GREENE STREET LETTERS: Accounting 101

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Accounting 101

Luke 9:25

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

We tend to live our lives without thought or care as to the eternal ramifications to the decisions we make.
We have a band-aid mentality when it comes to dealing with the issues and situations life throws at us every day.

We want to do only what is necessary to stop the pain now. Never mind the consequences that may come later.

Even in our relationship with Jesus, we want him to come and take the pain, remove the hurt and make everything better. What does it profit us to gain relief from pain if we don't see or understand the eternal things of God.'

In the Matthew passage we are told that there is a trade off.

Either decide for the temporal things of this world, or decide for the eternal presence and relationship with God. Since most live by their appetites a.k.a. sinful nature, we feed the one that screams the loudest. That would be our sin nature.

In the process of doing so, we are losing our very lives.

We can't see because the sin appetite demands attention now.

We can't hear because the sin appetite demands to be fed now.

Verse 24 reads:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

All a matter of dying to self.

A surrender of will and choice to live by the will and choice of God.

A walking out daily of refusing to have my way in order to embrace His way.

God help us all....

2 comments:

Bobby said...: The easy way out is to put a band-aid on our problems. But Jesus calls us to deal with them. Take up your cross and follow me is the call Jesus is still making to his disciples today.; August 5, 2008 at 7:56 PM
Lane said...: As step 3 says, "I made a decision to turn my life and will over to the care of God..." Also, the 'Step 3 prayer' on pg. 63 of the AA text includes these lines:

God, I offer myself to Thee-- to build with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

THIS is why I am so grateful for Recovery Michael...because the 'remedy' is a daily life of abandonment and fierce accountability -- consistent with these powerful words of Christ. I don't live it perfectly...but His grace continues to carry me along. Thank you for your friendship and words from His heart...

Lane; August 5, 2008 at 8:45 PM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Accounting 101

2 comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD