I was at the church yesterday setting up for the service tonight.
It was quiet...
It was peaceful....
I thought back to August 21, 1999 and the first Saturday meeting we held.
Lot of water under the bridge.
Lot of memories.....good and bad. (the bad usually involve me making bone-headed comments or hurting someones feelings).
I saw a lot of faces as I looked out into the room.
Faces of men who are no longer with us.....
Jeff, Barry, Jason and Tommy.
Chris and Dan, Mark and Billy....
And the list went on and on and on.
These were the faces and names of men who had died since that first meeting.
Then I saw another group of faces.....
Jonathan and Charlie....Seth and Elmo.....
Wayne and Billy......Bobby and Michael....
James and Taylor....
These were the names and faces of men who were alive.....
More than alive, they were living lives in Recovery....
In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Proverbs 14:12 reads: There is a way that seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death.
Two directions available for us to choose from.
Two paths we can walk.
One leads to life...
One leads to death....
One is the right way to go...
One seems to be the right way to go.
It is a choice we all must make.
This is the heart of why I do what I do.
To point the way...the direction to real truth and real life.
To a POWER that is greater and higher than anyone or anything that claims to have power. Jesus!
More than living lives in recovery, they were living life as followers of Jesus.
Jesus claims that He is the way. Well, what is a "way"? Simple.
The way is a direction. Jesus says if you come to me....walk in my direction, things will start to happen in your life.
The direction He is calling you too is one that has been walked out.
There are footprints to show you the way....You can see where people have stepped before you...you can see the "STEPS".
Once you start in the "Jesus Direction"...you will run into truth.
What is truth? Well, to me, truth is the ultimate reality. In other words, Jesus strips away all the falseness of life, both in you and around you, so you can see what is really going on.
Last, but certainly not least, Jesus claims to be "THE LIFE"....
Notice he didn't say that He was "Life" or that He could give you "A LIFE"....No, Jesus claims to be "THE LIFE".
Real life.
What is life....It is more than existence. In fact the word life, in this context, screams to be defined. Jesus applied such words as "Abundant" when speaking about life. I don't think the word "abundant" can be used within the context of addiction. Wait a minute...I was wrong. "Abundant" can be used in connection with addiction. Abundant troubles....abundant destruction...abundant depression...and on and on. I think I might check into Jesus. I like the way He uses the word abundant.
He also slapped the word "Eternal" onto the life. Eternal goes farther than simple beyond time as we know it and measure it. Eternal is tied to a relationship with Jesus that puts us in the most incredible surroundings ever thought or imagined in the mind of man..........heaven. Eternal means we get to hang out, worshipping, talking, listening and just being with Jesus.
Enough of my rambling....
You get the idea.
Two "ways"...
One leads to life...
One leads to death...
Choose....
God on you.....
mb
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