Have you ever been fishing, and when you cast your line, it didn't quite hit that sweet spot where you wanted it to go? So, you reel in really quick, and you cast again, until you hit that perfect spot where you know that big one is hiding.
Or, when you were a kid, and you played marbles. Maybe your shot didn't go where you wanted it to go...so you pick it up, and call a do over. You make your shot again and again, until you hit the other marble you were aiming at.
When you grew up, and played golf, when your shot didn't go where you wanted it to go, maybe you hooked it, or sliced it, or overshot the green and into the water...you call a mulligan.
The point is, we always want a second chance when we do something wrong. With alot of people, we don't get a second chance. But my God is a God of second chances, and third chances...in fact, He is a God of another chance... Matthew 18:21-22 ESV "Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."
It isn't a coincidence that it was Peter who asked this, when later, Peter tells jesus that he would never betray Him, he would even die with Jesus, yet not even 24 hours later, Peter denies Christ three times. Yet, for each time Peter denied Jesus, he was already forgiven, before Peter even felt remorse and sorrow for abandoning Jesus in his time of need.
We, too, can be forgiven if we call out to God and confess our sins to HIm. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
That's my God, a God who loves me and forgives me...a God who will always give me another chance.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Freedom in Forgiveness
Bible reading: Matthew 6:9 – 15
Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills
over to the care of God.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your
spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Principle 3: Consciously choose to commit all of my life and
will to Christ care and control.
“Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:8)
We can sometimes get so focused on ourselves during recovery
that we don’t spend much time dealing with the way others have sinned against
us. Or maybe were totally focused on the way we’ve been mistreated, as an
excuse for our behavior. This leaves us with emotional baggage that will hinder
our progress. Forgiving others is an important key to turning our will over to
God.
James taught his disciples, “Pray along these lines: ‘Our
Father in heaven, we honor Your holy name. We ask that Your kingdom will come
now. May Your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our
food again today, as usual, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven
those who have sinned against us. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver
us from the evil one. Amen.’ Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you
forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, He will
not forgive you’” (Matthew 6:9 – 15).
Forgiveness is a choice of our will. Just as our forgiveness
was not based on excusing the wrongs we’ve done, neither does our forgiveness
of others call for us to excuse what they’ve done. We must 1st
convicted offender in our minds, then turned the matter of vengeance over to
God. This helps his face the truth about our own pain. It also frees us from
any excuse to continue our compulsive behavior because of what’s been done to
us.
Forgiveness begins as a choice but becomes a process that
opens us up to God’s love and forgiveness.
It Works
It works – it really does!
When I got sober I initially had faith only in the program
of Celebrate Recovery. Desperation and fear Me sober (and maybe a caring and/or
tough sponsor helped!). Faith in our one and only Higher Power, Jesus Christ,
came much later. This faith came slowly at 1st, after I began
listening to others share it meetings about their experiences – experiences
that I had never faced sober, but that they were facing with strength from a
Higher Power named Jesus Christ. Out of their sharing came hope that I too
would – and could – “get” a Higher Power. In time, I learned that a Higher
Power named Jesus Christ – a faith in Him that works under all conditions – is
possible. Today, this faith in Jesus Christ, plus the honesty, open-mindedness
and willingness to work the steps of the program, give me the serenity that I
seek. It works – it really does!
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Monday, January 5, 2015
Self-Control
Bible reading: 2nd Peter 1:2 – 9
Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills
over to the care of God.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your
spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Principle 3: Consciously choose to commit all of my life and
will to Christ care and control.
“Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:8)
We would love to have self-control! The trying to find it
within ourselves can become as much of an obsession as our primary addiction.
According to Peter, self-control is one step in the middle
of a larger progression. He said, “Do you want more and more of God’s kindness
in peace? Then learn how to know him better and better. For as you know him
better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for
living a truly good life: he that shares his own glory and his own goodness
with us! And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and
wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the
lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character. But to obtain
these gifts, you need more than faith: you must also work hard to be good, and
even that is not enough. For then you must learn how to know God better and
discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires
[self-control] so that you will become patient godly, gladly letting God have
his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to
enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them
deeply” (2 Peter 1:2 – 7).
Self-control is something that comes as we grow
progressively closer to God. Taking one step at a time, one day at a time, God
will give us his own character, including self-control.
Our self-control increases as we give increasing control
over to God.
One Celebrate Recovery Miracle
Save for a few brief moments of temptation, the thought of
returning to my addiction has never returned; and at such times a great revulsion
has risen up in me. Seemingly I could not return to my addiction even if I would.
God has restored my sanity.
The word “God” was frightening to me when I 1st
saw it associated with Celebrate Recovery’s 12 steps. Having tried all means I
could to stop my addiction, I found that it was not possible for me to sustain
that desire over a period of time. Yet, how could I believe in “God” that had
allowed me to sink to the deep despair that engulfed me – whether drinking or
dry?
The answer was in finally admitting that it might be
possible for me to know the mercy of a Power greater than myself who can grant
me sobriety contingent on my willingness to “come to believe”. I finally
admitting that I was one among many, and by following the example of my sponsor
and other Celebrate Recovery members in practicing faith I did not have, my
life has been given meaning, direction and purpose.
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Doing God's Will
Bible reading: 1st Samuel 24:1 – 11
Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills
over to the care of God.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your
spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Principle 3: Consciously choose to commit all of my life and
will to Christ care and control.
“Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:8)
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between the right
thing to do and just an opportune moment. When we are working to make changes
in our lives and relationships, we may be uncertain of what to do at times.
When this happens, we need to rely on God’s wisdom to help us make our
decisions.
The jealousy and abuse of King Saul made young David’s life
miserable. Saul knew that God had chosen David to be king instead of him.
Although David was a loyal subject, Saul tried to kill him. Once, when David
was hiding in a cave, King Saul came in without knowing David was there. “’Now’s
your time!’ David’s men whispered to him. ‘Today is the day the Lord was
talking about when he said, “I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do
with as you wish”!’ Then David crept forward and quietly slit off the bottom of
Saul’s robe! But then his conscience began bothering him. ‘I shouldn’t have
done it,’ he said to his men. ‘It is a serious sin to attack God’s chosen king
in any way.’ These words of David persuaded his men not to kill Saul” (1st
Samuel 24:4 – 8).
David knew what God expected of him in this situation and he
chose to go along with God’s will. In trying to give our will to God, it is
important to know what his will is in a given situation. When we aren’t sure
what to do, we can look to see if the Bible gives us any guidance on similar
situations. Then we will have a clear view of what it means to turn our will
over to God.
When we turned our lives over to God we can rest assured
that he is with us.
What? No President?
When told that Celebrate Recovery has no president having
authority to govern it, no treasurer who can compel the payment of any dues,…
Our friends gasp and exclaim, “this simply can’t be…”
When I finally made my way to Celebrate Recovery, I could
not believe that there was no treasurer to “compel the payment of dues.” I
could not imagine an organization that didn’t require monetary contributions in
return for a service. It was my 1st and, thus far, only experience
with getting “something for nothing.” Because I did not feel used or conned buy
those in Celebrate Recovery, I was able to approach the program free from bias
and with an open mind. They wanted nothing from me. What could I lose? I thank
God for the wisdom of the early founders who knew so well the addicts distain
for being manipulated.
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