Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away

At some point, in this relationship we have embraced with Jesus, there has to be a turn.
Our thoughts and actions, our motives and our intents change from being self-focused, and move toward becoming "others" focused. The first eleven steps of the twelve steps are devoted to establishing a relationship with the Higher Power (in this case, we believe that Higher Power to be Jesus Christ).

Steps # 1 - 3 - we are learning to trust God.
Steps # 4 - 11 - we are cleaning our own house. That is a nice way of saying we are letting God work in us to change our character. To take out the part that validates our lying, cheating, stealing, etc......
and replace it with the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth. The words, "All Truth," meaning truth about ourselves in relation to the absolute truth that God has given as a standard.
Step # 12 - Now we become outward focused. What makes this possible? "Having had a spiritual awakening..."
Kind of paints a picture of us being in a spiritual coma.
Oh, we are walking around...
Making decisions (even if they are really bad decisions)...
We are existing outside the rule and reign of God's kingdom.
For ourselves, we are the slave to our own desires and emotions.
We are a slave to sin.
But now, here on Step # 12, we have been awakened by God's touch upon our life. It was God who reached down and brought us out of the muddled darkness of sin.
It was God who opened the door to this new way of living, thinking and doing business with the world.
It was God who brought me up and out of the pit of hell, to establish me and set me upon a firm foundation of Jesus Christ.
It was God who broke the power of the pipe, the pill, the bottle and the needle.
It was the cross of Christ that was brought to bear on my behalf.

Now alive, I find that my heart is for those still out there trapped in the darkness of addiction.
I find that I run into them every day.
I see them at every turn.
I want to tell them about this God, who did for me what I could not do for myself.
So I give myself away.
I share my story.
I buy cups of coffee.
I get them food to eat.
Clothes to wear.
Sometimes, I'm simply there for them. I sit with them in their pain and distress. I am a presence just as Christ in me is a presence. There aren't may words spoken during times like this, but there is comfort found in Jesus.
We read the words of Matthew 25:40, in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus is proclaiming his approval and love for those who have taken care of those who are hungry, in prison, sick, alone etc.....In fact if you read the list, it reads like the results of someone who is an addict. In the parable, there are others who are believers, who have simply done what we all should be doing. They have poured themselves out by feeding, clothing, visiting and praying for others. Jesus, at the conclusion of the parable, gives this proclamation to the group.  ....And the King shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you ,in as much as you have done these things unto one of the least of my brethren, you have done it unto me." Did you catch that?

Every 12 step call you make....You are taking Jesus to give away to this life that is bound up by addiction.
Every time you greet someone at a meeting or at church and offer them a cup of coffee and some cookies, you are giving away Jesus to them.
Jesus said at one point in Scripture that the purest religion in the world was the giving of a cup of cold water in his name. A simple act of love that is not kept or hoarded, but given away at no cost to another human being. Why? Because we love Jesus, and we love people who haven't met him and so not have what we have been given.

Paraphrase of Step # 12 ---
Having had a spiritual awakening, we seek to take THE MESSAGE to others.......
I think this is the heart of Kingdom of God.
Thanks for stopping by today and reading the Greene Street Letters....

God on you...
mb