For my birthday last week, I shared a handful of the things I've learned about life. (Thank you to my readers for all the nice comments and tweets.) More important, this week, are just a few of the things I've learned about God, in roughly the order He revealed them to me.
Jesus is living God, to be worshiped for Who He is.
The more you look closely at nature, the more certain you are there's a Creator.
If you reach out for God when you're really scared, He reaches back.
You can only believe what other people tell you about God if it's backed up by what God says about Himself.
You cannot know God apart from truth. Pure truth has a quality that facts alone can never touch.
Hell is horrific and I belong there. Jesus loves me and He died so I can stay with Him instead.
You can't have all of God until you give Him all of you.
When God's Spirit moves in, sin needs to move out.
God can play a fierce game of Hide & Seek, but He loves to be found.
God is God, and He must be met on His terms, not ours.
When you seek God first, you receive blessings you'd given up on.
My best ideas are garbage unless they're part of God's plan.
God never intended for any of us to go it alone. We really do need one another.
God cares passionately about what we think of His Son.
God has a tender spot for the people who love His Son.
God's not particularly interested in making us comfortable.
Be very careful about what you pray for. God has an outrageous sense of humor.
Always pray for others what you'd want them to pray for you.
God repays good for good generously and bad for bad mercifully.
When we think we're waiting for God to move, He's probably waiting for us to move.
Don't ask God for new instructions until you've followed the last ones He gave.
God does not change and His feet do not move. But prayer can move the arm of God, the face of God, and the heart of God.
God has great compassion for the sorrowful heart turned toward Him.
God has little tolerance for whining when He's been so good to us.
Sometimes, God is only waiting for us to ask.
God can and does speak to those who know His voice.
God has no condemnation for His children, only discipline.
When we think we can't endure another moment of pain, God knows how far to stretch us.
If you seek blessings before seeking Blessor, you're sure to be disappointed.
God is seriously in love with His people.
God is too great to ever be understood by mortals.
God loves us too much to let us understand too little of Him.
We won't get tired of an eternity with God.
No matter what else or who else you think you need, God really is enough.
God never gives up on those in whom He's taken up residence.
Thus says the LORD:
"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?
For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,"
Says the LORD.
"But this one will I regard:
The one who is afflicted and of a smitten spirit,
And who trembles at My word."
~ Isaiah 66:1-2
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – use @gmail.com *after* buildingHisbody
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Showing posts with label Knowing God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knowing God. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Demystifying God
"Watching a child acquire language, I realize, again, that naming things demystifies them."
~ Mary Casey
Naming a thing is, indeed, the first step to demystifying it.
(John 9:8) Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind ... (10) said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" (11) He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus ..."
Might the next step be to seek it out and examine the mystery firsthand?
(12) Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."
One might next ask questions of someone knowledgeable ...
(13) They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees ...
But those who only acquire knowledge don't necessarily know a thing—or a person. To be sure, understanding begins with knowing a name and the truth behind the name. But pride may go on to think that possession of such knowledge grants a form of ownership which also allows definitions on our own terms.
God is easily both the most familiar name and most misdefined Person.
(16) Some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath... ( 24) We know that this Man is a sinner."
Whatever our knowledge base (or lack thereof), a personal encounter with the divine compels one to acknowledge His Person.
(30)The man answered and said to them, "... (33) If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."
And once we name Jesus the Son of God, can we do anything but worship?
Jesus ... said to [the blind man], "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.
~ John 9:35-38 (NKJV)
In our worship, we both demystify God and comprehend our inability to demystify glorious God.
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
~ Mary Casey
Naming a thing is, indeed, the first step to demystifying it.
(John 9:8) Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind ... (10) said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" (11) He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus ..."
Might the next step be to seek it out and examine the mystery firsthand?
(12) Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."
One might next ask questions of someone knowledgeable ...
(13) They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees ...
But those who only acquire knowledge don't necessarily know a thing—or a person. To be sure, understanding begins with knowing a name and the truth behind the name. But pride may go on to think that possession of such knowledge grants a form of ownership which also allows definitions on our own terms.
God is easily both the most familiar name and most misdefined Person.
(16) Some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath... ( 24) We know that this Man is a sinner."
Whatever our knowledge base (or lack thereof), a personal encounter with the divine compels one to acknowledge His Person.
(30)The man answered and said to them, "... (33) If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."
And once we name Jesus the Son of God, can we do anything but worship?
Jesus ... said to [the blind man], "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.
~ John 9:35-38 (NKJV)
In our worship, we both demystify God and comprehend our inability to demystify glorious God.
Comments are welcome (including respectful disagreement) and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2012, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Informed, Conformed, Transformed –
Part I, Knowledge or Knowing?
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews... [Nicodemus said,] "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?"
~ John 3:1,9-10 (NKJV)
All too often, a person is so satisfied to be informed of the Gospel that such knowledge is considered sufficient. Content to think Heaven is secured through knowledge alone, further learning is resisted. Perhaps one doesn't want to be responsible for knowing too much.
Ignorance is no vice. But the one who chooses to remain ignorant is called "stupid" and "fool" by Scripture.
Belonging to Jesus comes not by knowledge of the Gospel, but in knowing the Savior. Knowing Jesus comes with a cost—but not nearly as high as the cost of gaining a little knowledge and turning away from more:
For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "a dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
~ 2 Peter 2:21-22 (NKJV)
Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
~ John 3:1,9-10 (NKJV)
All too often, a person is so satisfied to be informed of the Gospel that such knowledge is considered sufficient. Content to think Heaven is secured through knowledge alone, further learning is resisted. Perhaps one doesn't want to be responsible for knowing too much.
Ignorance is no vice. But the one who chooses to remain ignorant is called "stupid" and "fool" by Scripture.
Belonging to Jesus comes not by knowledge of the Gospel, but in knowing the Savior. Knowing Jesus comes with a cost—but not nearly as high as the cost of gaining a little knowledge and turning away from more:
For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "a dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
~ 2 Peter 2:21-22 (NKJV)
Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Father, Son, Spirit
To the pilgrims ... electaccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
~ 1 Peter 1:1-2 (NKJV)
Father, Son, Spirit
I readily confess to obsession with God's Word, as well as to the drive to understand it for this primary purpose: to know God.
My “sub-obsession” is the names of God, because He is known in His names. While hundreds of names capture various dimensions of one God Who longs to be known, His inherent nature is of three distinct personalities: Father, Son and Spirit. He's simply too big to fit into one Person.
May I today share Whom those three Persons are to me personally?
The Father is mighty and majestic King. He created me with a purpose and plan for me, and to share mutual love. All I have is a gift from His hand, and I need never go without anything I truly need. He blesses me with direction and disciplines me. He can be stern but usually isn’t, because of His deep underlying affection for me as His little child. Though I may disappoint Him at times, He is never, ever disgusted with me, because He sees my icky thoughts, feelings, words and actions through the rose-colored glasses of His Son's blood.
His Son is the King's Prince Regent. He is in Himself exactly all the Father is, and makes the Father personal to me by both telling me and showing me. As the Word of God, Jesus uses logical words I can understand. As the Creator, Jesus speaks in pleasurable sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations. As the Son of Man, Jesus didn’t just live inside flesh, He actually became as human as me without losing any of Who He is—and demonstrated how to touch and talk with and love people. My Friend Jesus came searching for me where I sat imprisoned on death row, set me free, brought me to His Father, and asked that I be adopted into His family. He is my someday Bridegroom, residing in Heaven until our wedding day. He left behind the Bible as His love letter, His church as the part of Him I can still touch, and His Holy Spirit as His heart.
Called Paraclete (“Counselor”), the Holy Spirit is as gentle as the most compassionate mother. From the inside of me, he breathes into my soul desire for the Father’s plan for my life. Though Jesus set my spirit free, my soul lives with the lingering filth of sin which the Spirit tenderly burns off and washes away, refreshing me and making me radiant as gold. As divine Valet, He clothes me with works attractive to my Bridegroom—the labor of love, the sacrifice of joy, the cultivation of peace. His flames singe without burning, His waves billow without drowning, His breath fills me without forcing.
All three are one God. All three are marked by personality of soul and are as tangible as the elements. If the Holy Spirit is formless wind, fire and water of God, Jesus is the earthly and physical expression of God. The splendor of Father in Heaven is as untamable and untouchable and real as magnificent thunder which reverberates in my ears and heartbeat.
My God, how I love You. Thank You for making Yourself so indisputably real in my life. Please use my words to make Yourself more real and better known to others.
Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#knowingGod
Image sources:
bostonherald.com/blogs
agnostichicagokie.blogspot.com
health.utah.gov
newamsterdamrecords.com
Thursday, December 10, 2009
KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart)
"You should explain your reasons to a childas 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
Sunday, October 25, 2009
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
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.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Understanding
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad." ~ Brian O'Driscoll
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
~ Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
~ Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)
Promotion of the Bible as revelation of God is my favorite cause for enthusiasm. But if I fail to convey that purpose—revelation of God—I've failed.
It is not knowledge of the Scriptures which makes one rich. It is knowing God—and therefore receiving understanding of the Scriptures and how to actually apply them—which makes one rich.
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
What Advantage?
What advantage then has the Jew ...? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles [logion] of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.
~ Romans 3:1-4 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
~ John 1:1,14 (NKJV)
When Paul poses a rhetorical question to ask what advantage there was to being Jewish, he did not first mention things such as covenants, or the Promised Land, or the lineage of David related to the monarchy of God's earthly kingdom. Paul speaks foremost of God's Word.
God's Word was entrusted to the Jews both in the Old Testament Scriptures, and in the person of Jesus Christ—the Word (Greek logos) Who is both God and God become Man. The Word of God is revelation of the plan, promises, and most importantly, the Person of God.
This is also the advantage of the Christian who believes the Bible is not merely a historical or philosophical book of some importance. It is not simply the "Owner's Manual for Life." It is not given to elevate man by the knowledge it imparts. The Bible is God's very Word—His logos—intelligent and eloquent revelation and reasoning from God Himself. It is certainly much more, but if it is anything less, then our religion of forgiveness and charity and selflessness is rightfully seen as on par with other religions.
What advantage then has the Christian? Much in every way! What sets Christianity apart is that to us is entrusted the Word of God in the Old and New Testament Scriptures—and in the relationship with Jesus Christ available to all who confess Him Lord by their testimony, and who believe in their hearts (and not with only head knowledge) that He is raised from the dead, a living God (Romans 10:9).
Living Word, You woo our hearts with your eloquence and beauty. You are all that is good and perfect and wise. You pull back heaven's curtain and reveal to mankind the Person of God, and we'd be blessed to know Him alone if nothing else. Thank You for all else You are to us. Thank You for being the Author and Finisher of our Faith, Who endured the cross on our behalf.
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
~ Romans 3:1-4 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
~ John 1:1,14 (NKJV)
When Paul poses a rhetorical question to ask what advantage there was to being Jewish, he did not first mention things such as covenants, or the Promised Land, or the lineage of David related to the monarchy of God's earthly kingdom. Paul speaks foremost of God's Word.
God's Word was entrusted to the Jews both in the Old Testament Scriptures, and in the person of Jesus Christ—the Word (Greek logos) Who is both God and God become Man. The Word of God is revelation of the plan, promises, and most importantly, the Person of God.
This is also the advantage of the Christian who believes the Bible is not merely a historical or philosophical book of some importance. It is not simply the "Owner's Manual for Life." It is not given to elevate man by the knowledge it imparts. The Bible is God's very Word—His logos—intelligent and eloquent revelation and reasoning from God Himself. It is certainly much more, but if it is anything less, then our religion of forgiveness and charity and selflessness is rightfully seen as on par with other religions.
What advantage then has the Christian? Much in every way! What sets Christianity apart is that to us is entrusted the Word of God in the Old and New Testament Scriptures—and in the relationship with Jesus Christ available to all who confess Him Lord by their testimony, and who believe in their hearts (and not with only head knowledge) that He is raised from the dead, a living God (Romans 10:9).
Living Word, You woo our hearts with your eloquence and beauty. You are all that is good and perfect and wise. You pull back heaven's curtain and reveal to mankind the Person of God, and we'd be blessed to know Him alone if nothing else. Thank You for all else You are to us. Thank You for being the Author and Finisher of our Faith, Who endured the cross on our behalf.
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Friday, July 31, 2009
YAH
For July, each post examines an Old Testament name of God.
Friday Freelance: FAMILIARITY
Set me as a seal upon Your heart,
As a seal upon Your arm.
For love is strong as death,
Jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are arrows of fire,
the very flame of YAH.
Song of Solomon 8:6 (author)
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Friday Freelance: FAMILIARITY
Set me as a seal upon Your heart,
As a seal upon Your arm.
For love is strong as death,
Jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are arrows of fire,
the very flame of YAH.
Song of Solomon 8:6 (author)
One of the idioms of Hebrew is usage of "to know" in reference to physical intimacy between a man and his wife. When a man thus knows his wife, no part of her—body, heart, mind, and soul—should not become familiar to him in a way no one else will know her.
In more common usage of the word "know," surely no one knew the Lord better than Moses. He repeatedly held the power of God in his hands with his staff. Twice Moses spent forty days fasting on Mt. Siani in communion with YHWH. The Bible records Moses spending more time in direct contact with God than any other man except Jesus Himself.
When Moses comes to know YHWH so well, no wonder he desires to behold God's full glory—to see Him as fully as YHWH sees Moses. In seemingly contradictory passages of Exodus 33, verse 11 first says, "So YHWH spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Yet YHWH asserts in verse 20 that no man may see His face.
The Hebrew word for face, paneh, can also mean "before," as in "before your face." The voice of YHWH was heard by various patriarchs, His presence was visible to the Israelites in the pillars of cloud and fire. Moses alone was given the privilege of coming before YHWH’s visible and intimate presence in a one-on-one intimacy that man had not enjoyed since the garden—but which still excluded the full, unveiled revelation of the divine face.
When Moses begged, "Please, show me Your glory" (verse 18), his Lord graciously granted fuller knowledge and manifested His glory—but withheld from Moses the fullest knowledge that yet awaits each of us on the other side: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Webster’s Dictionary: vehement: marked by forceful energy:
POWERFUL: as a: intensely emotional: IMPASSIONED, FERVID:
b1: deeply felt 2: forcibly expressed 3: bitterly antagonistic.
Oxford’s Dictionary: vehemet: showing strong feeling, forceful,
passionate, intense; ORIGIN Latin vehemens : impetuous, violent.
According to Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, YAH is a contracted form of the sacred name YHWH, and its meaning is defined as YHWH "most vehement."
This emphatic and personal name of God occurs 51 times in Scripture, and is usually translated "LORD" (as YHWH is, with small caps; or, KJV: JAH).
This emphatic and personal name of God occurs 51 times in Scripture, and is usually translated "LORD" (as YHWH is, with small caps; or, KJV: JAH).
The Psalms use YAH 25 times in the imperative phrase "Hallelu YAH." That phrase is usually translated "Praise [ye] the LORD," and is familiar as "Hallelujah" or the Greek "Alleluia." Halal is a Hebrew word for a clear, shining, showy, celebratory praise—most fitting to evoke the intensity which is consistently connected to the name YAH.
YAH first appears in Scripture immediately after the powerful and clearly miraculous deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea. Thereafter, YAH appears exclusively in poetic contexts, where the speaker is giving testimony to or exhorting praise for the power of God with which the speaker has become familiar. It is because one has personally witnessed the power of YAH, extended on his or her behalf, that one is compelled to praise Him.
Perhaps the similarity of the name YAH to the Hebrew yada ("to know") is not accidental. New Covenant believers who belong to Jesus Christ experience unthinkable physical intimacy with divinity and its power: the Holy Spirit takes up residence in mortal vessels of flesh. Such familiarity is beyond amazing.
In light of the strength, passion, praise, and intimacy of knowledge associated with YAH—as well as the fact that it is the sole pronounceable form of the divine name YHWH, and the only name for God which retains the Hebrew pronunciation when translated into English—YAH is this student’s favorite name for our mighty and intensely personal God.
You will keep in perfect peace
The one stayed upon You
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in YHWH forever,
for YAH, YHWH, is the Rock of Ages.
Isaiah 26:3-4 (author)
The one stayed upon You
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in YHWH forever,
for YAH, YHWH, is the Rock of Ages.
Isaiah 26:3-4 (author)
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
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.
~ 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.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Foolish
Thus says the LORD:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me."
~ Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV)
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and 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 1:27-29 (NKJV)
I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant ...
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
~ Psalm 73:21-22,25 (NKJV)
Some people see me as on fire for the Lord. Some people see me as simply exuberant. Not a few call me foolish. I honestly don’t mind being seen as foolish for the way I love the Lord.
I have a confession. Lately I really have been foolish. I’ve allowed distractions to draw my attention from the glory of the Lord enough to become "vexed in my mind." It honestly doesn’t take much “cares of this world” to steal from a relationship with the Lord.
I’ve been blessed by the prayers of those who love me, and by one friend in particular offering just the right words. How deep is my gratitude for such people. Yet I wouldn’t have been vexed in the first place if I’d kept my heart where it should be.
What can this world offer to best the ability to glory in knowledge and understanding of the LORD? A sermon I heard this weekend suggested that human glory is the opposite of shame. Such glory I’ll gladly accept.
Oh God, You are my God. Whom have I in heaven or on earth but You? What shall I desire but You? Your glory is a consuming fire I cannot bear for long. Yet even as I back far enough away to recover, let me not become cold. Please show all of us how to draw near and endure Your glory.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me."
~ Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV)
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and 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 1:27-29 (NKJV)
I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant ...
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
~ Psalm 73:21-22,25 (NKJV)
Some people see me as on fire for the Lord. Some people see me as simply exuberant. Not a few call me foolish. I honestly don’t mind being seen as foolish for the way I love the Lord.
I have a confession. Lately I really have been foolish. I’ve allowed distractions to draw my attention from the glory of the Lord enough to become "vexed in my mind." It honestly doesn’t take much “cares of this world” to steal from a relationship with the Lord.
I’ve been blessed by the prayers of those who love me, and by one friend in particular offering just the right words. How deep is my gratitude for such people. Yet I wouldn’t have been vexed in the first place if I’d kept my heart where it should be.
What can this world offer to best the ability to glory in knowledge and understanding of the LORD? A sermon I heard this weekend suggested that human glory is the opposite of shame. Such glory I’ll gladly accept.
Oh God, You are my God. Whom have I in heaven or on earth but You? What shall I desire but You? Your glory is a consuming fire I cannot bear for long. Yet even as I back far enough away to recover, let me not become cold. Please show all of us how to draw near and endure Your glory.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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.
~ 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.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Everlasting God
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty ...
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting....
The floods have lifted up their voice ...
The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your testimonies are very sure.
~ Psalm 93 (NKJV)
All things are full of weariness ...
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
~ Ecclesiastes 1:8-9 (ESV)
The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations.
~ 2 Timothy 4:3-5 (NIV)
In his book Tribes, marketing guru Seth Godin asserts, "Leadership ... is about creating change.... Life's too short to fight the forces of change.... The marketplace (every marketplace) rewards innovation: things that are fresh, stylish, remarkable, and new."
The sea of people is fickle. They lift up their voice and ever clamor for something new. The noise of many waters, like mighty waves, compels leadership to esteem the inventive above the established. We crave innovation in "every marketplace," and ears itch for new teachings.
We serve the Everlasting God. Unlike enticing fads which come and go, His Word and His way are very sure. Our solid Rock is established from of old. Yet He is never wearisome, continually offering life-giving bread and water.
The LORD need not be new. He makes everything else new.
Everlasting God, You are clothed with majesty. You will not faint. You don't grow weary. Before Your throne alone shall we bow. Please forgive us when we ask You to conform to our new ideas. Your mercies are new every morning, and they are more than sufficient.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting....
The floods have lifted up their voice ...
The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your testimonies are very sure.
~ Psalm 93 (NKJV)
All things are full of weariness ...
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
~ Ecclesiastes 1:8-9 (ESV)
The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations.
~ 2 Timothy 4:3-5 (NIV)
In his book Tribes, marketing guru Seth Godin asserts, "Leadership ... is about creating change.... Life's too short to fight the forces of change.... The marketplace (every marketplace) rewards innovation: things that are fresh, stylish, remarkable, and new."
The sea of people is fickle. They lift up their voice and ever clamor for something new. The noise of many waters, like mighty waves, compels leadership to esteem the inventive above the established. We crave innovation in "every marketplace," and ears itch for new teachings.
We serve the Everlasting God. Unlike enticing fads which come and go, His Word and His way are very sure. Our solid Rock is established from of old. Yet He is never wearisome, continually offering life-giving bread and water.
The LORD need not be new. He makes everything else new.
Everlasting God, You are clothed with majesty. You will not faint. You don't grow weary. Before Your throne alone shall we bow. Please forgive us when we ask You to conform to our new ideas. Your mercies are new every morning, and they are more than sufficient.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Next Generation
My friends, I beg you to listen as I teach.
I will give instruction and explain
the mystery of what happened long ago.
These are things we learned from our ancestors,
and we will tell them to the next generation.
We won't keep secret the glorious deeds
and the mighty miracles of the LORD.
~ Psalms 78:1-4 (CEV)
All your children shall be taught of Yahweh;
and great shall be the peace of your children.
~ Isaiah 54:13 (WEB)
Parents often have one thing which becomes a priority to pass on to the next generation, no matter what else is overlooked. It could be material possessions, educational opportunity, family stability, sexual purity, emotional security—eternal life.
Parents' greatest heartbreak can be seeing the next generation fail to obtain what we desire for them. We do well to remember that faith is a gift of God. Small children may be sanctified by a parent's faith, but the day comes when each of us must account for ourselves.
We cannot give the next generation faith as God can, but we can give them knowledge of God by which faith comes. Whatever we lay aside to make it our priority, we must tell them of the Lord's glorious deeds and mighty miracles, His perfect righteousness and purposes, His great love and peace.
Glorious Creator who made us and our children, You graciously give to us abundantly. Please press upon our hearts each and every day how to make You known to the generations who follow us. However else we fall short, please do not allow us to fail to speak of You and bless You.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
I will give instruction and explain
the mystery of what happened long ago.
These are things we learned from our ancestors,
and we will tell them to the next generation.
We won't keep secret the glorious deeds
and the mighty miracles of the LORD.
~ Psalms 78:1-4 (CEV)
All your children shall be taught of Yahweh;
and great shall be the peace of your children.
~ Isaiah 54:13 (WEB)
Parents often have one thing which becomes a priority to pass on to the next generation, no matter what else is overlooked. It could be material possessions, educational opportunity, family stability, sexual purity, emotional security—eternal life.
Parents' greatest heartbreak can be seeing the next generation fail to obtain what we desire for them. We do well to remember that faith is a gift of God. Small children may be sanctified by a parent's faith, but the day comes when each of us must account for ourselves.
We cannot give the next generation faith as God can, but we can give them knowledge of God by which faith comes. Whatever we lay aside to make it our priority, we must tell them of the Lord's glorious deeds and mighty miracles, His perfect righteousness and purposes, His great love and peace.
Glorious Creator who made us and our children, You graciously give to us abundantly. Please press upon our hearts each and every day how to make You known to the generations who follow us. However else we fall short, please do not allow us to fail to speak of You and bless You.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Mighty in the Scriptures
Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.
~ Acts 18:24-25 (NKJV)
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure."
~ Luke 10:21 (NIV)
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies... And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge ... but have not love, I am nothing.
~ 1 Corinthians 8:1; 13:2 (NKJV)
Apollos, thought by many (including this student) to be the unidentified writer of Hebrews, was called "mighty in the Scriptures." Paul was well-educated by the respected rabbi Gamaliel. Yet others who penned Scripture were the fishermen Peter and John, as well as James and Jude, sons of a lowly carpenter.
Knowing and understanding the Bible doesn't require formal education—though education is valuable. The Father Himself, through His Holy Spirit, reveals the hidden things of Scripture to those with the humble heart of a child, whether learned or not.
Being "mighty in the Scriptures" can puff up with pride. The Father does not honor pride. But if one desires to better know and love the Lord, and to better love and edify fellow man, it is the Father's good pleasure to reveal His treasures.
Knowledge is of great value, but love trumps education every day.
Lord of heaven and earth, our beloved Father, thank You for making Yourself known to those who seek You. Thank You for honoring those who honor you with a humble heart. Thank You for permitting us to glimpse Your magnificence, before which all else shall one day fade.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
~ Acts 18:24-25 (NKJV)
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure."
~ Luke 10:21 (NIV)
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies... And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge ... but have not love, I am nothing.
~ 1 Corinthians 8:1; 13:2 (NKJV)
Apollos, thought by many (including this student) to be the unidentified writer of Hebrews, was called "mighty in the Scriptures." Paul was well-educated by the respected rabbi Gamaliel. Yet others who penned Scripture were the fishermen Peter and John, as well as James and Jude, sons of a lowly carpenter.
Knowing and understanding the Bible doesn't require formal education—though education is valuable. The Father Himself, through His Holy Spirit, reveals the hidden things of Scripture to those with the humble heart of a child, whether learned or not.
Being "mighty in the Scriptures" can puff up with pride. The Father does not honor pride. But if one desires to better know and love the Lord, and to better love and edify fellow man, it is the Father's good pleasure to reveal His treasures.
Knowledge is of great value, but love trumps education every day.
Lord of heaven and earth, our beloved Father, thank You for making Yourself known to those who seek You. Thank You for honoring those who honor you with a humble heart. Thank You for permitting us to glimpse Your magnificence, before which all else shall one day fade.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
Monday, February 9, 2009
Justified
"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man [Jesus] is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."
~ Acts 13:38-39 (NKJV)
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
~ Galatians 3:23-25 (NKJV)
Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
~ Psalms 119:165 (NKJV)
The Law of Moses is fairly exhaustive, and impossible to keep. Anyone who believes he is justified by keeping the law must admit his failure and resulting guilt. Being justified comes by faith when one stops serving the law and chooses to serve Jesus Christ.
But before a Christian casts aside the law as useless to attain justification—no longer a master to whom one must submit—it is worth considering how very valuable the law is. Any tutor able to accomplish so much is worthy to retain as a counselor.
For the one cleansed by the blood of Christ, the law no longer exists to be served but to serve. It is no longer master but friend. We are under none of it, and free to enjoy all of it.
Father God, we are foolish people unworthy of Your good and precious law. We seem to either live by the law or leave the law, but rarely love Your law. Please enable Your people to look upon Your law as a beloved tutor which brings us to Christ, and then helps us to know Him.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
~ Acts 13:38-39 (NKJV)
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
~ Galatians 3:23-25 (NKJV)
Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
~ Psalms 119:165 (NKJV)
The Law of Moses is fairly exhaustive, and impossible to keep. Anyone who believes he is justified by keeping the law must admit his failure and resulting guilt. Being justified comes by faith when one stops serving the law and chooses to serve Jesus Christ.
But before a Christian casts aside the law as useless to attain justification—no longer a master to whom one must submit—it is worth considering how very valuable the law is. Any tutor able to accomplish so much is worthy to retain as a counselor.
For the one cleansed by the blood of Christ, the law no longer exists to be served but to serve. It is no longer master but friend. We are under none of it, and free to enjoy all of it.
Father God, we are foolish people unworthy of Your good and precious law. We seem to either live by the law or leave the law, but rarely love Your law. Please enable Your people to look upon Your law as a beloved tutor which brings us to Christ, and then helps us to know Him.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Withstand God?
"Who was I that I could withstand God?"
~ Acts 11:17 (NKJV)
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said ...? For I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."
~ Jonah 4:1-2 (NKJV)
"The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
~ John 4:23 (NKJV)
In Acts 10-11, the Lord challenges Peter to expand his view of God beyond limitations of Jewish law and tradition, and Peter is compelled to yield his preconception.
Who is God to you? Which attribute stands above others as absolute?
Do you have room for a harmoniously contrasting attribute to be just as absolute? Do you attempt to withstand God if contrasts in His nature conflict with your agenda (as did Jonah)?
Our Father's limitless love allows pain to discipline us. Our ruthless Judge requires retribution and mercifully provides it. The Lord's sovereign will cannot be frustrated, yet He ordains human will and forces Himself on no one. The holy King suffers the existence of rebellious evil to manifest His goodness and patience. The terrifying Lion of Judah is the gentle Lamb of God.
Regardless of how we see Him, I AM is true to Himself. True worshipers worship Him in truth.
God of mercy, we long withstood Your grace, long provoked You to Your face. You yet withhold judgment and patiently love us. Please grant to each of us reading these words a richer understanding of who You are, that we might more fully worship and love You.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
~ Acts 11:17 (NKJV)
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said ...? For I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."
~ Jonah 4:1-2 (NKJV)
"The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
~ John 4:23 (NKJV)
In Acts 10-11, the Lord challenges Peter to expand his view of God beyond limitations of Jewish law and tradition, and Peter is compelled to yield his preconception.
Who is God to you? Which attribute stands above others as absolute?
Do you have room for a harmoniously contrasting attribute to be just as absolute? Do you attempt to withstand God if contrasts in His nature conflict with your agenda (as did Jonah)?
Our Father's limitless love allows pain to discipline us. Our ruthless Judge requires retribution and mercifully provides it. The Lord's sovereign will cannot be frustrated, yet He ordains human will and forces Himself on no one. The holy King suffers the existence of rebellious evil to manifest His goodness and patience. The terrifying Lion of Judah is the gentle Lamb of God.
Regardless of how we see Him, I AM is true to Himself. True worshipers worship Him in truth.
God of mercy, we long withstood Your grace, long provoked You to Your face. You yet withhold judgment and patiently love us. Please grant to each of us reading these words a richer understanding of who You are, that we might more fully worship and love You.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
Sunday, January 4, 2009
To Whom Shall We Go?
For the LORD is our Judge,
The LORD is our Lawgiver,
The LORD is our King;
He will save us.
Isaiah 33:22 (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)
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ~ John 6:66-69 (NKJV)
In the United States a system of "checks and balances" exists in the judicial, legislative, and administrative branches of government. The nation relies upon thousands of individuals at local, state and federal levels oversee the three functions which all find fulfillment in the Lord our God as Judge, Lawgiver and King.
To whom shall we go but God for all we need? It's often said if we have Jesus we have everything. Do we thus live? Do we worry for nothing else because He is first? Do we rise to bless Him with our first waking breath and drift to sleep with His name in our hearts? Do we live to love and know Him? Have we ceased from complaining about whatever He allows?
To know and love the Lord is more intensely satisfying than all other earthly pleasure. If we delight in Him, we will not wait to receive the desires of our heart, because He is the desire of our heart.
Everlasting Father, Lord Jesus, Precious Spirit, in You we live and move and have our being. You are the Alpha and the Omega and everything in between. You are goodness and light and love and the only One we need. May our highest privilege, greatest pleasure, and deepest passion be to glorify You.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
The LORD is our Lawgiver,
The LORD is our King;
He will save us.
Isaiah 33:22 (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)
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ~ John 6:66-69 (NKJV)
In the United States a system of "checks and balances" exists in the judicial, legislative, and administrative branches of government. The nation relies upon thousands of individuals at local, state and federal levels oversee the three functions which all find fulfillment in the Lord our God as Judge, Lawgiver and King.
To whom shall we go but God for all we need? It's often said if we have Jesus we have everything. Do we thus live? Do we worry for nothing else because He is first? Do we rise to bless Him with our first waking breath and drift to sleep with His name in our hearts? Do we live to love and know Him? Have we ceased from complaining about whatever He allows?
To know and love the Lord is more intensely satisfying than all other earthly pleasure. If we delight in Him, we will not wait to receive the desires of our heart, because He is the desire of our heart.
Everlasting Father, Lord Jesus, Precious Spirit, in You we live and move and have our being. You are the Alpha and the Omega and everything in between. You are goodness and light and love and the only One we need. May our highest privilege, greatest pleasure, and deepest passion be to glorify You.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy
Sunday, December 28, 2008
I Have Desired You
O LORD, we have waited for You;
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.
With my soul I have desired You in the night,
Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.
Isaiah 26:8-9 (NKJV)
Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Psalm 119:132 (NKJV)
"Behold, I have sworn by My great name," says YHWH, "that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, 'The Lord YHWH lives.' " ~ Jeremiah 44:26 (author)
A name can change everything. A newborn's identity begins with a name. The familiar receptionist, cashier or usher is a body with a function until a name is known and function becomes person. The one who would be friend, spouse and lover began to be mine in the moment I possessed the name that became sweet upon my lips and made my heart beat faster.
No one has more names than God. A few are Living Word, Creator, Light, I Am, Lamb, Judge, King, Friend, Rock, Shepherd, and Savior. Yet these are also attributes—names for other people and things. Even Hebrew names in an exclusively divine form such as Shaddai (Almighty) and Adonai (Lord) have origin in the common (shad, adon).
A single name is exclusive to God: YHWH (and its poetic emphatic form, YAH). Translated Yahweh, Jehovah, or LORD (with small caps), it's pronunciation and exact meaning were lost with its Hebrew vowels when the Jews stopped speaking the name YHWH for fear of violating it.
Interestingly, if the Hebrew consonants for YHWH are spoken ("yad he vav he"), the meaning is "behold hand, behold nail"—not unfitting until the day YHWH is fully known.
YAH, You are my Strength and Song and have become my Salvation. Your names are sweet upon my lips and make my heart beat faster. All my desire will be utterly fulfilled in the day I behold the hands which took the nails for me and I speak Your name.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. © 2008, Anne Lang Bundy
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.
With my soul I have desired You in the night,
Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.
Isaiah 26:8-9 (NKJV)
Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Psalm 119:132 (NKJV)
"Behold, I have sworn by My great name," says YHWH, "that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, 'The Lord YHWH lives.' " ~ Jeremiah 44:26 (author)
A name can change everything. A newborn's identity begins with a name. The familiar receptionist, cashier or usher is a body with a function until a name is known and function becomes person. The one who would be friend, spouse and lover began to be mine in the moment I possessed the name that became sweet upon my lips and made my heart beat faster.
No one has more names than God. A few are Living Word, Creator, Light, I Am, Lamb, Judge, King, Friend, Rock, Shepherd, and Savior. Yet these are also attributes—names for other people and things. Even Hebrew names in an exclusively divine form such as Shaddai (Almighty) and Adonai (Lord) have origin in the common (shad, adon).
A single name is exclusive to God: YHWH (and its poetic emphatic form, YAH). Translated Yahweh, Jehovah, or LORD (with small caps), it's pronunciation and exact meaning were lost with its Hebrew vowels when the Jews stopped speaking the name YHWH for fear of violating it.
Interestingly, if the Hebrew consonants for YHWH are spoken ("yad he vav he"), the meaning is "behold hand, behold nail"—not unfitting until the day YHWH is fully known.
YAH, You are my Strength and Song and have become my Salvation. Your names are sweet upon my lips and make my heart beat faster. All my desire will be utterly fulfilled in the day I behold the hands which took the nails for me and I speak Your name.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. © 2008, Anne Lang Bundy
Monday, November 24, 2008
Seed of God
And [Jesus] said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how."
(Mark 4:26-27 NKJV)
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
Whether the seed of a tomato or the seed of a man, the unassuming appearance of a seed belies the incomprehensible volume of information wrapped in its DNA. The humble seed holds the very miracle of life. It need only be planted in the right place to sprout and grow, seemingly unassisted, with uncanny precision, marvelously mysterious.
The seed of Jesus' parable is the Word of God. Like any seed, the Word's ability to produce new life defies explanation. Scientists' microscopic images of cell-reproduction make that process more understandable. Likewise, Bible expositors may trace the growth of spiritual life, but life itself is held in the Word.
Bibles are so familiar that even we who count them dear fail to behold them with awe each time we open them. Yet the unassuming seed of God's word carries potential reaching into eternity.
My Lord, how I love Your Word! It is more nourishing than bread, sweeter than honey, more precious than gold. It is Wisdom personified. It is the Water to wash me clean. It is the sharp Sword to defeat enemies of my soul. It is kisses from the Lover of my soul. Thank You for Your wonder-filled Word.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com.
Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy
(Mark 4:26-27 NKJV)
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
Whether the seed of a tomato or the seed of a man, the unassuming appearance of a seed belies the incomprehensible volume of information wrapped in its DNA. The humble seed holds the very miracle of life. It need only be planted in the right place to sprout and grow, seemingly unassisted, with uncanny precision, marvelously mysterious.
The seed of Jesus' parable is the Word of God. Like any seed, the Word's ability to produce new life defies explanation. Scientists' microscopic images of cell-reproduction make that process more understandable. Likewise, Bible expositors may trace the growth of spiritual life, but life itself is held in the Word.
Bibles are so familiar that even we who count them dear fail to behold them with awe each time we open them. Yet the unassuming seed of God's word carries potential reaching into eternity.
My Lord, how I love Your Word! It is more nourishing than bread, sweeter than honey, more precious than gold. It is Wisdom personified. It is the Water to wash me clean. It is the sharp Sword to defeat enemies of my soul. It is kisses from the Lover of my soul. Thank You for Your wonder-filled Word.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com.
Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy
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