New Every Morning

"This morning as you awakened, God's eyes swept over you;
He called you by name and said, 'Come, follow Me.' "
~ David Roper

Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
~ Lamentations 3:22-23

Every morning is a new day. We begin afresh as we rise, with forgiveness for what has been, strength for what is, and bright hope for what is to come. We do not exhaust the Lord's mercies.

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.
~ Lamentations 3:25-26

Yesterday's grace is not for today. The soul needs to quietly wait upon the Lord with each new dawn, receiving fresh daily bread and living waters to replenish dependent relationship.

It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
Let him put his mouth in the dust
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
~ Lamentations 3:27-30

The world is filled with suffering, disappointment, and people who let us down (or worse). Here is our job description: accept it all as allowed by God, trusting His purpose without complaint.

Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.
~ Lamentations 3:30-33 (NKJV)

Here is our hope: God's mercies are greater in scope and mightier and more abundant than the griefs and afflictions. We rest in the assurance that He asks far less than He gives and loves.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.
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Kindness Says ...

This is a late entry in the blog carnival hosted by Bridget Chumbley.
For more about it, click here on "Kindness."

"The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven,
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed.
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes."
~ Portia, from William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice

Kindness Says ...

No task is beneath me, for that would place the one who performs it beneath me.

No one is unworthy of my attention, and therefore everyone is worthy of notice.

Every person is a masterpiece—highly valued by the Creator and therefore valuable to me.

Whatever someone's need, I'm willing to ask the Lord if I should do anything about it.

Those who cross my path should leave me in a better condition than they were before I found them.

There can be no presumption that any person walks an easier path through life than me, for poverty can be of health, love, or soul.

Everyone has something they might teach me if given the opportunity.

Everyone has a valid need to be validated.

For the person who bothers me by what they are, may I remember who they are.

Whatever I do or fail to do to those I consider the least, I do to the One Who breathed life into them.

Lord, I understand the language of kindness. Please help me speak it fluently.

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.
#discipleship
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God of All Comfort

"God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters."
~ J.H. Jewett

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
~ Romans 15:5-6 (NKJV)

[The] God of all comfort ... comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV)

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
~ 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJV)

We are instructed to glorify God. Indeed, the Westminster Catechism teaches that "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

We can do so by allowing our light to shine before men with good deeds. We also glorify God in extending comfort to those around us which reflects the God of All Comfort.

How do we share comfort unless we have intimately known the God of All Comfort? How do we intimately know His comfort unless we have suffered?

In great suffering is great comfort. The greater our suffering, the greater our opportunity to glorify God in it.

Father God, we are a people who have too often made our chief end to evade suffering. Please keep us mindful of our purpose to glorify You. Please extend to us the grace which embraces suffering and seeks out Your comfort. Please make us ready to extend comfort, and to rely on You to know how.

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.

El YHWH Channun ve Rachum / YHWH God Merciful and Gracious

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

El YHWH Channun ve Rachum /
YHWH God Merciful and Gracious
(pronounced: "yahd hay vahv hay vay khan-NOON rakh-OOM")

YHWH passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, "YHWH, YHWH God Merciful and Gracious is longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."
~ Exodus 34:5-7 (author)

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the LORD our God,
Until He has mercy on us.
~ Psalms 123:2 (NKJV)

Whether on a profile page for Facebook or Blogger, or in conversation, most everyone has opportunity to reduce to a small composite a summary of "who am I?" Here in Exodus, Moses says in effect, "Lord, show me the glory of Who You are." And the Lord YHWH sums up His identity with the words: "I am God Merciful and Gracious." It is a description which appears numerous times throughout Scripture.

The Hebrew word for mercy is rachum. The related noun racham can mean compassion or mercy, but it also refers to a mother’s womb. The Hebrew concept is that the womb or bowels are the seat of warm and tender emotions, as a mother for her baby. The verb form of racham not only means to have or show mercy, but also means to caress or stroke. The entire picture of mercy is deep and tender empathy and compassion which springs from the depths of a person, expressed toward another who is afflicted, and is accompanied by a desire to comfort and relieve the suffering.

The Hebrew adjective for gracious favor is channun. It is a word used solely as a descriptive term of God. The related verb chanan means to bestow, or to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior with favor. Another related verb, chanah, means to pitch a tent or encamp, and is used in Zechariah to describe the Lord encamping around His people and temple to protect them.

Oxford's definition of mercy is "compassion or forgiveness shown towards an enemy or offender in one's power."

Oxford's definition of favor is "approval or liking; act of kindness beyond what is due or usual; overgenerous preferential treatment."

I'll confess that I'm too overwhelmed by these words to try and say much more about this name. The picture God has drawn of Himself is absolutely contrary to every accusation He suffers of being uncaring, arbitrary, or malicious.

On a personal note: Though I've been studying the names of God and the etymology of these Hebrew words for many years, doing this series has been an astounding array of new revelations. These next three days will look at some aspects of God's nature which are more feminine (or if you prefer, more gentle)—all with a connection to a mother's body.

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

El Ro-iy / God Who Sees Me

El Ro-iy / God Who Sees Me
(pronounced: "ale ROH-ee")

[Hagar] gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."
~ Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

"... your Father in heaven ... makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
~ Matthew 5:45 (NKJV)

Yesterday's God name was "YHWH is Peace." For the next three days, each name of God presents a subtle distinction found in the peace of God seeing us. The different contexts in which these names appear in Scripture are also worth noting.

The Hebrew word for "see" is raah. Hagar calls the Lord "the God who sees me" after she encounters Him in as the Angel of the Lord (His manner of appearance several times in the Old Testament). Hagar is told that the Lord has heard her affliction, and the child she carries will be a son with descendants too great to be counted. She is instructed to return to her mistress Sarai.

Hagar had despised Sarai, Sarai had dealt harshly with Hagar, so Hagar fled, carrying Abram's only child. Though the Lord already intended to give Abram a child by Sarai, He is not yet finished with Hagar and Sarai. He supernaturally steps into the situation to reconcile the two (at least for the next seventeen years).

Hagar is the slave woman whom God has not ordained to bear the son of inheritance. She has been a source of trouble, and she and her son will be again be a problem in the future. Why wouldn't the Lord just write her off?

Because He sees her and cares about her. He hears her affliction, and even gives her son the name "Ishmael," which means "God hears," so she will not forget it. God also cares for His servant Abram, and will not take Ishmael from him until Abram has Isaac.

Jesus says God blesses us whether we're evil or good, just or unjust. This means wicked people do not necessarily experience immediate or visible consequences. It means we are loved not because we are "naughty or nice," but simply because we are.

And although it may seem that God is not paying attention, He always sees our afflictions because he always sees us—clear into our hearts.

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

Mercy Glories

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
~ Psalms 85:9-10 (NKJV)

Be speaking and be doing as those about to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Dispensation of mercy glories over dispensation of justice.
~ James 2:12-13 (author)

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
upon the place beneath.
It is twice blest.
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes....
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
when mercy seasons justice.
~ William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

So a stimulus package has been approved. Justice lost this round. Taxpayers shall share the wealth—likely with D.C. as much as with the economically struggling.

Nonetheless, if our nation behaved itself in accordance with Christian principles, we would have never come to this. We might not have suffered the injustice of government's compulsion to redistribute non-existent dollars if we had voluntarily pulled together. We might have seen salvation from economic hardship in the first place if our nation still feared God.

We've not adequately shown mercy, and we shall thus suffer injustice. We can take consolation in the fact that mercy glories over justice. If compelled to bow to injustice for the sake of mercy, we can thank God that we shall likewise receive mercy rather than justice for our sins.

O Lord our God, King of the Universe, the earth and all its fullness are Yours, the world and those who dwell therein also. All we are and all we have belongs to You. Please give us hearts ever ready to show mercy. Please make us ever grateful that Your mercy glories.

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

The Least of These

On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily...
You have said, 'No one sees me';
Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you;
And you have said in your heart,
'I am, and there is no one else besides me.'
Therefore evil shall come upon you ...
And trouble shall fall upon you;
You will not be able to put it off.
Isaiah 47:6,10-11 (NKJV)

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly, To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' " ~ Matthew 25:44-45 (NKJV)

In the movie The Boys Next Door, a speech about the need to assist the mentally handicapped includes a remark to the effect of, "Civilizations are judged by how they treat their weakest members."

I am grateful for nursing homes which provide care to the elderly on a level their loved ones cannot. Nonetheless, nursing homes should always be a supplement to and not substitute for the nurture of family.

I once heard a man decline to visit his grandmother with the words, "I don't do nursing homes." What is the benefit of avoiding the place where one may someday live?

Wherever our aged may live, they yet have much to offer us. If nothing else, they provide the opportunity to minister to Jesus through "the least of these."

Father, thank You for long life as You grant it. Thank You for the opportunity to learn from those who have gone before us. Please comfort those who have lost or will soon lose a beloved relative of years. Please show us how to demonstrate our love for those You leave us.

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

Lending to the Lord

But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Isaiah 32:8 (NKJV)

Caring for the poor is lending to the LORD,
and you will be well repaid.
Proverbs 19:17 (CEV)

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ~ Hebrews 6:10 (NKJV)

When God has given us so much—when we acknowledge that we are not our own but belong to our Creator and Lord—we can never consider God in our debt. We can never believe we have done anything for which He owes us anything.

Even so, His own Word says that He allows no good deed to go unrepaid. Therefore we do to others as we want them to do to us. We reap as we have sown. We receive from God with the same measure we use for others.

If—if—there is a way to put God in our debt, it is by being generous with the poor, whether in financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual poverty. And we can minister with whatever we have, be it money, time, or love.

Lord, You have given us all things. Your hand is liberal. Please open our eyes to how very generous You are, and enable us to give freely of ourselves, confident that all belongs to You.

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

Mercy and Truth

"In mercy the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness."
Isaiah 16:5 (NKJV)

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3 (NKJV)

"Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)

Our tendency is to exalt either mercy or truth at the expense of the other. Without mercy, truth loses its credibility. Without truth, mercy lacks genuine or lasting comfort. And the greater the depth of truth, the greater the appreciation for mercy.

The "sinful woman" was despised for her sin and knew its weight. Some sins—pride, lust, and greed for example—don't carry the same stigma that her sin did, and may not even feel like a burden. The truth is that we have all sinned much.

The sinner who believes he has sinned little does not require less mercy than the sinner who knows he has sinned much. Sin brings death, and death is absolute, not a matter of degrees. Every sinner has been forgiven much, has received great mercy, and ought to love much.

Until sin's weight is truthfully faced, mercy will seem light, gratitude will be thin, and love will be little.

Holy One, I have sinned much and offended You deeply, requiring a sacrifice with high cost. You have shown me great mercy, and my debt of gratitude is too enormous to ever love You enough. I gladly bow my face at Your pierced feet to kiss them and pour out upon them whatever I have.

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

Consider the Poor

A Psalm of David.
Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth.
(Psalms 41:1-2 NKJV)

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 NKJV)

[The Lord] is rich to all who call upon Him. (Romans 10:12 NKJV)

King David surely did not anticipate the day he would become a needy fugitive fleeing from his own son. All around us are those hit hard by recession, who only recently basked in prosperity. We do well to always consider the poor, lest circumstances one day also bring us to unexpected poverty.

Those who call upon the Lord are blessed with spiritual riches beyond description. If we consider the poor and share our earthly wealth, how much more should we, who hold the keys to the kingdom’s treasure house, consider the spiritual paupers who surround us?

God Almighty, El Shaddai, thank You to so generously supply for our needs when we look to You. You hold our future in Your hands. Help us to never worry for tomorrow. Enable us to be generous today with all Your wealth entrusted to our care.

Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy

I Have Enough

And Jacob said, "No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand ... Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." (Genesis 33:10-11 NKJV)

He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given. (Proverbs 19:17 NKJV)

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. When one has been blessed with abundance from God, the blessing may then be multiplied by sharing. Both giver and recipient benefit.

It would not be prudent to ever see God as being in debt to us, believing He owes us something by virtue of His promises. Yet we are able to rely on His Word, and His promise to pay back what is given to the poor in mercy is a curious way for Him to make us a lender to Him.

Lord, great is Your faithfulness! Your compassion does not fail—it is new each morning. Please enable us to see how blessed we are. Please give us generous hearts, eager to share the abundance You pour out.

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

Does God Care?

Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. ... When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and [said] ... "The LORD has looked upon my affliction..." She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also." (Genesis 29:17,31,32-33 ESV)

The things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:28-29 NKJV)

Beautiful Rachel won the heart of Jacob. Despised Leah won the heart of the Lord. Leah pined after Jacob, desiring his love, for years—perhaps for her whole life. Yet in the midst of her affliction, she looked to YHWH and somehow understood that this foreign God of Jacob took note of her husband’s hatred and blessed her because of it.

God is often accused of not caring that suffering occurs. But to those who look for Him, His loving concern for suffering is manifest.

Loving Father, Your goodness and love are more abundant than we can comprehend. You can abundantly bless in any situation. Please make our hearts patient and give us strength.

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

The Blessing of the Curse

So the LORD God said to the serpent: "... I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "... Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life..."
(Genesis 3:14-17 NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
(Romans 8:28 NKJV)

When we rebelled against God, sin became our nature. In each curse, sin’s sting is felt—yet God works even curse for blessing. In the toil of survival we may be occupied with constructive labor, lest we are utterly consumed with sin. Amid pain and desire we are bonded together, lest the enemy utterly divide us. In the enmity between good and evil, Our Creator manifests consummate justice and mercy, grace and love, that might otherwise be unknown. We indeed give thanks in all circumstances.

Lord God, Your goodness is manifest even in Your curse. And for us whom You’ve fully blessed, there is no curse. Please open our eyes to Your blessing in all things.

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

The Terrifying God of Moses, Aaron and Samuel

The LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! ... Let them praise Your great and [terrifying] name—He is holy ... Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the LORD, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds. (Psalm 99:6-8 NKJV)

The same God Who is named Friend and Comforter is also named Great (gadol) and Terrifying (yare). Though I may draw near and know His love, I do well to remember that even His greatest and most exalted saints of history experienced His vengeance on their personal sin and gratefully knew Him as God-Who-Forgives.

What a wondrous and fearsome God You are! How much I love You for Your mercy and compassion!

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

Vessel for Honor

Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Romans 9:18-21 NKJV)

How is it that He chose me? When I see anyone with a heart hardened toward God, I can only point and say, "There — but for the grace of God — go I." When my Maker created so many vessels of wrath (verses 22-23), there was no rationale for Him to choose me as one of the vessels of mercy. If He has thus spared my life, how can I expect anything more? Truly, His blessings to me are already abundant beyond all I could hope, and I have no room to complain for anything I think I lack. If I would indeed ask Him for more, surely it is only for the privilege to give Him glory for His love and mercy.

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

Mercy

... for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them ... (Romans 2:14-15 NKJV)

It is both frightening and reassuring to know that God judges us by motive rather than accomplishment. When I think of my many failings, I am so grateful that God is looking at the inside rather than the outside. When I see all in my heart that is still not right, I am amazed that God loves me as He does. When I feel His love and understand the mercy He shows me, I am humbled and overwhelmed by how very much I find I love Him.

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