Treasure Hunt

A few last thoughts on worship—the topic I haven't been able to exhaust this week.

"... for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
~ John 4:23 (NKJV)

Aren't we supposed to be the seekers, chasing after God? Yet Jesus says the Father also seeks us, worshipers in spirit and truth.

That omniscient God always sees us isn't new knowledge:

The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
~ Proverbs 15:3 (NKJV)

But do we consider that He not only looks after us ...

And the Angel of the LORD said to [Hagar]: "... the LORD has heard your affliction..." Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are- the-God-Who-Sees.
~ Genesis 16:11-13 (NKJV)

... He also hunts after us, as treasure?

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
~ 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)

And then He gives all He has to obtain that treasure:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
~ Matthew 13:45-46 (NKJV)

I've asserted more than once that God actually needs us, because He has impressed it so often upon my heart. That concept runs counter to everything we know about omnipotent God. But consider His great love for us, and these closing words:

"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.'
Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you.' "
~ Dr. Erich Fromm

Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Favor

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
~ Psalms 136:1 (NKJV)

In the above passage, the Hebrew word translated "mercy" is chêsêd. Scholars readily agree that its literal meaning is difficult to capture in a single word. Various translations render it with words such as love, steadfast love, faithful love, lovingkindness, kindness, mercy. Though I have represented chêsêd with the word "favor" in the above image, it rarely receives that translation. Chêsêd is "favor" magnified and intensified beyond any word's meaning.

We have those family members or friends whom we honestly love because of our relationship with them—but we don't really like them. We also associate with plenty of nice people whom we genuinely "like," and whom we could say we "love" in the generic way we love all of humanity.

Then there are those favorite people we love from the heart, to whom we give another level of "like" which exceeds love. These are those closest to us—family members or friends to whom we'd deny nothing we own, for whom we'd do anything of which we're capable. They have a level of favor in our souls which propels us to find a way to do what is good for them and will bring pleasure to them.

Biblical Hebrew has no word for "like" in the sense that we look upon someone as pleasant and think, "I like you." The Bible offers only the intensified version of "I don't just love you—I like you" captured by chêsêd.

If you are one of God's people, remember this always:

As intense and sacrificial and overarching as God's love for you is, He doesn't simply love you. He really, genuinely likes you. You are one of His favor-ites.

I promise.

Lord, we have no way to fully grasp the depth of Your chêsêd for us in this world. But today, would You please give to us a deeper comprehension and appreciation for it? Would You allow us to understand it as fully as we can right now? Please? Thank You, Lord.

Your comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are most appreciated. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

To Infinity—and Beyond!

"I love you, baby."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you more than I loved you yesterday but not as much as I'm gonna love you tomorrow."

Age 6 Daniel pauses to take in all the words. "You always say that, Mommy."

"Because that's how I love you and I want you to always remember."

Another pause while Daniel thinks of the right word. "I love you a thousand!"

I smile. This is a new one. "I love you a million. That's a thousand of thousands."

Kisses and hugs and snuggles commence.

"But guess how much God loves you?"

Daniel looks at me expectantly. I always come up with a different answer for this one.

"How much?"

"He loves you the biggest number. Way more than a million."

"What's the biggest number called?"

I try to think of the biggest number I know. Isn't a google a one with a million zeroes? Or should I introduce a new concept?

"He loves you infinity. That's the biggest number. Nothing is more than infinity."

Young eyes light up with recognition. "You mean like 'to infinity—and beyond!' ?"

Buzz Lightyear's motto has been in my ears about a google times, but this is the first time the meaning registers in my brain. What is beyond infinity?

If only one thing, it's God's love.

"You're so smart, Daniel! God's love goes to infinity and beyond. The very biggest number of all numbers is infinity, and God's love is bigger than that."

More hugs. And smiles. Because if there's anything that makes me happy, it's when God shows me more of Himself through my kids.

The LORD has appeared to me of old, saying, "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love."
~ Jeremiah 31:3 (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.

Hearing the Lord Sing

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: Rejoice.



"The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."
~ Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)

Can a newborn know the fierce love of the parent who rejoices over it?

The child will learn love and share love, multiplying the rejoicing. And on the day when one rejoices over one's own child, that love is perhaps finally understood.

Such is the love and rejoicing of our God over us. We can't quite comprehend the extent of His love, nor can we love Him as much. We don't always see ourselves or our circumstances as something to rejoice over. Yet whether or not we choose to join Him in the rejoicing—if we're even able—He does indeed rejoice over us.

We shall one day hear clearly His songs of rejoicing over us. For now, we simply offer to Him our songs of praise, worship, woe, brokenness—and rejoicing.

In the stillness, we may perchance hear the faint echo of His song even now.

"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."
~ John 16:22 (NKJV)

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: best-norman-rockwell-art.com

O The Deep Deep Love Of Jesus

Lord, I've asked in the past if I could have a spot in Heaven not too far from the King, even if it's just scrubbing out the corner with a toothbrush. I'm not particularly interested in Heaven's other locales or pleasures.

Then I consider how undeserving of Your grace I am, and I feel I can't ask for even that much.

All the same, I know that You love me, and that You know my love for You. And I want to say that I don't care a whit about Heaven unless I'm with You, in Your presence, taking in the fullness of Your vast, unmeasured, boundless love. I'd rather spend an eternity on Earth in only Your Spirit's presence than to be Heaven without You.



O The Deep Deep Love Of Jesus

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
Changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches over His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own
How for them He intercedeth,
watcheth over them from the throne.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Tis a heaven of heavens to me
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee!

I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Words of "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" by S. Trevor Francis, 1875.
Arrangement recorded by Selah © 2004 Curb Songs
All other content Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Lie of Hell #1: You’re Not Worthy of God’s Love

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

: : : : :

"His love for me is utterly realistic,
based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me,
so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me."
~ J.I. Packer

Lie of Hell #1: You’re Not Worthy of God’s Love

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
~ James 2:10 (NKJV)

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
~ Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)

Does the devil tell you your sin is so bad that you'll never be worthy of God's grace or love?

The truth is that we are not deserving of God's grace or love. We deserve something as a entitlement—perhaps because we earned it—when we are wronged by not receiving it.

The Lord's love and grace are not our right, but His gift to us. And like any true gift, they are freely given regardless of our lack of merit.

We are all undeserving sinners. The penalty for being a sinner is eternal death—end of discussion. The payment for all sin of all the world for all time has been paid by Jesus' blood. His sacrifice is greater than whatever could be called the greatest sin. The only unforgivable sin is to blaspheme, or deny, the testimony of Holy Spirit which speaks to us of salvation's power.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
~ Romans 8:31 (NKJV)

To be worthy is completely different than being deserving. God has made us in His image, desires fellowship with us, and delights in our love. He offers forgiveness from the sin which separates us from Him because He declares us worthy of forgiveness. No matter how horrific our sin is in our own eyes, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover it.

Father in Heaven, thank You for declaring us worthy of the cost of Your precious Son's blood. Please help us not to argue with You and say we are less. Please open our eyes to the truth of Your declaration that we are worthy of Your love, that we may resist the lies of satan.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Long Distance Love

"I don't want to go without Your touch
without Your love filling me like an ocean ..."
~ Avalon, from "I Don't Want to Go" (Full lyrics below)

Long Distance Love

And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.' "
~ 1 Samuel 20:41-42 (NKJV)

I read a piece yesterday by Billy Coffey, titled "Love Still Holds On," about a long distance romance in the life of his work acquaintance.

It called sharply to mind how my own marriage began. In the days before unlimited minutes, John and I ran up monthly phone bills which ran over $200 in '89 dollars. We spent enough on airline tickets that we might have received stock rather than frequent flier miles. I'd become certain within weeks of meeting him that this was the man I'd one day marry, so the differences of miles and time zones were trivial deterrents to long distance love.

When I moved to Michigan in 1990, lovesickness obscured thoughts of what it meant to leave behind family. Within a short time I came to appreciate the bonds with my siblings in a way I might have never otherwise understood. We do not simply share the DNA of common parents, but the souls of common experience. We know one another in ways even spouses will not. Long distance love became multiplied exponentially in my life with the births of our own children—who can seem more like siblings than cousins.

Facebook has been a Godsend. After nearly two decades mostly away from family members, I'm again a part of their daily lives, their laughs and foibles, their joys and sorrows and wit. A face on the computer screen can never be the same as kissing their cheeks and hugging their necks, but it has closed the gap of time zones and miles with the cost of mere minutes.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
~ Psalms 34:17-18 (NKJV)

This month I've published pieces on suffering and how Christians should treat homosexuals, on the heels of my own stifling pain and months of intense stress. I've learned things in the last year that could fill a book, a number of which have appeared on the pages here. Of all the things suffering has taught me, one stands out.

Relationship with our God is anything but long distance love.

I'd known that. His Spirit lives in me as an abiding presence I never cease to feel. His whispers assure me of His proximity. I wrote an entire novel with a thread running through it that the Lord is near.

But the inability to see my Father's face, kiss my Savior's scarred feet, or touch their Spirit's embrace made my Lord seem like a God too far. It can bring on separation anxiety to rival any infant's with its mother. It can make me long for Heaven with a pain that death cannot possibly match with its own grip, but only release with its interruption of my tears.

I've lately come to know how very near my God is, and that He is very closest when our hearts are broken and we offer them to Him.

My Lord and my God, Your love is higher, wider, longer and deeper than the deepest pain we might know. Thank You for giving us a taste of Your love now, as assurance and hope of the love we shall know.

You changed my world
When You came to me
You drove a passion
In my soul down deep
Lord, to follow You in everything

I don't want to go somewhere
If I know that You're not there
'Cause I know that me without You is a lie
And I don't want to walk that road
Be a million miles from home
'Cause my heart needs to be where You are
So I don't want to go

So come whatever
I'll stick with You
I'll walk, You'll lead me
Call me crazy or a fool
For forever I promise you that...

I don't want to go somewhere
If I know that You're not there
'Cause I know that me without You is a lie
And I don't want to walk that road
Be a million miles from home
'Cause my heart needs to be where You are
So I don't want to go
Without Your touch
Without Your love
Filling me like an ocean
For Your grace is enough
Enough for me
To never want to go somewhere
If I know that You're not there

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.
#suffering
Lyrics "I Don't Want to Go" by Avalon, © 2001 Dried Rose Music / New Spring Puslishing

Question of the Week: How to Treat Homosexuals?

"Do not be angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."
~ Thomas A. Kempis

Q: How should the church treat homosexuals? (from Anonymous)

First, God does not hate anyone. God is love, and no matter who you are, He loves you.

"The church" is people—people who have given themselves to Jesus Christ and received forgiveness of their sins through His blood, which pays the death penalty for all sin.

The authority for Christian belief and conduct is the Bible. [Next week's Q&A will explain belief in the Bible in greater detail.] For anyone who trusts it as God's Word, the Bible provides both the Creator's rules for how to live and answers for every question life poses.

The Bible says God created humanity, and created sex as the good and healthy means to not only reproduce human life, but also to bond together a man and woman in the vital relationship of marriage.

Homosexuality, or sexual acts between members of the same sex, cannot be marriage because God instituted marriage and defines it otherwise. God calls homosexuality an "abomination" (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:27) because it perverts His original intent for sex.

But before you take that thought too far, consider that there are other, non-sexual acts which are so offensive to God that they are also called an abomination. Look at this passage from Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV):

These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren [or, in a community].

The Bible therefore challenges us to understand exactly what might be defined as "abominable" sin. It also explains in Galatians 6:1-2 (TNIV) how to treat people who exhibit sin:

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Here is how I apply all that to today's question:

• The Bible's Number One commandment, in all circumstances, is Love.

• Christians must be mindful that every one of us has been guilty of sin which is an abomination.

• Any individual's primary problem is not one particular sin, whether it's homosexuality or pride or stirring up discord. Every person's first need is understanding that they need Jesus to save them from all sin.

• Concerning people who come to church, we should distinguish between: 1) people who come to church to visit, who are asked to respect us, but who don't understand our Bible's "house rules"; 2) newer believers, who need time to learn the house rules; and 3) those who have been around long enough to know the Bible and be expected to live by it.

• When people who have established themselves as part of the church display open immorality, Christians of sufficient maturity are obliged to address it, and to do so with the empathy which views sin as a burden. In cooperation with God's Spirit, we should sensitively work to help people see sin as a burden to themselves—reminding them of the cost for Jesus to carry its full weight to the cross—and help them find greater freedom from sin’s burden, with rebuke if necessary.

• Did I mention that the Number One rule for treatment of all people, whether outside or inside the church, is Love?

I'd like to close with an apology.

To homosexuals, and to every person who has been hurt by the misguided Christians who remember that sin is abominable but sometimes forget that love is far greater ...

On behalf of my fellow Christians, I admit we are wrong when we get our priorities out of order, or when we attempt to address sin of anyone else before we adequately address our own sin. I confess that we struggle against our own abominable sins, including sexual sins. I ask you to forgive us and be patient with us as we grow to be like Jesus our Lord and learn to live like He asks us. God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. I also love you, very much, as do a great many Christians who remember the importance of love. Please give us the opportunity to better learn how to show you that love.

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image source: tedsoqui.blogspot.com

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments, click here.

KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart)

"You should explain your reasons to a child
as if the child had to explain them to God."
~ Robert Brault

KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart)
#knowingGod

Praise [hâlelu] YHWH, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
For His love-filled kindness [chêsêd] is great toward us,
And the certain truth [emeth] of YHWH is perpetual [olam].
Hâlelu YAH!
~ Psalm 117 (author, amplified)

YHWH passed before Moses and proclaimed,
"YHWH! YHWH is mighty, compassionate,
gracious, longsuffering,
abounding in love-filled kindness and truth,
preserving love-filled kindness for thousands ..."
~ Exodus 34:6-7 (author)

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth
For your love is better than wine.
~ Song of Solomon 1:2 (NKJV)

Today's passage is Psalm 117, all two verses of the Bible's shortest chapter. Addressed to Gentiles, perhaps the author thought they'd have a short attention span—not unlike our internet generation.

Or, perhaps the author was presenting a short praise chorus to be sung repetitively, similar to what today's critics call 7-11 songs—seven words sung eleven times. But anyone around children knows that when you make truth short, simple, and say it enough times, they'll eventually get it.

If you're writing only two verses to foreigners exhorting them to praise your God, you'd better get in what's most important. This brief Psalm is reminiscent of the way the Lord describes Himself to Moses (Exodus passage above), with an emphasis on three vital characteristics:

Chêsêd is synonymous with chên (grace). It stems from a verb which means to stoop, as one in power does to demonstrate love and kindness to someone weaker. The post of one week ago examined that the Lord humbles Himself to even look upon us, let alone show us the love and kindness which seats His people in Heavenly Places.

Emeth is established truth. It stands in opposition to relativity which allows everyone to define truth as they see fit. The Lord is certain, unchanging, reliable. He does not conform to human stipulations for deity.

Olam means the vanishing point of time or distance. It does not mean infinity, but simply beyond human comprehension, or outside the boundaries of space and chronology we can ascertain—(evolutionists' attempts to define absurd theories as science be damned).

Abundance of love and kindness. Truth. Perpetual. Psalm 117 is a little kiss from the Lord.

Lord, how wonderful every verse of Your Word, like abundant kisses from You! Please enable us to treasure every word, as the loving gift You've made it.

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 GettyImages.com

Heavenly Places

"Love is that condition in which
another's happiness is essential to your own."
~ Robert Heimlich

Heavenly Places

Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
That He may seat him with princes.
~ Psalms 113:5-8 (NKJV)

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us ... made us alive together with Christ ... and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
~ Ephesians 2:4-6 (NKJV)

We sing songs of amazing grace and amazing love. We are rightly awed that Almighty God, the Maker of the universe, should have humbled Himself so much that He put on human flesh, knelt before mortals to wash their feet, then submitted Himself to a horrific death on our behalf.

The psalmist says the Lord humbles Himself to even look upon His creation. The Hebrew verb for humble, shâphêl, means to be brought low, to sink down, to be humiliated. The greatness of God, far above and beyond human comprehension, stoops low to simply be able to see and hear us. (Our corruption and lowliness is that bad.)

Then He does the unthinkable. Having stooped down to us, He raises us up to sit with Him. He seats us in the heavenly places, together with His Son, the Prince of Peace and King of kings.

Have you given yourself to Jesus Christ? Understand how low you have been. Understand how high you have been raised.

And never, ever doubt His love and favor for you.

Lord, how can You do so much for us and ask only our love in return? How can we ever love You enough?

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 comment.myspace.com

Friday Freelance: TWO LIES

The following is an excerpt from the message I prepared for women I visited at the county jail on Thanksgiving Day.

"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
~ Mother Theresa

Friday Freelance: TWO LIES
#salvation

It has been my observation that if people do not draw close to the Lord, they may be a prisoner to one of two lies:
"I'm good enough."
"I'm not good enough."

I've found this to be true whether or not they've come to a point of affirming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Someone believes the former lie when they've failed to grasp the magnitude of sin. They either see themselves as "pretty good," and have yet to realize that the wages of sin is death; or they don't fully appreciate the cost of Jesus paying the penalty for their sin, because they don't see themselves as all that bad to begin with. They may think God unfair for any suffering they endure because they view themselves as undeserving of it.

Someone believes the second lie when they've failed to grasp the magnitude of God's love. They know full well how much they've sinned, and are overwhelmed by it. They may believe they could never be good enough for God to love them, let alone die for them. Even if they've accepted forgiveness through Jesus' blood, they believe themselves unworthy of any favor from God. They may wallow in suffering because they believe they deserve it.

"For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life."
~ John 3:16 (NIV)

This verse is said so often that we may hardly hear its ability to defeat both lies. There is no such thing as "pretty good" or small sin, because all sin puts a person on death row. God did not give His one and only Son to die because we only needed a little bit of salvation. Not a single human being is without the sin which requires payment of his or her life. The person who loves little has not sinned little, but simply failed to understand how great all sin is.

Understand that if God gave His one and only Son to die for you, He highly values you, and sees you as worthy of His very best love. If He's already given His Son, He'll deny you no good thing—in His timing. He does not allow you to suffer because you deserve it, but so that you may be like Him, sharing in suffering as His Son experienced. If you choose to draw near to Him, He'll carry that suffering with you.

Eternal life is not something we wait to experience when we say good-bye to this world. Eternal life begins on the day we transact business with Jesus Christ, giving Him our sins and our lives, accepting from Him His forgiveness and His eternal life.

Eternal life is a life of joy, which cannot be imprisoned.

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 columbiamissourian.com

Love's Need

"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.'
Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you.' "
~ Dr. Erich Fromm

Love's Need
#knowingGod

From afar the LORD appeared unto me.
'Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.'
~ Jeremiah 31:3 (JPS)

We come to Christ in need of a Savior, and we love the Lord for what He's done for us.

As we better know Him, we cannot help but grow in love for Him simply for Who He is. Our love could reach a point that eternal life is meaningless except that it allows us to be with Him we love.

Jesus, God made man, has a love for us so great it compelled Him to die for us. I assert that such a love needs us and our love.

The more I've thought on this, the more I stand in utter wonder of our God.

The weekend audience for this blog is usually slim. To the handful of people seeing this, I trust you won't mind pondering it again if it reappears some weekday for a wider audience.

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.

Inseparable Love

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
~ Psalms 73:25-26 (NKJV)

The book of Romans is as rich as it can be. Chapter eight is dense with verses which carry us through our most difficult hours. Here is the climatic end. God gives us, through Paul, the words which assure us of His inseparable love.

We are fragile creatures who need constant reassurance of love. Whether or not we admit it to even ourselves, we fear rejection above all other fears. If we build walls around ourselves against love, it is to prevent rejection. Of all the hurts we can suffer, does any pierce more sharply than when we have loved and had our love scorned?

We need never fear such rejection from God. The only thing which can separate us from His love is the coldness of our own hearts. If we do not know His love it is because in our hurt we have hardened ourselves against Him.

This is likewise the one thing which hurts the Lord—that He would love us with all He is, then be rejected and have His love scorned.

Precious Abba, how often have we hurt You by brushing aside Your expressions of love? How often have we been too distracted to notice them? How often have things of this world been more important to us than You are? Please forgive us for such callous indifference! So move our hearts that there be none upon earth that we desire beside You. Thank You for your unfailing, inseparable love.

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

Count the Blessings

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
~ 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

As I read Romans 5 on Wednesday, I never made it past the first several verses of Paul's list. As I began to count the blessings we have through faith in Jesus Christ, I was reduced to tears and could go no farther.

So I here reverse my usual order. This reflection is first, then the Scripture with which I started. As I read this passage yet once more (I've been over it again and again in the last day), I'm enumerating the gifts of God by putting a separate item on each line.

Mind you, this is just nine verses of the Bible. Were we to count the blessings in all of Scripture on separate lines, could we carry the voluminous tome?

Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access by faith
into this grace
in which we stand,
and rejoice
in hope of
the glory of God. And not only that, but
we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that
tribulation produces perseverance;
and perseverance, character;
and character, hope. Now hope
does not disappoint, because
the love of God has been poured out in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit who was given to us...
But God demonstrates
His own love toward us [2nd mention of love], in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
~ Romans 5:1-9 (NKJV)

Father in heaven, surely the greatest gift awaiting us in heaven is full comprehension of Your glory, love and grace as we enter Your presence. Thank You for the glimpse You give us here on earth. Thank You for the great love You lavish upon us. Thank You that we are counted Your children.

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

Beloved

To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
~ Romans 1:7 (NKJV)

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God.
~ 1 John 3:1-2 (NKJV)

Even though he wrote the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13), I don't tend to think of Paul as a particularly affectionate sort. He wasn't even married, and an aging bachelor doesn't bring to my mind a picture of warm fuzzies.

But write the love chapter Paul did. And other than God Himself, no one else in Scripture uses the expression "beloved" more than Paul. How often does anyone use that particular term of endearment? It is reserved for only someone especially close to the heart. It was used of the Father for His Son Jesus.

Is there anyone in your life who calls you or is called by you "beloved"? Paul and John both use it in addressing you. More importantly, "beloved" describes God's affection for you, His beloved child. He does not use it of everyone, but only those He has adopted as His Own, who
call Him "Abba"—"Father."

Abba, Father, what manner of love, indeed, does for us all You have done? You give us life, liberty, and love above all love. If You did nothing else for us, we would be blessed only because we are Your beloved.

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

Are You Willing?

"Where the heart is willing it will find a thousand ways.

Where it is unwilling it will find a thousand excuses."

~ Dayak Proverb

Taking a break after the Names of God series.
Plans to be back tomorrow with a post.
~ Anne

Everlasting God, Everlasting Love

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying:
"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."
~ Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
~ Isaiah 40:28-29 (NKJV)

[I pray that you] may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
~ Ephesians 3:18-19 (NKJV)

"I have loved you with an everlasting love."

These words are stenciled as the border in my girls' bedroom. (The other three walls have other love verses.) For several years now my daughters have slept with their heads at the opposite end of the bed so they can see this verse.

Human love is such an uncertain thing sometimes. It ebbs and flows with the winds of our emotions, circumstances, and time. Once close friends move away or move on. Even in families, sisters and brothers, parents and children can drift apart.

Not so with God's love. The everlasting God spoke of His everlasting love at a time when He seemed anything but loving. Jerusalem was in the process of being devastated and destroyed for its horrific idolatry and child sacrifice. Famine provoked cannibalism. Bodies lay in heaps. Things got as ugly as ugly gets in the Bible.

At such times God's love and goodness may seem nonexistent. But it's often in our darkest hours that we're able to most diligently seek Him, and thereby know reassurance of His love.

Everlasting God, how can we know love which passes knowledge? How do we see in four dimensions of width and length and depth and height? Surely no matter how much we hear or know of Your love, we've only begun to plumb its depths. Please let us never doubt such love. Please show us how to share such love.

[Note: I typically work through a book of the Bible in about a month, and have been going through two chapters a day of Jeremiah. But I simply must linger over the beauty of these next few chapters for several days.]

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

Flame of Yah

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
~ Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

Seal my love upon Your heart;
Seal my arms around You.
Love is as overpowering as death.
Passion is as unyielding as the grave.
Its flashes are arrows of fire—
The very flame of YAH.
~ Song of Solomon 8:6 (author paraphrase, based on GNB & GW)

"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace."
~ Jeremiah 29:7 (NKJV)

Jeremiah 29:13 is my life verse (note the large letters at bottom of page). I don't remember a time when I didn't relentlessly seek spiritual truth. The Lord had to utterly exhaust me of searching for it in wrong places before He revealed Himself to me. My eyes were opened to Him in 1985. My life was surrendered to Him in 1988. Relentless search for truth became relentless pursuit of God.

I'm a fanatic for learning names of God. Of the hundreds I've collected, my very favorite is Yah. It is an intimate name (perhaps even a nickname), used fifty times in Hebrew Scripture. It is most familiar in the phrase, "Hallelu Yah" (Greek "Alleluia"), which literally means "give clear and shining praise to Yah." Bible authors generally use Yah in contexts of up close or very personal encounters with YHWH's power. The first appearance of "Yah" in Scripture is when the Israelites danced and sang praise after being delivered through the parting of the Red Sea.

The consequences of relentless pursuit of God is discovering the consuming love of Yah, as many contemporary praise songs attest. Such consuming love can make us yearn for heaven a little too much, to the point of losing peace over being earth's captive.

Though we yearn for heaven, we must also remain firmly engaged in bringing God's peace to this place of captivity—for therein we also find peace.

Oh Yah, how You confront me today! Please give strength for the pursuit and to withstand the flames without shrinking back. Please enable us to praise You with unbridled passion as we engage ourselves in kingdom work on earth. Please lead in paths of peace.

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

He Came to Seek

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich... And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
~ Luke 19:1-2,5 (NKJV)

And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
~ Luke 19:9-10 (ESV)

"If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?"
~ Matthew 18:12 (NKJV)

For nearly a day I've been mulling over the circuitous route to Jerusalem Jesus took from Galilee through both Samaria and Jericho. The stop at Jericho was well out of His way, and required both a deep descent into the Jordan Valley and a return steep uphill climb to Jerusalem.

Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem took a detour through the mountains to look for lost sheep. Two were blind beggars. One was a wealthy tax collector. Though He journeyed to the cross, and had so very much of His own pain to face, The Son of Man came to seek out those last few lost sheep before He died.

Did you come straight to Jesus? Or did you travel a long and circuitous route before Jesus found you? I was seeking for so long that I rejoiced to finally stumble upon Him. All the while, He was seeking me.

I knew this already. But I smile at God's many ways to remind me of it.

Good Shepherd, some days I think I'm still wandering. We walk such a very long and circuitous route through life. How much better the journey is at Your side! Before You again return to Jerusalem, Lord, please keep calling to those last few lost sheep. Please use us to find them.

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

A Jealous God

"According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do.... You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God."
~ Leviticus 18:3-4 (NKJV)

"The LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
~ Deuteronomy 4:24 (NKJV)

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
~ James 4:4 (NKJV)

Jesus calls His church His bride and Himself her Bridegroom. Throughout the Old Testament, God likewise calls Himself the Husband of His people. And like any husband, He is a jealous God, rightfully wrathful if the affection due to Him is given to anyone else.

When they were set free from Egyptian slavery, the Israelites were not to look to the people around them for how to live, nor to the people from their previous way of life. They were to look only to the Lord for direction in how to live every aspect of their lives.

There is still no aspect of our lives that the Lord does not care about. Though He looks at the condition of our hearts rather than our exterior appearance and works, exterior appearance and works are often an expression of what's in our hearts. Do they conform to the world or God's will and Word?

Beloved Bridegroom, You are jealous for us with an enduring love. You have given us everything and deserve all we have, all we do, all we have. Please open our eyes to the ways we give worship to the world around us rather than to You. Let us not give ourselves to another.

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