WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

 

One of the more unusual aspects of writing on this blog is the simple fact that you never know who is reading it, or where they are reading it from.. What's more, you do not know what they may have taken away from the daily posting.

#1 - was the reading encouraging, or just good for a laugh?

#2 - do the ones reading  the postings keep coming back to see what is posted next?

#3 - How did they find this blog site?

Now you have to understand who I am (not sure I can ever answer that one) and why I write these postings. Bottom line? God has called me to do this. Oh, it wasn't a verbal voice saying, "Michael! Thou shalt create a blog and it shall go forth around the world." It was more of a subtle thought that would not go away. A thought that said, "Be someone who encourages! Always point to Christ in everything you write."

Another thing is that I never set out to have what I wrote read by others in places I will never see nor visit. Whenever I look at where the Greene Street Letters is being read, I simply say, "Lord, you know better than me. I'll just keep writing and I trust that it will be used for Your Kingdom." 

Over the years, the Greene Street Letters has changed from how it started. 2008-2013 it was a vehicle for those in addiction to find some daily encouragement to not give up, but press on in this journey of living life in a new way. Since leaving Rapha, I don't have as much contact as I once did with groups of people in addiction. I still get calls from those needing help, and I keep running into people who are still struggling to overcome that old life of darkness. But at this present time, I am focused on putting what I believe into action. That is why we host the Breakfast Give-Away at ReCovery Church. It's more than just feeding, it's a chance for us to love on those who stop by. To sit and talk with them, listen to them, and then minister to them through prayer. I have been blessed to be surrounded by a core group of people who are also eager to reach out with the Kingdom Word and the Kingdom Power of Christ to those in need.

I have for some time now, felt that going through this pandemic was going to change things in ways we never thought about. I hear some keeping saying, "Hopefully we'll get back to normal." Well, I don't think that is going to happen. Not trying to be naysayer, or a doom and gloom guy. What I am saying is that if we truly are followers of Christ, then what would He have us do? Attendance in churches is down. Attendance at recovery meetings are down. I can only speak for ReCovery Church in what is going on with us. I believe that God is re-tooling us to move into new areas of ministry. Sounds bodacious doesn't it? Well, the plan of how and when has not been revealed yet, but I encouraged our core people to spend time in prayer asking God to reveal the next part of the journey we are on.

By the way, here are some of the places the Greene Street Letter has been read over the last seven days.  France, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Indonesia, Sweden, Thailand, Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and South Africa. 

I don't understand how all this works....but God does, so I think I'll just write and trust Him to send it where it needs to go.

Thanks for letting me ramble...
God on you.....

Michael B.

CONTENT

 I love this word....content. I love how it rolls off the tongue, colored by the definition of what it means. To me, to be content is that I am able to posses an inner peace no matter what my situation may be. It is more about the stabilization of my emotions, my mental health, as well as my outlook on life, than it is about the absence of problems, trials and the assorted stuff that life throws at me.

Content isn't a pie-in-the-sky-lets-dance-through-the-daisies kind of mind set. I guess you might say that it is an awakening to the reality of God and what He is capable of doing. Like I said, it is more about inner peace and stability that it is having all my problems disappear. 

Must be something to this idea of being content that escapes us when we are overwhelmed by a tidal wave of "life", seeking to sweep us off the shore and carry us out to sea. Must be a state of being that we learn how to live as God instructs us.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11 - "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." Did you catch that? Paul said that he learned! There may even be some trial and error in this learning process. But how can we pray for contentment and we're not willing to learn? I want to know God better every day. To stand in amazement as His plan unfolds before me. Not so I can gain a head knowledge of who God is, but rather engage in what He expects of me so that I can grow in Him.

I don't want to stand on the sidelines while everyone else gets to play. I don't want to stand at the edge of the pool and watch everyone else swimming...I want to dive in the deep end. That water than is over my head so that I learn to depend on God and not my own ability to "Swim". Learn how to live in HIS contentment, and not the things that the world offers. 

Think on this today...

God on you...

mbb

LEAVE THEM STINKING FISH BEHIND

 

Luke 5:11
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

Story of Peter and an encounter he had with Jesus.
Peter had worked all night and had nothing to show for it, and now Jesus had parked himself in Peter's boat. Peter was on the way home to eat breakfast and go to bed (I kind of infer this in my reading of the Scripture) so the idea of becoming the S.S. Minnow for a three hour tour did not set well with Peter. He pushes out and listens as Jesus teaches the people on the shore. We are not told what the subject was, but I guess that it might have been about the Kingdom of God and the need to repent of sins.

We're not told of Peter's response to all of this. Perhaps he was listening intently, or maybe he fell asleep waiting for Jesus to finish. No matter what, at the end of the teaching, Jesus told Peter to take his boat out to the deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Peter retells the story of having worked all night and not catching anything. He then agrees that he will do as Jesus said.

Upon being obedient, Peter's nets become so full of fish that they have to call for others to bring their boats to help with the catch. In other words, Jesus worked a miracle here in front of Peter. In fact as the catch is being taken care of,  Peter responds in Luke 5:8 saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Peter was suddenly aware of his spiritual state and knew that he was a sinner. Jesus in turn makes the offer for Peter, James and John to follow Him. But the following meant a departing from one life to that of another.

Verse 11 reads: "They left everything and followed Him."
What falls under everything? Everything.
A very simple call from Christ to every believer.
"Follow Me!"
A choice to do so means a leaving of everything we have known or loved.
Here in Rehab, some want the life of sobriety and relationship with Jesus.....
They just don't want to give up old friends (and I use that term---friend----loosely) or old places.
They want the best of both worlds.
Can't happen.
The old lifestyle and this new life of following Jesus can never co-habitate in the same body.
Like Peter, we have, in our old life, labored all night and have nothing to show for it. In other words, we were like the hamster in a wheel....running, running but never getting anywhere. But with a simple call of "Follow me", Jesus took us to places we never dreamed we would go. He lead us to a new life that we never fully believed we could ever have. We simply let down our nets into the promises of His word and drew up the blessings of God.

Jesus called them (the disciples) away from the only thing they had ever known...fishing.
But if a call is made to leave one thing, then we are taken to another already prepared by Christ for us.
We are not called to sit down and wait for the second coming.
We are called to be salt and light in a world that has no flavor and lives in darkness.

Gotta have me some Jesus.....
Thank you Lord for saving me.
I was a mess.
God on each of you stopping by today....

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Welsh Revival Evan Roberts, John Wesley, Hebridean Revivals

Like Wesley I need to be "Strangely Warmed"
I am dry tinder in need of a spark.
A spark of divine origin that comes when the Holy Ghost of God settles up humanity.
More than the spark.....
More than the ignition to fire....
More than the dry tinder of my heart
is the incredible purpose of God.
To understand that He has come for a reason.
Yes, Love is part of it.
But the greater is Kingdom!

The rule and Reign of Lord God Jehovah in a corrupt world, governed by corrupt men who load the backs of others with oppression.
To bring all to the cross of Christ....
Here, at the cross, we find the great equalizer.
Here we all stand as guilty men and women.
Guilty of sin and in need of a savior.
Only Jesus.
Only His blood....
We are in need of you Lord.
Come and meet us in this hour.

All who come to Him find freedom. Freedom from whatever has them trapped in the bondage of sin. Whether it be addiction......greed......you can name it. The Power of Christ will break the bonds and chains of those who cry "Save me!" But this salvation is into a new way of living. One cannot return to the old ways of thought and habit, else the chains come again to trap and kill.

My Cry? Come Lord Jesus. Come Holy Spirit. And with each soul that is brought into the freedom that only God can grant, all glory would be given unto the Father.

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ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?"

Who is  this man who has power over death? Who is this that can say three simple words, and a man is brought back to life? Three simple words..."Lazarus, come forth!" I can say them and nothing happens. No matter how hard I try...no matter how much emphasis I place on each word...death does not answer to me.

Death answers to the One who, in the beginning, said, "Let there be light!" And there was light. He went down a creative list speaking into the chaos that was upon this world. A world that was empty and darkness was on the face of the deep. And creation bowed to His words and aligned according to His purpose.

I ran across this song this morning. Haven't thought about it in a while. Back in the 80's when my sons had crossed over into the time of being a teenager, they both really like Carmen. His songs resonated with truth and were presented in such a way that brought hope and pointed to Christ as the only source of real life.

Enjoy Carmen's version of "Lazarus."
God on you...

mbb

GRAB A SACK----CHOOSE A ROW-----START PICKING

 

I don't know how many of you who read this blog know anything about farming, but as the summer months slide into Autumn, my thoughts go back to my growing up years.
We spent a great deal of time and energy planting, weeding, watering, fertilizing and waiting.
Waiting till it was time to harvest the fruit of our efforts.

I remember asking Mr. Arvie Battles if I could help pick his cotton. He sized me up and said, "O.k. boy but it's hard work." He wasn't joking either. Starting on one row, dragging that big sack as you moved from cotton plant to cotton plant picking out the boles of cotton. Stickers on the plant cutting into your fingers and tops of your hands, all bent over so that you had to stop ever so often and straighten up for fear that you might permanently resemble Quasimodo, the bell ringer. But at the end of the day when you drug that big sack up to be weighed, Mr. Battles would count out your money and you went away with a feeling of satisfaction. You had earned it.

In Matthew 10:36-38 Jesus speaks of another kind of harvest.
He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great but the workers are so few. SO pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest. Ask him to send out more workers for his fields."

The thing that struck me about this passage is the fact that Jesus said that the fields are ready to be harvested. The disciples did not do the work of planting the seed, or the Word of God. They did not water (that is the Holy Spirit who waters or interacts with the seed-Word planted in the hearts of those who hear that causes it to bring forth life) the fields. Jesus said that they were responsible for harvesting what God has prepared. They were to go forth into these crowds of people and make sure that they understood what God was doing around them and in them. In other words, Jesus was saying, "Hey guys....all you have to do is cooperate with God."

I believe that the world-fields are ready today. They are ripe for harvest and the only thing needed is workers to go out. Key words ----GO OUT! You won't find the harvest inside the 4 walls of the institutional church. Oh, every now and then a ripe plant may find it's way inside the church and be harvested, but the real deal is outside in the fields. God has called us to go.
If we don't then the harvest is lost until next year. The produce will rot on the plant and fall to the ground if we don't go out and harvest it and prepare it....in other words make disciples. How many more harvest seasons are we going to waste? How many times do the plants have to drop the fruit and die and wait till next year to be harvested?

Ask God to show you the fields.
You may be surprised.
It may be as close as next door or as far away as India.
NO matter where, go and be obedient to the call God has extended to every believer.

God on you........
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HOME NOW.....HOME FOREVER ON THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN

 

How many times  over the past 27 years and 4 months have I walked through this door? More times than I could count, yet I never tire of stepping into this room. It is home to me. I learned to worship in this room. I watched others minister and pray for people who had come forward for ministry. Watched in amazement as God healed, God restored, and yes.....even saved without exception to any one who came seeking Him.

I learned how to worship.
I learned how to lead a worship team. There were times when the presence of God was so thick you could almost cut it. Then there were the times when I was prideful in my own ability to lead worship, and God would say "Have at it since you are so sure of yourself". Didn't take long to realize the songs were dead.....the words seem to fall from my mouth and spill out on to the floor, never reaching God. How could they, I had made worship all about me and not Him. Lesson learned.

I have heard some incredible teachings and messages that stirred me to seek out truth for myself. I became a student of the Bible (even though at the time I didn't know that this was what was happening). While I look to the past with these thoughts I've written here, I feel that the best is yet to come.

So what do I mean by "the best"? Best isn't something that can be measured. It's not about nickles or noses. It isn't about how many 'behind's' you put in the seats at your church. As John Wimber told us "Church, if you have a need to measure it, is found in the quality of the people it produces.....not the quantity."  This is not a slight against large churches. I am grateful for every large church in our area. Such groups can do more than we ever could. They have the resources to reach out in ways that we cannot.

At the same time, we are able to reach a portion of people that sometimes slip through the cracks of these larger gatherings. Such is our call.

Birthed into a call to those in addiction, we have learned (and continue to do so) how to help those struggling to come out of that darkness. Such is why we do our Saturday Breakfast giveaway. To help those who have been marginalized in our city. More than a plate of hot food, we want to love on those who come looking for a meal. We want then to know that they are important and that their lives matter to us. We not hear to notch our belts with the number we feed. We are hear to show the love of Christ in ways that will speak to them.

Romans 10:14 kind of sum up what the ReCovery church is all about.

"How then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

There is no doubt that God has us downtown for a reason. And there is no doubt that we have been called to meet on Saturday nights. That be the case....then I think I want to stick around and see what is next in this life journey.

To heal...

To hug...

To help those in need.

Thanks for letting me ramble this morning. We do live stream our meetings on the ReCovery Church Facebook page, but we really would like for you to come and visit with us sometime. Meeting's start at 7 p.m.

God on you..

mbb

AIN'T NO GIANT GONNA HOO-DOO ME!

 

Joshua 14:8
Nevertheless my brethren who went up with  me made the heart of the people melt with fear, but I followed the LORD my God fully.

This verse comes as a result of Joshua retelling his story of the trek from Egypt to the promised land.
It came at a time when Moses picked twelve men to cross over the Jordan river to spy out the land to see if it was everything God had told them.

The twelve spy's surveyed the surrounding territory and then made their way back to the camp of Israel to report to Moses and the people what they had found. The report started out simple enough. "We went into the land where you sent us and it certainly does flow with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27)."
But then some of the spies, ten be exact, began to talk about the people who inhabited that land.
1.) They are strong.
2.) Cities are fortified and very large
3.) We saw the descendants of Anak there (Giants)
4.) It is a land that devours its inhabitants.
5.) We became like grasshoppers in our own sight and so we were in their (giants) sight.

12 men went into this land.
12 men saw the same thing.
Only two had reports that God indeed would give them this land.
What happened?
The ten who gave the negative report did not trust God and his ability to carry through with his promise.

We see this type of mentality and belief everyday in people of addiction.
They doubt the Power of the twelve steps (which by the way is JESUS CHRIST)
They acknowledge that the steps might work for others, but not them.
In their own eyes, their addiction is that giant that is unbeatable.
They acknowledge their desire to occupy this new promised life of sobriety, but the evidence of addiction in their live overpowers their need to be free of it. They are not to the point of trusting in a Power greater than themselves who could restore them to sanity.
They are not to the point of making a decision to turn their will and their life over to the care of God as they understood Him to be.

It takes this Power to break through the defenses set up by addiction.
It takes one who like Joshua or Caleb (Numbers 13:30) who will step up and say, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it (this promised life), for we shall surely overcome it."
Don't let the giants of your addiction hold you at bay from this new life of sobriety by their taunts and bad reports of others.
Lay down your fear and doubt and realize the truth of God.
That God is who He claims to be.....
And....
God will do what He has promised to do......

May you find what has been given to me...
Not of my own doing, but by the loving, gentle hand of Jesus.
God on you......

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WHIP'S-----OVERTURNED TABLES---AND FULL BLOWN PASSION FOR GOD ON DISPLAY

John 2:13-14 /  When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.

V.15 -   So He made a whip out of cords.........

I love this passage for various reasons....We get to see a Jesus who is passionate for His heavenly Father's house. Passionate to the point that He is going to right a terrible wrong. I'm pretty sure that the intent of having such things as animals and money changers there at the temple was done for good reasons. 

Make life a little easier for those who come to offer sacrifices. Kind of a one-stop-shopping center for all your temple needs. But having a "good" idea is not always the same as having a "GOD" idea.  Making things easier doesn't always translate into what God desires. What's more, the whole one-stop-shopping place quickly devolved into a money making scheme. 

I can't prove this, and it's just a thought that came to me. But do you think maybe the Temple officials gave special privilege's to those who maybe made a special contribution to them? Kind of like selling the best spots to ply their ware to the public.

The other thing that kind of stood out to me is the fact that Jesus took some chords and made a whip. This must have taken some time to do. To sit down and tie together and fashion a whip that he was going to use. Now we are not told that He actually struck anyone with it, but I can totally understand that for that brief moment in time, the flame and fire of His passion for God the Father was unleashed.

But while He was fashioning this whip, what must He have been thinking? What was on His mind? Was He remembering passages from the Old Testament that referred to the House of the Lord?  Other passages of this event made reference to Jesus saying, "You have turned My Father's house into a den of thieves....it is a HOUSE OF PRAYER."

For some time now, I've have been stirred to look back over what I claim to believe. Kind of a spiritual inventory, to make sure that I haven't taken the things of God and turned them into belief's and concepts that only profit me. Kind of like turning Temple life into a spiritual K-mart. I don't want to find out that even though I claim to be a follower of Christ, that my life is driven by wrong belief in what is dear to the heart of God.

Let me ask you the same question that was asked of me:  "If Jesus were to walk through your temple (Remember that our bodies are considered to be temple for the Lord..the place where the Holy Spirit takes up residence)....if Jesus walked through your heart, would He be pleased, or are there places where you have allowed the world to set up business? Would Jesus pull aside and fashion a whip to awaken you to the fact that such needed to be turned over and driven out. Just as Jesus had a passion for His Father's house, that same passion burns for humanity that all would come to salvation. That those who have received such salvation would not allow the things of this world to become established under the guise of religion in our hearts.

Think on this today....

God on you...

Michael b.

SAMUEL CHADWICK ON PRAYER

 

Samuel Chadwick on prayer: "Satan dreads nothing but prayer. The church that lost its Christ was full of good works. Activities are multiplied that meditation may be ousted and organizations are increased that prayer may have no chance. Souls may be lost in good works, as surely as in evil ways. The one concern of the devil is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."

This I know all too well.

It is easy to be caught up, swept up and carried along by the

busy-ness that creeps into our relationship with Jesus.

To put off the true heart of God and the things He desires from us

to lay hold of tasks and works thinking all the while that we

are truly doing God's work.

Then we wonder why everything is so dry.
Why our teaching falls on deaf ears and hard hearts.

Why? Because the words we say, even though are from Scripture,

lack the power of the Holy Spirit.

They are God's words spoken through mans efforts.

I can write this not to point to anyone else but myself.

Seeing the need to return to "time with God."

Not a cursory nod of the head or a sentence here and there

to acknowledge His sovereignty, but to

realize that I am nothing without Him.

One of my favorite stories comes from John Wimber, leader of the Association of Vineyard churches.

John relates a story of being on a trip to Detroit and just being physically wiped out.

Sitting on the plane, ill and angry at the way things had gone, John began to pray.
"Why Lord, why are things turning out like this?"

The answer came back quickly.

"I've seen what you have done and I'm not impressed."
God went on to speak with John, "Now are you ready to see what I can do?"

John resounded with "Yes!"

In my own life, I have seen what I can do and I really am not impressed.

I think I'm ready to see what God can do.

To lay aside everything except where He leads me to.

To pray with purpose.

"Your kingdom come......Your will be done.....here on earth as it is in heaven."
Let it come...

God on you...until tomorrow....

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THE TRUTH--- THE WHOLE TRUTH----AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

 

Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

The acknowledgement of who Jesus truly is.
Spoken by one who would later turn against Him in His darkest hour.
Truth is simply that....truth.
And the truth concerning Jesus has to be spoken...cannot be covered up or hidden.
It can't be turned to mean something else, or to even rail against and claim that it isn't truth.
No matter what I say....
The Truth of God is the Truth.

One other thing....
The evidence to whether truth is real or not isn't found just in the words that are spoken.
The proof of what we claim to be real truth is found in our actions and deeds.
Why?
Because God's truth is life changing.
God's truth is character building....
God's truth is a force and a power that can undo every argument built by man to discredit it.

I can say anything...
I can claim to be anything...
But my actions and behavior truly do define and identify what I really believe is truth.
We can go to church and sing all the songs...
We can put money in the offering plate...
We can carry our Bible and mark all the verses that are read...
We can call everyone "Brother" or "Sister"...
And we can Amen with the best of them.
But If my life doesn't reflect the Spirit of God who lives in me, then I am a sham.

Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who calls out to me, "Lord! Lord!" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Only those who do the will of the Father will enter.
Here's the kicker...
You can't do the will if you haven't truly been saved. You can act like your doing His will...
You can go about looking religious and pious, proclaiming all sorts of nonsense. But only the truth of who Jesus is accepted into a heart that has confessed their sin and repented from it, can carry out the Kingdom business of God.
Such behavior as I've written about isn't reserved just for those who are in addiction and are trying to manipulate those around them by getting them to believe that a change has been made. #1 if you're playing at this whole "Salvation" thing, you won't be able to sustain it or carry it out. The old nature will rear it's ugly head and you'll be uncovered. Truth has a way of doing this.

Bottom line...
It isn't about spiritual perfection as we travel through this life...
It is about spiritual progress and growth.
There will be mess ups an failure along the way.
But there is forgiveness and restoration when it happens.
Why?
Because that is the truth of who Jesus really is..
And the truth of what He truly wants to do in each of our lives.

God on you...
Michael b

OLD PAUL WROTE A LETTER---AND WHAT A LETTER HE DID WRITE

 

I Corinthians Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian. I am a man in love with the Word of God. As such, what I am sharing today is from my own study of the Word.

CHAPTER 1

Verse 1 -  I love the way Paul begins his letters. He is very much aware of who he is in Christ. Paul doesn't come across as arrogant or puffed up, he simply states who he is in Christ. That is humility, agreeing with God who God says you are.

Paul states that he is:
1.) Chosen -  no work on his part. He didn't seek out the place he has in the Kingdom. God called Paul Paul merely responded to God. I see many today who seek to "Make" a place or a name for themselves in the Kingdom of God. Sorry Charlie, doesn't work that way.

2.) By the will  -  the same "will" that was behind the entire creation as we know it, is the will that was exercised in the calling of Paul. The same will that broke through my own spiritual darkness and poverty to bring me to salvation.

3.) To be an apostle -  Here we see the place God has for Paul. An apostle--- one who is sent. Not everyone who is called of God is required to be a apostle. Some are required to be mechanics and homemakers and construction workers and Doctors.... You get it? We are all called when we come to salvation. God decides where we are to go. We simply follow Him. It's all a part of that Luke 9:23 passage. You know....denying self.......taking up cross..........following Him.

Verse 2 - I love what Paul writes here. Truly something that we all need to get a handle on. Paul states that he is "Writing to God's church in Corinth." Did you catch that? God's church? We don't own the church. It isn't the exclusive property of any one group of people or any one pastor. God created the church himself and has called us to be "living stones" fitly joined together for His kingdom. I think the sooner we realize that it is God's church, the better off we will be.

Paul goes on to write "To you who have been called by God to be His own holy people." Wow! Not only have we been personally called and placed, but now we find out that we are God's possession. We are His holy people. I know, I know, you're thinking "I don't feel holy".  IT ISN'T ABOUT THE FEELINGS!!! Ain't that great? It's about faith!!! It's about latching onto and believing and clinging to the truth. We are holy because God has made us holy. He has credited to our account the holiness of Christ.

Paul goes on to explain that "God made you holy by means of Christ Jesus." That is the whole "Jesus does for me that which I cannot do for myself." Excuse my vernacular but "that dog will hunt!"

Verse 3 -  Paul, always looking out and praying for others, writes: "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace." I'll take that dynamic duo...grace and peace. Give me a double portion!

Think on these verses today.

God on you....
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Spiritual Horticulture

 

Psalm 1:3
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in season.  Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.

II Timothy 3:1
But know this, that in the last days, perilous (stressful / dangerous) times will come.

One verse speaks of strength and prospering.
The other talks of events and situations that will tax the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of a person.
One verse uses symbolic language that reflects a need to be grounded.....to be established....to be firmly planted.
The other reveals that time is moving close and closer to a definite close. 
Can these two verses coexist in the same moment?
I think so.
In fact, I think we are living them out right now.
Usually when you mention the "last days" people go all crazy with talk of Revelation, the beast, the mark of the beast....and all the other apocalyptic verses found in Scripture. Let's tone it back a bit. Let's take a look at today. Right now. Here. October 13, 2021.

I wrote in a previous posting about how the month of October has always been a time or season of change in what God was doing. It seemed that the spiritual air around me took a new direction and I would see God at work in ways previously not noticed by me. 
Well, it seems that the wind has shifted and people are seemingly under emotional and mental stress. I go back to the verse in II Timothy because of the wording used. In the last days, events will happen that will tax a persons ability to function in every day life. The pressures of the day and our inability to cope with them will reveal exactly who we turn to and who we really believe in.  In other words, the real "US" comes out when we are under stress. What we really believe will be made evident (to ourselves) when we find ourselves in times of great mental and emotional anguish.

The verse from Psalms 1 gives us a wonderful picture of how we can survive, and even thrive during these times of stress. It all comes down to where you are planted. It all comes down to who your foundation is. That would be our Higher POWER Jesus. When the affairs of the day seem to be closing in on us, and we feel as though life is being sucked from us, where do we turn? Do we truly fall upon Christ and let His Power and person become the bedrock of our emotions? Or do we try to weather the time in our own ability and strength?

If you are a person who has come out of addiction, stressful times will stir up old thoughts and emotions if you aren't grounded in Christ. The thoughts of using will flood over you. Why? Because Using was the bedrock of your old life. Hard times come....run away.  Stressful times come.....go use. But now, in this new life, we turn to Christ. IN fact, our need for Him is the same as our need for air to breath. I need Jesus no matter what the times are. I need Him whether I'm have the day from hell, or everything is sunshine and lollipops. I had someone tell me that Jesus was just a crutch from people who are to weak to stand on their own. That person meant it as a sarcastic remark. I took it to be truth. He is a crutch for weak people. The incredible truth was that the individual who made the remark could not even see that he was cripple himself.  In fact, less than a year after making this remark, he took his own life. I wish that he'd met my "crutch". 
And I do not make that statement in a "I told you so" haughtiness. I do so with a broken heart for this person and their family who still struggle with his death. 

The Psalm 1 verse tells us that life is all about location, location, location. 
It's is about who your are planted in and near.
When we place ourselves in Christ, we are plugged into a source of life that will enable us to go through whatever storms come our way. Jesus alone is the only real source of life.
Now it may just be a by product of my age....
getting older....
but it seems to be that times have grown darker spiritually.
It seems that society has lost its way and runs by majority opinion these days.
Good has become bad...
And evil is celebrated with great gusto.
I think our day and time would fall under the II Timothy heading of perilous times, stressful time.
So I guess the question begs to be asked....
"Where are you planted?"

God on you...
mb

DON'T LET ADDICTION FILL IN THE BLANKS FOR YOU

 

Step # 12
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principals in all our affairs.

I love this picture of a name tag....
You know the kind that they hand out sometimes at functions you attend.
The peel-off-stick-to-your-shirt kind of name tag. The "name" spot is vacant, so they usually hand you a sharpie to fill in with your name.

Addiction has a way of filling in all the blanks in our life.
When we try to define ourselves, addiction does it for us.
Only trouble is, addiction isn't very nice when it comes to the name department. Why? Because it uses guilt and shame to motivate you to keep it alive through one more high. 

You don't mean to, but slowly the names start to be filled in.
"Liar"....
"Thief"....
"Crack head"....
"Meth Head"....
"Drunk"......
And the list grows larger and larger as the names start to pile up.
Funny part is...
You begin to believe it.
You even go as far as to reason in your mind..."This must be who I really am. If I was someone else, I would quit doing this." But you can't quit, can you?

In the beginning, all this Twelve Step stuff seems like a bunch of hokum.
But truth is, the steps are a pathway to freedom and life. A way that will rip that name tag off of you....destroy all those thoughts and names that addiction has labeled you with....and replace them with the truth of who God says you are. After all, doesn't the one who creates something have the honor and privilege of naming what they have created? Yes, they do. Well, God, being our creator, is the only one who gets to name you. His name that is chosen for you will always reflect His love and care for you.

Work the steps and you will find yourself at Step # 12.
The point at which you begin to give away what you have learned and observed in your own journey. You may be thinking, "I can't do that? I'm not good at telling someone else my life story. I'm not comfortable putting myself out there for others to see." Truth is, you are out there everyday aren't you? Don't you think people are watching you? Don't you think that some people know where you have come from (You addictive past) and are watching to see how you handle life? Sure they are. But even with all of this going on, you can begin to give away with baby steps.

One of my most favorite stories is told by a good friend of mine concerning his first A.A. meeting. He knew he needed to go and had made up his mind to do so, but in order to actually accomplish this task he got drunk. Showing up at the door, he made it through his first meeting. Today when he speaks of that first meeting, he will tell you..."I don't remember much that was said or that took place at that A.A. meeting. What I do remember is that someone met me at the door, handed me a cup of coffee and some cookies and said, 'Come sit with me'".

We give away by loving on those who can't even love themselves.
Work these steps and the names of the past will drop off and disappear, only to be replaced by new names. Ones that reflect the integrity and honor of a life that has been reclaimed by God.

Step # 12 -  James 5:19-20
My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about forgiveness of many sins.
God on you...
mb