give sin a nod. But we are not appointed to judge sinners, and we must be careful before we even judge sin. The pride that cries "sin" may too quickly condemn what God does not.

Our approach needs to be cloaked in the humility and compassion which sees another staggering and stumbling under an unbearable load, and will stoop down to offer relief. If we are unwilling to stoop down, we ourselves may stumble and be compensated for our pride.

Judge of the earth, condemnation and vengeance are Yours alone. Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood to set us free from sin. Holy Spirit, thank You for moving us to hate sin. Father, please manifest in us Your light and love to expose sin and relieve its oppressive weight.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Naked

Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God! ...
So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.
Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
~ Psalms 83:1,15-16 (NKJV)

"I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
~ Genesis 3:10 (NKJV)

"You say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked ..."
~ Revelation 3:17 (NKJV)

Sin blinds both the best and the worst of us.

Those who do not know Christ cannot believe they need Him unless they first believe that their sin condemns them. They stand naked before God, who sees all. Their shame—whether understood or not—permits them no peace. And they have no clue what the problem is.

Those of us in Christ are clothed in righteousness, free of condemnation before God. But we still walk in sinful flesh through a world of sin. The Lord called some within His church "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."

God forbid that we should be blind and know no shame for sin! The Lord asks His people to "humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways." It is tortuous to live amid our nation's sin, but repentance starts with us.

O God, please let us see ourselves as You do—beloved beyond measure, and still in need of washing. Even as You give us peace beyond understanding, please do not hold Your peace about sin which repels You. Break down strongholds! Let us be sanctified and pleasing to You.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to
BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

An Eye For An Eye

Then they put him in custody ... And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "... as he has done, so shall it be done to him—fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth ... whoever [murders] a man shall be put to death."
~ Leviticus 24:12-13,19-21 (NKJV)

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
~ Matthew 5:38-39 (NKJV)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.... If you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
~ Romans 13:1,4 (NKJV)

So what does the New Testament teach—allow the evil person to do as they wish or execute wrath upon them?

There is no conflict between the passages in Matthew in Romans, nor even between Old Testament and New Testament. We are not to seek vengeance on our own against those who wrong us; those in authority are charged with holding a wrongdoer accountable and executing justice—with fairness: an eye for an eye, a life for a life.

There is no conflict between accountability and forgiveness. Ideally, one who belongs to Christ is willing to support accountability while also expressing love and forgiveness; we are willing to forgo retaliation, but need not stand still and allow ourselves to be abused. To love neighbor as self treats both neighbor and self appropriately.

Father, You know well we do not behave ideally. In the power of Your Spirit we can do all You ask. Please enable us to release to authority all that is not right in our lives, all that is not right in the world. We trust You to execute perfect justice. We trust You to dispense mercy as is fitting.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

We're Fighting Against God

And so a huge and noisy quarrel broke out.... "We don't find anything wrong with this man! And what if a spirit has spoken to him? Or maybe an angel? What if it turns out we're fighting against God?"
~ Acts 23:9 (MSG)

... stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel ...
~ Philippians 1:27 (NKJV)

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.
~ 2 Timothy 2:23 (NKJV)

Whatever the disputes between Christians and unbelievers, they are unrivaled by the disputes among Christians. Like Pharisees arguing with Sadducees, we forget we're supposed to be on the same side—God's side. When we fight each other, we're fighting against God.

I often pray that God will enable me to say no more and no less than edifies Christ's body and exalts God. I'm too readily drawn into foolish disputes, and too easily hesitate to contend for the faith.

There are issues of substance—like faith in Christ's blood for salvation, or the inerrancy of Scripture—for which we would give our lives. There are issues of interpretation—like pre-trib vs. mid-trib rapture, or tongues required vs. no tongues allowed—for which we must ask "what if the Spirit has spoken?"

Truly, we're fighting against God if we allow division in the church on matters not critical to faith.

Father God, Your precious Son's last prayer was that You would make us one as You are One. Please forgive us for allowing division to work against Your answer to that prayer. Please grant to us no tolerance for union with the world, and no tolerance for scism among Your people.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy

Poor and Needy

He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression.
(Psalms 72:13-14 NKJV)

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34 NKJV)

"Then the King will say, '... Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' " (Matthew 25:34,40 NKJV)

Jesus looked upon the poor and needy and responded to their hunger. He occasionally fed people with bread. More often, He fed them with words of life. The needs of the human soul exceed those of the human body.

We encounter most often not the poverty-stricken but the poor and needy—people we identify as social outcasts due to unattractive appearance or behavior. Accustomed to being invisible, they rarely make eye contact. If seen at all, it is not their faces but their exterior (whether nerdy or promiscuous, gang-banger or vulnerable) which is noticed.

The only handout many of them need is validation as a human being. It takes brief seconds of eye contact and a smile as they pass. A kind word. A pleasant demeanor in an unpleasant situation. It costs nothing, and gives much.

Lord Jesus, in Your goodness You have given to us more than we might have ever asked, and You love us without restraint. Please enable us to see the image of the Creator in the face of each person. Please speak to our hearts and show us how to extend Your love to anyone.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com.
Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

Overcome Evil with Good

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
So that men will say,
"Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who judges in the earth."
(Psalms 58:10-11 NKJV)

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21 NKJV)

"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, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)

Wicked men live on the earth. It seems unfair when they get away with evil. If we or others suffer unrighteously, our inclination is to set things right. Government has authority to administer justice. Where government fails, justice lies not in the hands of the public but in the hands of God.

All wrong must be repaid with blessing, and we are certain to overcome evil with good. If evil is vanquished by good, victory is immediate. If evil persists in the face of good, it lays up for itself the unmitigated vengeance of God Himself in the time and place of His choosing.

The only way good loses is to forfeit, repay evil with evil, and share a penalty which should have belonged to evil alone.

Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe and Eternity, You alone know the beginning and the end. You alone mete out perfect justice. Thank You for not inflicting it upon us, but showing us mercy and grace. Please help us wait upon You to set right all that is wrong in the world.

Feedback may be posted to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mailed to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com.
Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

An Offering's Value

In spite of a terrible ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy, along with their deep poverty, has resulted in the abundance of their generosity. I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability. They begged us earnestly for the privilege of participating in this ministry to the saints.
(2 Corinthians 8:2-4 ISV)

"Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." (Mark 12:43-44 NKJV)

O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
(Psalms 51:15-17 NKJV)

Most Sundays at our church, a gentle woman of limited mental faculties presents a spontaneous offering of praise. She stands just behind and below the director and "conducts" the choir and orchestra.

An offering may or may not require sacrificing many hidden hours of preparation to polish it. Everyone in the Sunday auditorium has opportunity to bring from a humble heart of love offerings of praise, thanksgiving, worship, tithes, prayers, repentance.

Most offerings are made another day of the week. Many are altogether unseen. Some require financial sacrifice. Some cost many hours. Some cost tears. The most precious offering is when a soul puts everything on the altar.

God alone knows the value of each offering. How fitting, since He and not man is the recipient.

Almighty God, You are worthy of all we are, all we do, all we have. No offering—no sacrifice—is too costly to bring before you. We are nothing without You.

Feedback may be posted to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mailed to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com.
Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

Who is the Enemy?

"If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ " (Genesis 43:4-5 NKJV)

Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
(Ephesians 4:1-6 NKJV)

Joseph’s brothers and father thought him an enemy, for they did not yet see who he was—one of them. Joseph would unite their family, more fully than when they were once together.

Why are we often at odds with our own family while getting along better with the world? No one within the body of Christ is an enemy, for we are connected by a blood tie more eternal than natural blood ties. We are meant to be one. The evil one is the true enemy, and works to divide and conquer.

Lord Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood to purchase us. Please let us see the value You have placed upon each member of Your body. Please unite us with one another and with You.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. © 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

Free Indeed

"[The scribes and Pharisees] bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. . . . Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you . . . outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:4-5,27-28 NKJV)

If I love God with all heart, soul, mind and strength, He will so fill my vision that I am oblivious to condemnation from others—either the religious or the worldly, who are both filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness—and I will seek to please only Him. If I love my neighbors as I love myself, I will appreciate their Creator-bestowed uniqueness. I will not observe any failings with eyes of condemnation, but my compassion will drive me to help them until they know freedom from their burdens.

My Lord and Savior, You have set me free, and I am free indeed. My gratitude knows no bounds. You alone are righteousness. You are perfect love. Please make us all that You are.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

A Beam and a Speck

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. . . Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. (Romans 14:19 NKJV)

I am so grateful when the Lord works a change in my heart that becomes manifest in my life. It always feels wonderful to be able to see that another layer of crud has been cleaned away by the blood, the fire, and the water. In my eager joy I’ve too often wanted to turn around and give someone else a good scrubbing, too. Only the Spirit can do the real cleansing work that starts on the inside. God might use me in such work. But not before I’ve cooperated with Him to get the entire beam out of my eye, so that with great empathy I may perhaps be His tool to ever so gently help with the speck in the eye of another and bring that soul peace.

Lord, thank You for loving me enough to not leave me as You found me.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

Liberty

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. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and . (Romans 8:1-2 NKJV)

Each July 4 is an exuberant celebration of freedom. 232 years ago we secured by shed blood our liberty from the crown of Britain’s law and oppression. How much greater is the liberty purchased 1978 years ago at Calvary!

I have been set free from the oppression and condemnation of sin – as has every other person who is in Christ. If God no longer condemns those in Christ, who are we to condemn one another?

And this is how I know I am in Christ: I consistently walk according to the Spirit and His will rather than according to the flesh and my will.

Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy