GREENE STREET LETTERS: The Red Hot Chili Peppers Had It Right

Friday, November 30, 2012

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Had It Right

Be a hoarder.....
Be Tight.....
Be stingy.....
Be selfish......
It really is all about you and your needs....
"I'm not selfish...I'm just looking out for number #1".
A life outside of Jesus is one of utter selfishness.
Evidenced by the number one character defect that all people in addiction possess...."It's all about me!"

The one thing I have come to see is that when we have been saved, our outlook on life changes. We become more "outward" focused, intent on helping others.
I see so many men and women who have become vessels of God's goodness as they reach out to those who haven't heard or experienced the good news of the gospel.
Starting recovery meetings.....
Opening up their home for someone to who doesn't have a place to stay can get back on their feet.
Buying food and clothing for people.

Paul the apostle, in II Corinthians 9, refers to this as sowing or planting seeds. If I plant a seed, I have expectations as to what will happen. If I plant watermelon seeds, I don't look for cucumbers to shoot up...I know that I will receive back a number of melons from that one seed. It's the same with this "STEP #12-giving back" attitude and behavior. We plant the seeds of Jesus into the hearts of those who are still stuck in addiction. They want to believer...but you remember how it was....There was a voice that kept telling you over and over..."You Ain't Never Going To Change..This Jesus Stuff Is A Lie!" So this message that we carry to others, coupled with our generous actions will be covered and attended to by God's Holy Spirit. He will bring this person to a place where a decision will be made. A decision to either accept this new life and move on in the healing God affords...or stay in the darkness and grow colder and harder to the truth.

I guess the one thing I saw this morning is that I am to sow abundantly. I am to be an over giving, over flowing, over loving seed planter. I do not want to dole out my Jesus seeds one at a time. I want to fling handfuls out in every direction. I want to see a harvest of souls when it's time to reap.

I guess the Red Hot Chili Peppers had it right in their song when they said..."Give it away, Give it away, Give it away!!!"
Think on this....

God on you...
mb

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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.

Friday, November 30, 2012

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Had It Right

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD