All the Way to the End

He likes meat and potatoes with plenty of plain butter.
I like ethnic food with plenty of kick.

He searches out still waters good for fishing.
I tend to stir up waters in search of adventure.

He's the firearms and ammo expert sought out for advice.
I brandish the Sword of the Lord to flash its Light.

He'd be a golden retriever, steady and faithful.
I'd be an eagle, soaring and plunging.

We would not be the same without each other, this Polish-French-Canadian and his German-Irish-Hispanic-Native American bride. We need each other to be who God means us to be.

I lied to him about why I took our son to Grandma's, robbed him of the cell phone his office rings at all hours, and compelled him to drive the kidnaper's getaway car. All was not as it seemed for his birthday celebration.

In between the perfect dinner at a lodge and romance at a bed and breakfast, we walked along the break wall on Lake Huron. Winter ice still spills over it, and we reached a point all but blocked.

He eyed icy waters 15 (20?) feet below and my high-heeled boots. Far enough? he asked. I said let's keep going. I deftly stepped along the edge. He climbed across ice I didn't want to touch.

And then we walked all the way to the end.

The end of a thing is better than its beginning.
~ Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NKJV)

He is holy and clothed in majesty.
We are sinful and clothed in dust.

His is all manner of love and mercy.
We are all manner of apathy and judgment.

He is purest truth, as solid as a rock.
We walk in a world where no ground is sure.

He shows favor and grace in every way to defy explanation.
We struggle to even receive it, let alone pass it on.

He'd never be the same without us, for we are His masterpiece through which His every attribute is displayed. We need each other, this God and the bride He is sculpting, for we can only be all we are meant to be if we are together.

All is not as it seems. He sees the end from the beginning, and reveals only as much as we need to know until He unveils His surprises.

And He walks us all the way to the end.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven ...
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also He has put eternity in their hearts,
except that no one can find out
the work that God does from beginning to end.
~ Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 (NKJV)

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.

Necessity of Light

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you,
that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
~ 1 John 1:5 (NKJV)

We need light for not only our bodies [see Monday's post, "Fatality of Darkness"], but for our minds—the light of God's Word is knowledge for the intellect (lest we stumble in ignorance, Psalm 119:105), and the light of His Spirit is sanity, or soundness of mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

If human spirit is life force and human soul is personality and psyche, then spirit needs light to have fellowship with its Maker (Psalms 36:9; 1 John 1:7), and soul needs light to be free of anguish and distress (Psalms 27:1; John 14:27).

If light is needed by the heart—by the emotion, in feeling—I think it must be the heart's assurance of knowing fulfilled purpose through another (Song 8:10). That is, the heart knows contentment in its union with God when we are one with His Spirit and His light shines in us (Matthew 5:14-16).

Whichever part of us lacks light, that part of us will surely taste death.

"Put your trust in the light while you have the light,
so that you may become children of light."
~ John 12:36 (TNIV)

Beloved Lord, we can only begin to comprehend the beauty of the light that You are. Please give us hunger for Your light—and satisfy 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.

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)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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

Intercourse of Fellowship

This post is part of a blog carnival hostessed by Bridget Chumbley. You're invited to visit her at "One Word at a Time" and see what others are saying about today's theme: Fellowship.

And the LORD God said,
"It is not good that man should be alone ..."
~ Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)

It’s said that a small child’s greatest fear is abandonment. We understand that one of the most subtle yet devastating forms of torture is to inflict solitary confinement on a person. The human spirit can rise above nearly any shared suffering—but it withers in the vacuum of loneliness.

So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
~ Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)

The Bible speaks of fellowship with the Greek nouns metochē ("hold amid"; participation; intercourse) and koinōnia (social intercourse; communion). The latter word can include the meaning of completeness.

The Lord spoke the animals into existence. But the Creator's fellowship with people began by forming man with His hands, and then intimately breathing His life into this creature made in His own image.

Our human attributes unique to God's image include a free will which discerns morality and the ability to communicate logic. We are not simply social, as many animals are, but our souls are bound up with one another in communion. We are incomplete without one another, because we are made in the image of a God who created us for fellowship.

And they heard the sound of the LORD God
walking in the garden in the cool of the day ...
~ Genesis 3:8 (NKJV)

We share with our Creator the need for fellowship.

If God simply wanted worshipers, He needed only the angels. Yet there is something about a perfect God which seeks completeness through communion with puny humans—something which seeks to love and be loved.

We enjoy social intercourse with our Maker through His Word in the Bible, through His Holy Spirit in prayer, and through fellowship with His body of believers. Such intercourse is only a foreshadowing of the union we shall one day share with one another and with Him.

God says,
"Who draws near to Me an inch,
I will draw near to him an ell; *
and whoso walks to meet Me,
I will leap to meet him."
~ Eastern Proverb

[*ell is the length from elbow to middle finger's tip]

Lord of Heaven and Earth, who are we that You should desire our love? How great is Your love for us! May we delight to spend our days learning to love You.

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.
Image source: larsoninstitute.com

Conquest

Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
~ Psalms 119:11 (NKJV)

Conquest

How does the human soul
comprehend that it is whole
for to it Your Spirit binds.

My joy You intimately know
only in You is it able to grow
fleeting happiness is not the same kind.

My griefs You also share
Rooted in sin and heavy to bear
You reveal the guilt which is mine.

No condemnation You hold
Your blood makes me white as snow
You bid me leave sorrow behind.

A tender heart of desire You need
Your Word is sown as Your seed
And conquest power I find.

I love hearing from you. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail BuildingHisBody@gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Fear Not Surrender

When I saw [the Son of Man],
I fell at his feet as though dead.
But he laid his right hand on me, saying,
"Fear not ..."
~ Revelation 1:17 (ESV)

Fear Not Surrender

"And it shall be, in that day," Says the LORD, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master,'
~ Hosea 2:16 (NKJV)

Whether ancient or foreign, some cultures do not ask a woman's consent to marriage—betrothals involve agreement between bridegroom and bride's father. Yet honorable men have nonetheless given a woman the option to accept or reject a husband. (One example is Rebekah.)

Once wedded, some men might approach a bride with the attitude, "I now receive what is mine." An honorable man will approach the virgin gently, bidding her to surrender and fear not.

Fear of the Lord is not an outdated Old Testament concept, but is also urged in the New Testament. His church's reverent fear is received by a Bridegroom Who says, "Fear Not."

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

More than any other imperative, the Bible records Jesus directing us "Do not fear," "Do not worry," "Do not be anxious." We approach God with fear knowing that He will still it.

We surrender not as an enemy who has been vanquished, but as a bride who is beloved.

Lord Jesus, please help each of us to see which areas of our lives hold fear of surrender to You. Please speak gently to us, and enable us to give You all.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image from album "Face Down" by Matt Redman, mattredman.com

The Necessity of Beauty

The look at the book of Revelation begun in January was interrupted. It will be picked up again, going back to the beginning for continuity.

"Though we travel the world over
to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us
or find it not."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Necessity of Beauty

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
~ Revelation 1:3 (NKJV)

The Bible's last book—"The Revelation of Jesus Christ"—is exhaustively studied concerning end times and Christ's second coming. But what might the book reveal about the Person of Jesus as He prepares to receive not only a throne but also His bride, the church?

Ancient Israelite custom was for the bridegroom to prepare the couple's home and wedding, while the bride gave full attention to preparing herself as would please her husband. Among the betrothal gifts he gave her were garments, perhaps as an indication of his preferences.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church ...
~ Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV)

This journey through Revelation will look specifically at Jesus, the garments of righteousness He gives His bride, and how he defines His bride's beauty. We'll look again at the necessity of beauty, not for the world's sake, but in anticipation of pleasing our Beloved Bridegroom.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are King of kings, Lord of lords, and most especially our Beloved Bridegroom. Please give Your Holy Spirit as our divine Valet, to open our eyes to what most pleases You, that we might make ready for Your coming.

FOLLOW-UP NOTE: An invitation for response from the male perspective is included in Wendy's comment below.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#Biblestudy
Photo from eternal-wedding-design.com

Husband

"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."
~Aristotle

Husband

These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you ... have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love."
~ Revelation 2:1-4 (NKJV)

Rejoice with the wife of your youth.
As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be enraptured with her love.
~ Proverbs 5:18-19 (NKJV)

"And it shall be, in that day,"
Says the LORD,
"That you will call Me 'My Husband,'
And no longer call Me 'My Master,'
Hosea 2:16 (NKJV)

Song of Solomon is not the only place in the Bible that describes romantic love with striking language, nor is marriage mere allegory of the relationship between God and His people. Over and over, throughout Old and New Testaments, marriage and romantic love model the relationship we are to have with our Lord—our "Husband."

Jesus walks among the lampstands—His churches—and we see ourselves through His eyes. The first church mentioned, Ephesus, is like the older brother of the prodigal son, like Martha critical of Mary: doing all the right things, but missing entirely what the Lord most desires: our attentive love. And our Husband is not satisfied with the tired, stick-out-what's-been-started love, but asks for the first love a man has for the wife of his youth, and she for him.

I didn't anticipate doing Revelation when I wrote "First Love" on January 3rd. That piece posted on a Sunday, when blog traffic is light, so I'll repeat here some of what was said there:

First love is consuming. It takes over all thought, feeling, word, action.

First love is driven. It will go around or through and beyond any obstacle.

First love is empowering. There is nothing it will not do for its object.

First love is not extinguished by time, but by the indifference of familiarity and the distraction of intrusion.

If love is one soul inhabiting two bodies, then His Holy Spirit is surely put in us to unite the soul of His church to the soul of our divine Husband.

Lord Jesus, help us to remember first love, and to pour it out lavishly upon You.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#knowingGod
Image from healthewoman.org

The Necessity of Beauty, Part Two

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or find it not."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Necessity of Beauty,
Part Two

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
~ Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV)

Today is an interlude between a look at Psalms and returning to the New Testament.

My rotation has been to follow Psalms with a Gospel. But since I've now blogged on all four Gospels, I thought I'd look at Jesus through the book titled "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."

The last book of the Bible is seen primarily as a prophecy of end times. My intent is to look less at the plans and promises of the Lord for His second coming, but at His Person. Every book of the Bible reveals the Lord Jesus. How much more so the book with such a title?

The Lord's second coming is not only to receive a throne, but to receive a bride.

For the ancient Israelite wedding, the bridegroom made all the preparations for both the couple's home and the wedding feast. The bride gave her full attention to preparing only herself. She did all within her means to make herself beautiful for her husband. He might even give her garments as betrothal gifts, perhaps as an indication of his preferences.

In looking at the Lord Jesus Himself, might we also discover what He looks for in His bride—His preferences? What might garments of righteousness which He gives to us look like?

Last Monday's Necessity of Beauty was a look at Christ's church as His witness to the world. We'll look again at the necessity of beauty, not for the world's sake, but in anticipation of pleasing our Beloved Bridegroom.

Since tomorrow's post will be on the topic of Lust for the Blog Carnival, I'll plan to open the book of Revelation on Wednesday.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are King of kings, Lord of lords, and most especially our Beloved Bridegroom. Please give Your Holy Spirit as our valet, to open our eyes to what most pleases You, that we might make ready for Your coming.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#Biblestudy
Photo from eternal-wedding-design.com

First Love

"We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past,
but by the love we're not extending in the present."
~ Marianne Williamson

First Love

"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil... and you have persevered ... Nevertheless I have this against you,
that you have left your first love."
~ Revelation 2:2-4 (NKJV)

Love never fails.
~ 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV)

First love is consuming. It takes over all thought, feeling, word, action.

First love is driven. It will go around or through and beyond any obstacle.

First love is empowering. There is nothing it will not do for its object.

First love is not extinguished by time, but by the indifference of familiarity and the distraction of intrusion. Jesus gave two instructions to those He admonished for loss of first love:
remember and repent.

Many churches celebrate the Lord's Table today. It is a time to examine how we might repent, and remember our Lord's love. It is a time to celebrate the commUnion we share with one another. It is a time to celebrate all that is to come.

Especially as we begin a new year, the Lord's Table is an opportunity to renew first love.

Lord Jesus, Your love for us has stopped at nothing on our behalf. You've given us Yourself, Your Spirit, Your Father. You desire only our fully-surrendered love. Please help us repent of all distraction. Please return our hearts to the highest place our love for You has ever been, and push it higher.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Photo from flickr.com

Tears in Your Bottle

"A friend sees the first tear,
catches the second,
and stops the third."
~ Justice R.A.E.

(Today's post is part of the
Blog Carnival hosted
by Peter Pollock on "Grief")

Tears in Your Bottle

The LORD is gracious
and full of compassion.
~ Psalms 111:4 (NKJV)

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...
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion ...
~ Lamentations 3:25-26;32 (NKJV)

You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.
~ Psalms 56:8 (CEV)

For several days I've considered that grief goes beyond sorrow as the ocean exceeds a pond. And I've pondered these two things: what causes grief, and what grief feels like.

My mind takes the first thought and analyzes that grief is caused by things such as unrealized expectations, loss, and rejection. My reasoning goes on to offer answers like trusting in God's will, giving thanks for what has been before it was lost, and forgiveness.

My heart does not care about where grief comes from or how it shall depart, for my heart does not think grief. My heart feels grief more profoundly than my mind shall ever begin to comprehend it.

When grief calls, its fingertips first stroke my heart stealthily, gliding along the surface until it finds an opening. Grief then slips through vacant cavities, probing for a resting place. When grief at last settles in, the embrace of its tentacles becomes firm—not so as to choke me, but to prevent my escape as it begins its work.

Grief now begins to draw life from me, feeding upon my spirit to nourish itself, depositing death in life's stead. Loss of spirit and life rob me of hunger, of movement, of my very breath. I lie faint as my years multiply, in weariness of the aged.

Having sufficiently weakened me, grief now tightens its grip to choke from me my spirit's last ebb. Shall I passively succumb?

The Lord Jesus knew profound grief. He created goodness, bestowed grace, and put on flesh to pour out Himself for His beloved people. He was then scorned, injured and rejected by those to whom He'd given His best. The final blow came in being forsaken by His Father.

Did scourges and nails take His life any more than grief? Our Lord shed His first drops of blood at the hands of neither Roman guards nor minions of Jewish elders, but in Gethsemane. He did not passively succumb to death, but actively entrusted His spirit to His Father.

This must likewise be my choice when grief holds me in its clutches. I must actively commit my spirit to my Father in Heaven. If I am a prisoner to grief, I must entrust my captive heart to the One powerful enough to set it free—to the One Who has promised to wipe away my every tear, for He collects every one.

And He calls each one who is His, "Friend."

Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
~ John 14:27 (NKJV)

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.
Artwork titled COLLECT MY TEARS IN THY BOTTLE; Artist: Sandra Perini
From amariahart.com

Ever Over, Into and Under

"Community. A rhythm. A beat. A pulse. A flowing river
connecting you to him and her and them and us to you
and back again flowing ever onward.
Ever forward. Ever over, into and under."
~ Louise Gallagher, Recover Your Joy

Ever Over, Into and Under

"I [pray] ... that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one."
~ John 17:20-23 (NKJV)

I'd never been part of a big church. It didn't even occur to me that I'd want to. Two years ago this month, the Lord blessed our family extraordinarily when He brought us to experience small church love in a fairly large church (around 500 people gather on Sunday mornings).

Among dozens of things I love about my church is that Sunday worship feels like a taste of heaven. The semi-circle layout enables us to see one another. Praise and worship are given prominence and excellence from orchestra, choir and praise leaders.

The Lord is exalted.

And if I close my eyes during certain songs, I can imagine I'm in Heaven singing with the hosts of angels. Because this is what Heaven will be like: a river of love flowing through people connected to one another through the blood of Jesus, united to our God, Him in us and us in Him, in glorified bodies, hearts beating together with one pulse in songs of praise, "ever over, into and under."

See you there—whether you're part of those I see today, or those I see on that Day.

Almighty God, Lord of Heaven and Earth, You are high and lifted up above all Your creation. May it be our highest privilege, greatest pleasure, and deepest passion to bring all wisdom and majesty and power and glory unto Your holy name—in this age, and for all eternity. Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord! Come soon!

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.
Photo from 268generation.com

God Needs You

"A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down,
and if they can't they lie down beside you and listen."
~ Unknown

So God created man in His own image ... male and female He created them... the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
~ Genesis 1:27,2:7 (NKJV)

"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants ... but I have called you friends."
~ John 15:14-15 (NKJV)

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
~ Matthew 27:32 (NKJV)

How could God possibly need puny man? It seems unthinkable.

Yet only through mankind is the Lord’s attribute of mercy made known. Only in us showing how unlovable we can be is the depth of His love manifest. I daresay that the greatest commandment—love the Lord "with all heart, soul, mind and strength"—is given because God’s love is too great to not need an object to receive it and to return it.

In the story of Simon of Cyrene we see Jesus in need, for no Roman soldier would have compelled Simon to show mercy to Jesus unless Jesus was too weakened by abuse to require it.

The Creator of the universe might have called upon angels in His hour of need. God in human flesh might have chosen by divine power to never visit the place of need. But Jesus nonetheless humbles Himself and enters the place of need.

Simon thus joins Jesus on the path to Calvary so that Jesus does not walk it alone. In His hour of greatest distress, God is in fellowship with mankind.

The privilege of accompanying Jesus to Calvary is also ours. Simon was compelled by an armed soldier. We are compelled only by love. We have no greater fellowship with Jesus than to daily take up a cross of our own.

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.

Dod-iy / My Beloved

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

Dod-iy / My Beloved
(pronounced: "dohd-EE")

Now let me sing for my Beloved my love song ...
~ Isaiah 5:1 (author)

His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,
And this is my friend ...
I am my beloved's,
And my beloved is mine...
I am my beloved's,
And his desire is toward me...
Make haste, my beloved.
~ Song of Solomon 5:16; 6:3; 7:10; 8:14 (NKJV)

Song of Solomon is in the Hebrew called "Song of Songs." This most beautiful, most sensual, most romantic love song is indeed a song above all others, composed as God's very Word.

The ballad may—nay, must—be read two entirely different ways to be appreciated. (It helps to use a translation such as the NKJV which identifies speakers, based on the gender and quantity of Hebrew pronouns, which are otherwise unclear in the English.)

One first reads this short book as the account of King Solomon and his Shulamite bride, named by him only as "My Love." Scripture's portrayal of consummated romance is the model for wedded lovers of all times. The poem never ventures into the graphic illustrations characteristic of our culture. It instead draws upon evocative imagery which piques the imagination. The kiss with which everything begins is described in the words "Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue ..." (4:11)

But such imagery is not what elevates this poetry as the Song above all other songs. Ready to take romance up a notch?

The fuller understanding of Solomon's love song requires a second full read, identifying "My Beloved" as the divine Bridegroom. The king and his bride are an allegory of the King of kings and His blood-purchased bride, the church. Song of Songs is poignant revelation of Christ's all-consuming love for us.

This most excellent romance expresses things such as how we see ourselves ("do not look upon me, because I am dark"), and how our Beloved sees His bride ("Behold, you are fair, my love!") He lingers over every part of her, noting every detail (4:1-15; 7:1-8)—even as the Holy Spirit seeks to touch every part of our lives.

Surprising details include the bride's ability to captivate her Bridegroom with her mere glance ("My sister, My spouse, you have ravished My heart with one look of your eyes"), and even overwhelm Him with her gaze ("Turn away your eyes from Me, for they overwhelm Me"). Her detailed description (5:10-16) of the One she calls "My Beloved" demonstrates a long study which has taken Him in completely. When His bride describes the King to others, they are compelled to seek Him out, that they might look at Him for themselves (6:1).

The entire protrait is not of submission to a Husband's dominion, but of a bride surrendered to her Lover's delight in her and of her delight in Him. I have attempted to say enough to capture your interest, without spoiling Song of Songs for your own read. The best is left to be discovered.

I close with a last observation. The passionate zeal of both human and divine romance is depicted as nothing less than the very "flame of YAH" (8:6)—tomorrow's final name in the series.

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

Ishi / Husband

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

Ishi / Husband
(prounounced: "eesh-ee")


"You will call Me 'My Husband,'
And no longer call Me 'My Master.' "
~ Hosea 2:16 (NKJV)

For your Maker is your husband,
The LORD of hosts is His name.
Isaiah 54:5 (NKJV)

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved [His bride] the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish... This is a great mystery ...
~ Ephesians 5:25-27,32 (NKJV)

Most Christians are aware that the church is called the bride of Christ, and He is called the Bridegroom. The relationship Paul calls a mystery is first observed in the Old Testament, where God speaks of Himself as a Husband to His people.

In doing so, the Lord intimates Himself as more than Creator, Master, Lord. He holds out a relationship more precious and meaningful than every other human relationship. If I might be so bold to make the suggestion, I believe the great love the Creator puts between a man and his wife moves us so powerfully simply because its purpose is to magnify the love and relationship the Lord offers those who are His.

Our response? Here's a place to start. A wife in love with her husband seeks to please him. She’ll learn to cook his favorite foods. She’ll dress and style herself in the manner he likes to look at. She’ll learn what pleases him and not only offer it as part of her love for him, but she'll conform herself to being what He favors. She becomes uniquely his.

God tells us what He finds desirable. As any Bridegroom, Christ wants a glorious bride. His Word tells us, "Be holy, for I AM holy" (1 Peter 1:16). And because we're unable to do it for ourselves, Christ puts His Spirit in us to prepare us for the day we meet Him. The Holy Spirit acts as a divine valet, washing us and teaching us and conforming us into the bride Christ waits to return for.

Yesterday's post described "holy" as set apart from all that is ordinary. Over at the blog What I Learned Today, Billy Coffey rightly said one of the devil's greatest lies is "that we are all ordinary." Peter not only reminds us to be holy, but goes on to counter the devil's lie with this:
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)

The King James translates "special people" as "peculiar people." The Greek peripoiesis combines peri (around, for oneself) with poieo (to make or do), and the combination describes something uniquely acquired, with which to surround oneself.

As a man acquires a wife.

By dwelling inside of us, God surrounds Himself with us. As He makes us holy, we are set apart with him, not from Him, both unique and uniquely His.

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

Know the Lord

"But this is the covenant that I will make ... I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," says the LORD.
~ Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NKJV)

"I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the LORD."
~ Hosea 2:19-20 (NKJV)

"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
~ John 10:14,27 (NKJV)

It is reported that the best shepherds know their sheep well enough to identify the name of each one in the dark by their feel and voice. When several flocks share a sheep pen, the shepherd calls out his own sheep, and only those sheep who know his voice will respond to his call. Pet owners likely appreciate such tender intimacy.

The Lord not only calls Himself "Shepherd," but boldly describes His intimacy with His people on a whole other level. He beckons throughout Scripture, "Know the Lord." Both the Hebrew yada and the Greek ginosko (an intensive word form) mean "to know," and define the physical intimacy between man and wife.

It doesn't get any more intimate than this.

The use of "to know" in such a context is not mere metaphor. To know the Lord is to surrender ourselves to Him. It is to come to a place of knowledge from which there is no going back. It is to feel His Spirit's presence within us and know joy in the experience. It is to receive the seed of His Word and bear Him fruit.

Know the Lord.

Beloved Bridegroom, how humbled we are by the bride price of blood You paid to obtain us as Your own. How majestic are the sweet whispers of Your Spirit to us. What a wonderful God You are to not only create us so fearfully, not only save us so mercifully, but to allow us to know You so intimately.

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

Our Righteousness

"A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth...
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
~ Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NKJV)

For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment [filthy rags].
~ Isaiah 64:6 (HNV)

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all.
~ Romans 5:18 (TNIV)

There's no reason for any Christian to have any pride or self-righteousness. Whatever "good" we see as our righteousness is unclean and filthy in God's eyes.

There's no reason for any Christian to have any despair or guilt for sin. We have no condemnation, for Jesus already suffered the condemnation for our sins. He has replaced our guilt, condemnation, and unrighteousness with His own righteousness. Our King's very name is "Our Righteousness"—YHWH Tsidke-nu (tsid-KAY-noo).

Our identity, in Christ, is "righteous."
Our righteousness is in Christ's identity alone.

O YHWH Our Righteousness, Your perfection and holiness are incomprehensible to sinful man. How can we begin to comprehend that it is ours? Please give us the right perspective of ourselves—nothing apart from You, everything in You.

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

Know the Lord

"Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John... he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
~ Luke 1:13,16-17 (NKJV)

And they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."
Luke 1:59-60 (NKJV)

"No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
~ Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJV)

Zacharias (Zechariah) means "YHWH remembers." John (Yochanan) means "YHWH is gracious / shows favor." John the Baptist's ministry of turning hearts toward the Lord to prepare people for the Gospel is often characterized as preaching fiery condemnation of sin. Though he was martyred for that part of his message, his calling was as herald for the Gospel of grace.

Know the Lord. Know His grace. He does condemn sin. And He sets us free, from both sin's penalty and sin's power. The two go together. One cannot sincerely say "be my Savior and set me free from sin's penalty" without "be my Lord and keep on setting me free from sin power."

God's grace does not forget sin, but rather chooses to not remember sin because we know relationship with God. To know the Lord is to be united to Him. To know the Lord is to share His hatred for sin, to trust Him and His will, to believe He uses all for good and glorify Him for it.

To know the Lord, read the Bible more. Then some more. Then lots more.

Lord, You are good. Your ways bring peace. You give light to us in the shadow of death which occupies this world. You allow mortal man to know You—to be united with You through Your Spirit within us. To know You is to love You. Draw us to Yourself and fill us with more of You.

On a personal note: Today begins a walk through Luke, the Gospel with the stated intent "that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." Chapter 1 has 80 (!) verses I could write a dozen posts on. It is rich. You'll be blessed if you take time to read it all.

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

Gates of Zion

The LORD loves the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God! Selah
~ Psalms 87:2-3 (NKJV)

Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
~ Psalms 24:7 (NKJV)

Thus says YHWH: "Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest? ...
Into this [place] I will look:
Into one who is poor and of a broken spirit,
Who trembles at My word."
~ Isaiah 66:1-2 (author)

There are various interpretations about the exact meaning of the name Jerusalem. I'm inclined to go with "headwaters of peace." Jerusalem represents Christ's bride, and her ultimate destiny is as the source of waters of complete peace where the Prince of Peace makes His throne.

The gates of Zion are as the gates of the human heart. Our King of Glory waits for us to fling open every door within and surrender to His full possession, that He may enter in as Lord. Though His throne is in heaven, the place He most desires to dwell is a humble heart filled with love.

King of Glory, Your majestic throne in heaven is holy and surpasses every place of earth. How is it that You desire to dwell within us? Please move us to yield to Your Spirit, who makes us holy and fills us with love for You, that You would find Yourself at home in our hearts.

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

Exalt Jerusalem

O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps....
We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
~ Psalms 79:1-4 (NKJV)

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
~ Psalms 137:5-6 (NKJV)

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
~ Revelation 21:2 (NKJV)

The crown jewel of Israel has been Jerusalem since the day David brought the ark into the city singing and dancing. Twice, to thoroughly re-order Israel, the Lord has taken Jerusalem from the Jews—or perhaps it would be more correct to say that He took the Jews from Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is central to the Lord's people and His plan of redemption. His purpose to exalt Jerusalem mirrors His purpose to exalt His church, whom Jerusalem represents. Whatever reproach Christianity suffers in the present era, it echoes all that has happened to Jerusalem.

God has forsaken neither the Jews nor Jerusalem. Jesus promised to never forsake His church. We shall again see God exalt Jerusalem, for the church's ultimate destiny is to reign at the side of our King as His bride.

Beloved Bridegroom, Your bride awaits Your return as You make preparation for her. By the power of Your Spirit, please complete Your work in us that we will finish preparation for You, beautifully adorned in holiness.

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