GREENE STREET LETTERS: THE REAL "ADDICTION"

Monday, November 30, 2020

THE REAL "ADDICTION"

Amos 6:6 (The Message Bible)
Woe to those addicted to feeling good-----life without pain

This was part of the message that Amos spoke to the people of Israel and warn them of the evil that has crept into their lives. Silent, subtle evil that move hearts and minds from worshiping God and turn inward to worship "self".

The funny part (not ha-ha funny) is that a person who was living in this manner could still go through the ritual and practice of worship. They could attend each time the door was opened. They could bring their sacrifices and offer them. Give to the poor....help the needy, and yet at the same time be as lost as the ones they are trying to serve.

Now I will be the first to admit that I do not like pain. The bottom line is that pain is a part of life. I'm not going to go looking for it, but, at the same time, I'm not going to live my life in such a manner that all my efforts are not poured into "feeling good".

I love television commercials.
Did you ever notice the beer ads? It's usually a group of young people all hanging out, having fun, talking and laughing. (and oh yeah....everyone looks like they just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine). No pain in this ad. Life is party hearty...
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one who thinks you're suppose to measure your religion by the droop of your frown...Or that we are all to be a continuous bunch of suffering servants. But our comfort and pleasure should not the driving force in our hearts.

We pray "Your Kingdom come, You're kingdom-will be done, here on earth as it is being carried out in heaven." How can I focus on my own comfort when I have just prayed to make myself available for God's will to be done? Praying, "Lord! Here I am. Use me." As with any addiction, the intent and focus is "self". Meeting the needs, wants and desires of "Self" at the expense of everyone and everything else. Maybe there is a greater danger living this way than we realize. After all, didn't Jesus tell us in Luke 9:23 that if we truly want to follow after Him...to have a relationship with Him that we have to deny ourselves? That His call to follow outweighs my need for comfort? I think maybe He did. Not a very popular message, but one that is necessary for me to hear, and live.

Think on this...
God on you..
mbb

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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.

Monday, November 30, 2020

THE REAL "ADDICTION"

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD