Thought for the Day

Still Small voice

Thought for the day: “Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.” PROVERBS 29:26 NIV
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LUKE 13:10-13 NKJ
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “WOMAN, YOU ARE LOOSED FROM YOUR INFIRMITY.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

AA Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
The New Testament is filled with accounts of God’s healing as transmitted by Jesus’ touch upon the sick and infirm. For those of us seeking recovery, we bring the emotional infirmities of anxiety and depression to the altar of a restoring God.
The history of recovery movements in our modern culture is built upon innumerable stories of persons who have been delivered miraculously from obsessions, chemical and otherwise. The style of these healings from God varies. Some have experienced instantaneous and dramatic deliverance from old compulsions or dependencies. For others, recovery has been a gradual process of transformation. Whatever the style, when God’s help was earnestly sought, the resultant healing impact was unmistakable.
While healings are significant in their own right, they are even more important as stepping-stones toward a higher purpose. That purpose is the discovery of a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 107
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I thank God for healing that has come to me instantaneously. This has happened to me on several occasions by prayer and the laying on of hands. But the healing of my deeper emotional problems, and the healing of my dependencies on chemicals and other substances ( people included as substances), this healing has occurred gradually. There was no flash of light, no thundering voice, nothing but a still small voice within myself saying, “you must change.” Taking one same step at a time toward the light of change has brought about a miracle in my life. I am not by any means totally healed of my emotional and dependency problems. I am a work in progress, as all of us are. I am not finished. I am grateful for those who have had the blinding light experience and have heard the thundering voice. It is through their experience that I am able to understand the still small voice. I thank God for grace given to me to be able to take one step at a time, toward the light of healing. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………..JRE

Ninety-seven Years Old

Thought for the day: “Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth.” LUDWIG BORNE
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SIMPLE TRUST
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. PROVERBS 3:5
There will always be secrets and motives of God that lie beyond our grasp. God knows everything; we do not. Only in Heaven will we understand God’s ways more fully. As Paul said, “Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (I Cor. 13:12).
But based upon what we do know about God’s character, demonstrated supremely in the Cross, we can trust that God is doing what is best for us. God says in His Word, “ I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11, NIV).
As Corrie ten Boom once explained, “Picture a piece of embroidery placed between you and god, with the right side up toward God. Man sees the loose, frayed ends; but God sees the pattern.”
God is in control. Whatever comes into our lives, we can confidently say, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
BILLY GRAHAM……Hope For Each Day……..July 29
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Today at two o’clock I am going to a birthday party. A long time family friend and the Grandmother to my cousins will celebrate her ninety-seventh year. What a blessing Grandma Recknor is to me. She is still active in her church and plays the organ every Sunday. The last 97 years have brought many changes in the world, as we know it. All this time and Grandma still goes to church must tell us all something. One thing that I see clearly in Grandma’s life is that, “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Today that same God is doing for me what I could not do for myself, and I am very grateful. Thanks for letting me share………..JRE

the Taproot

Thought for the day: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadows of the Almighty.” PSALM 91:1 NIV
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Paul writing to the church at Colosse tells them of the supremacy of Christ.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 NIV

In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus is referred to as the “Only begotten Son of God.” After this in the rest of the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the “firstborn from among the dead.” I myself have received this new birth and can be numbered among the many born again. The new birth I have is not of the physical body, even though it has a direct effect upon what happens to the physical body. The new birth is of the spirit man that is housed in the physical body. In this life I have discovered that any material progress is always preceded by spiritual progress, not the other way around. I didn’t wait tell my life got better to come to God, my life got better after I came to God. Being born again can take place in a split second. It is all about what you believe in your heart and nothing more. I spent many years trying to understand the spiritual side of life with no help coming my way. All it took was surrender and a need in my life for help from a Power greater than myself. What a blessing it has to “surrender to win.” Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………………..JRE
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FROM THE TAPROOT
The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered. BILL W. AA’s 12X12 pages 21-22

Spiritual Tunning

Thought for the day: “Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.” SAUL BELLOW
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AA Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
HEBREWS 4:12-13 NKJ

The sharing of fifth step confessional materials is delicate, because, in doing so, we lower psychological defenses and become emotionally vulnerable. We may be pouring out memories of experience and behavior about which we hold deep feelings of shame. We may be disclosing confidences that we have clung to for a lifetime.
Perhaps we have hesitated to engage in the fifth step experience because we feared criticism. Since the fifth step invites us to confess “to God, to ourselves, and to another human being,” we may fear condemnation from ourselves, from that other human being, or even from God. The antidote to this fear is to extend compassion to ourselves, to select an understanding person with whom to share this step, and to accept God’s merciful intercession for our inventory issues.
What reassurance there is in knowing that as we turn to confess our sins to God, He has provided One who can both empathize and understand our sins with and infinite capacity for grace!
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 315
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I remember doing a fifth step on Memorial Day Sunday 2000, I was with my sponsor and friend. I went over my life from my earliest recollections, to that present day with a fine tooth comb. I let it bubble to the surface and then through confession to a friend, it evaporated into thin air. What a relief, a lifetime of garbage had been taken to the dump. I have not been the same since and have been able to receive many blessings because of not having to drag around all that garbage. As I am writing this, my piano is being tuned. It is a great sound to hear it being brought up to pitch. When I did my fifth step, I underwent a major spiritual tuning. If I continue to confess my faults when wrong on a daily basis, I keep my spiritual tuning adjusted to the pitch of Almighty God. When I am in tune with the Father the path I walk is smooth. I praise God for a friend who took the time to hear my fifth step. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself, I am grateful. Thanks for letting me share my experience, strength, and hope…………………..JRE

God passing by a window

Thought for the day: “When you resent someone, they live rent-free in your head.” Unknown author
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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 PETER 1:3-5 NIV

Whenever we get something new, we take very good care of it. We perform maintenance, keep it clean, and keep it new looking. After we’ve had it awhile we slack off a little on the care we give it. In time all “things” seem to perish, spoil or fade, regardless of the care we give them. Because of faith I can look forward to a time when “things” will not perish, spoil or fade. Mercy has been extended to me and I have been given a new birth, a new life, a second chance. And a new set of spiritual eyes that see the un-perishable, un-spoilable, the un-fading. God passed by a window in my life, and many times I go back and sit in that same window and recall that feeling I had of being set free. That feeling I had of extended grace, new birth, and a second chance. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself, I am grateful……………JRE
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CLEARING A CHANNEL
During the day, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request “Thy will, not mine, be done.”
If at these points our emotional disturbance happens to be great, we will more surely keep our balance provided we remember, and repeat to ourselves, a particular prayer or phrase that has appealed to us I our reading or meditation. Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all, our search for God’s will, not our own, in the moment of stress.
BILL W. A.A. 12X12 pages 102-103

Respect and Manners

Thought for the day: “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” PROVERBS 27:21 NIV
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Words of Jesus, taken from Matthew 5:38-42 NIV.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
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3 Christian Principles:
1. Do not retaliate
2. Do more than required.
3. Be kind and generous.
THE DAKE BIBLE
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THE LINE OF RESPECT
Conflict can often play a positive role in marriage, especially when it helps maintain lines of respect.
Suppose I work at my office two hours later than usual on a particular night. I know that Shirley is preparing a candlelight dinner, yet I don’t call to let her know I’ll be late. As the evening wears on, Shirley wraps the cold food in foil and puts it in the refrigerator. When I finally get home, I don’t apologize. Instead, I sit down with the newspaper and abruptly tell Shirley to get my dinner ready. You can be sure there would be fireworks in the Dobson household that night! Shirley would rightfully interpret my insensitive behavior as insulting and would move to defend the “line of respect” between us. Her strong feelings would be totally justified.
Let’s put the shoe on the other foot. Suppose Shirley knows I need the car at 2 pm for some important purpose, but she deliberately keeps me waiting. Perhaps she sits in a restaurant with a friend, drinking coffee and talking. Meanwhile, I’m pacing the floor at home wondering where she is. It is very likely that she will hear about my dissatisfaction when she gets home. Even though the offense was minor, the line of respect has been violated.
Some things are worth defending. At the top of the list is the line of respect between husbands and wives.
DR. JAMES DOBSON
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I don’t know if any of this fits together, but this morning these readings struck a note in my heart. I am not married, but I do understand respect. It seems the older I get the less respect I see people having for each other. When I was a child, my mother would not let me interrupt the conversation of adults. When responding to adults it was always with a yes or no, madam or sir. I was told to open doors for women and older adults, I was told to give up my seat to a woman if she needed to sit. Other things I remember are; not chewing with my mouth open, no elbows on the table, one hand on my lap while eating, wearing a shirt at the table and no hat, no singing at the table, asking to be excused before leaving the table, and no eating until the blessing was said. I am grateful for having been taught these attitudes of respect. Thanks for letting me share…..JRE

Back Scratching

Thought for the day: “We don’t get to know people when they come to us; we must go to them to find out what they are like.” GOETHE
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A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. PROVERBS 11:25 NIV

I scratch your back, you scratch mine. My Grandfather was the best at scratching backs of anybody in the whole world. The whole family knew it and would line up to have him scratch their backs. The reason he was good at it was because he knew what it was like to have his back scratched really good. In A.A. we have a saying, “You’ve got to give it away to keep what you’ve got.” And so it is in life, we are like lakes of clear water. Clear water flows in and we must continue to release clear water, so others can release clear water, and so on. Otherwise we become stagnant. Jesus said it best when He sent the twelve disciples out to minister to the people. “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: Freely you have received, freely give”(Matthew 10:8). I am so grateful that others have taken the time to share their experience, strength and hope with me so that I might share with others. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………………JRE
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GENUINE ENJOYMENT
For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?
ECCLESIASTES 2:25 NASB
When I was growing up, my family lived next door to a family that had many of the worlds goods we didn’t have, but they didn’t have the joys Christ can bring, which we had in abundance. I remember one Christmas when we were singing together as a family……..Suddenly, my mom said, “We’re making so much noise; we better close the windows or we’ll disturb all the neighbors.” So we closed the windows.
Within minutes our phone rang. It was a girl who lived next door. She asked, “Why’d you close the windows?”
“Well, we didn’t want to disturb you.” Was Mom’s answer. The girl blurted out, “Disturb us? That’s the most laughter we’ve heard the entire Christmas season!……That’s beautiful music!”…….
If you really want to have fun, I mean the kind of fun that is really enjoyment (without a hangover), then you need…..a relationship with the living God.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………….Living on the Ragged Edge

Helen Keller

Though for the day: “Never bend your head, always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face.” HELEN KELLER
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The statement, “Look the world straight in the face,” came from someone who was born both blind and deaf. What an amazing feat to overcome her handicaps, become educated, and give the rest of us insight into our lives. Of all the gifted people, Helen Keller is the one that I stand in awe of the most. Many times my depressions are nothing more than self-pity, and I need to look no further than the inspiration of people like Helen Keller to see how small and self-centered my problems really are. All of us have handicaps in one form or another, may we use them to develop the skills needed to loving reach out to others who are less fortunate, and also as important those who are more fortunate than we ourselves. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. GALATIANS 6:9-10 NIV
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MEDITATION FOR THE DAY
Your real work in life is to grow spiritually. To do this you must follow the path of diligently seeking good. The hidden spiritual wonders are revealed to those who diligently seek this treasure. From one point to the next, you have to follow the way of obedience to God’s will until finally you reach greater and greater spiritual heights. Work on the material plane should be secondary to your real life’s work. The material things that you need most are those that help you to attain the spiritual.
HAZELDEN…………Twenty-Four-Hours A Day

A Good Spanking

Thought for the day: “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes and questions him.” PROVERBS 18:17 NIV
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Jesus speaking to John the apostle. Revelation 3:19-20 NIV.

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
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Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Strange though it may seem, we may be inclined to mourn the loss of our character defects. It is true that in yielding these we are saying good-bye to old coping mechanisms that have been painful but familiar friends.
God’s word reminds us that the removal of our defects of character is more than a good-bye. It is a life-changing hello. God stands patiently at the door awaiting our return. As we lay down our old, destructive dependencies, we open the door for new discovery of and communion with Him.
How may these new discoveries of God show themselves in our lives? The anger-filled person may display a new mellowness of personality. The chronically anxious person may find a lasting peace and security. The desperately possessive person may begin to take a balanced approach in all human relationships. All of these transformations await the opening of a door as we ask God to remove our defects of character.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 356
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God disciplines His children when needed. Like wise, we try and discipline those we love to make their lives less difficult. As I look outside my window and see the yard, I am reminded of a time as a child playing there. My Granny and Papa lived here and in the summer of 1960 my sister Susan and I were living here. Our parents were getting a divorce and we were sent to the farm. It was a difficult time for me and I had one big chip on my shoulder for a little guy. My aunt Sharron (3 yrs older) and uncle Jimmy (5 yrs younger) were my playmates. That summer we stayed in trouble, and Jimmy and Sharron always got good spankings. Granny didn’t spank me because I already had enough going on because of the divorce. I felt that because she didn’t spank me, she didn’t love me as much as Jimmy and Sharron. I finally caused enough trouble in the barn with the calves, that Granny met me at the barn door with a switch from the peach tree. She made my behind sting! I remember looking at her with tears in my eyes and saying, “Granny, you really do love me too!” From that day on, I knew she love me as much as the rest of the kids. God has disciplined me in my life many times, and I know it aint nothing but Love. I am so grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE

Bicycling

Thought for the day: “Love does not dominate, it cultivates.” GOETHE
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WITHIN REACH OF YOUR PRAYERS
If God is for us, who can be against us? ROMANS 8:31 NIV
The question is not simply, “Who can be against us?” You could answer that one. Who is against you? Disease, inflation, corruption, exhaustion. Calamities confront, and fears imprison. Were Paul’s question, “Who can be against us?” We could list our foes much easier than we could fight them. But that is not the question. The question is , If GOD IS FOR US, who can be against us?
God is for you. Your parents may have forgotten you, teachers may have neglected you, your siblings may be ashamed of you; but within reach of your prayers is the maker of the oceans, God!
MAX LUCADO……………..In the Grip of Grace
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WALKING TOWARD SERENITY
When I was tired and couldn’t concentrate, I used to fall back on an affirmation toward life that took the form of simple walking and deep breathing. I sometimes told myself that I couldn’t do even this, that I was too weak. But I learned that this was the point at which I could not give in without becoming still more depressed. So I would set myself a small stint. I would determine to walk a quarter of a mile. And I would concentrate by counting my breathing, say, six steps to each slow inhalation and four to each exhalation. Having done the quarter-mile, I found that I could go on, maybe a half mile more. Then another half-mile, and maybe another.
This was encouraging. The false sense of physical weakness would leave me (this feeling being so characteristic of depressions). The walking and especially the breathing were powerful affirmations toward life and living and away from failure and death. The counting represented a minimum discipline in concentration, to get some rest from the wear and tear of fear and guilt.
BILL W. a letter dated 1960
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I ride a bicycle. I ride because I want to. I love to ride. It didn’t start out that way, they took my license for ten years. At first the thought of ten years without driving was very depressing. I didn’t know how I was going to make it without a license and the right to drive. I first rode a bicycle when I was three years old (without training wheels). I continued to ride until I was fourteen years old. At twenty-five I started riding again because it had become stylish to ride 10-speeds. In 1996, and after many DWI’s, I was forced to ride a bicycle again. It turned out to be a blessing. Because of riding and the exercise involved in getting from one place to another, my physical, mental, and spiritual condition has improved and is continuing to improve day by day, one day at a time. What I though was a curse has turned out to be a blessing. I am grateful for sobriety, one day at a time, and that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share ………………..JRE

Grandma England

Thought for the day: “Mere survival is an affliction. What is of interest is life, and the direction of that life.” GUY FREGAULT
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Paul writing to the church at Philippi.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses al understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9 NKJ
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If you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all. We’ve all heard this and I find it almost impossible to do. But my Grandma Della England understood this and lived in peace with her life. My Grandfather Dave, left her for another woman in the 1920’s. She had five young children to raise on a small farm near Green Mountain Missouri. The 30’s were tough times and all had to pitch in and work to make it. My father even graduated from high school which is remarkable considering the times. My Grandmother Della experienced the deaths of three of her children. All were untimely do to illness. She never remarried. Still with the very hard life she had to live, I have heard others say of her that she never said anything bad about anybody. What a legacy to leave to her friends and family. Grandma didn’t have to preach Jesus to me. Evidence of a greater love in her life was found in her apple pies and everything she did. I’m missing her today……………….JRE
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A.A. Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Step 11 urges us to seek intimate and meaningful contact with God through the spiritual channels of prayer and meditation. How are we to exercise these important disciplines in our lives?
The apostle Paul offers five ingredients for prayerful communion with God: FIRST, we are to quiet our anxieties. We are to be still and know that God is God (Ps. 46:10), and He is still in control. SECOND, we are to thank Him for the many good things in our lives. THIRD, we are to candidly lay before Him all of our sincere needs. FOURTH, our time of meditation should also be a time to receive the infilling of the peace of God, a peace that transcends human understanding of comprehension. And FIFTH, we are to meditate on those things that are of highest value: “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report” (verse 8).
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 28
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Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself, thanks for letting me share……………….JRE

Slow Burn

Thought for the day: “A hurtful act is the transference to others of the degradation which we bear in ourselves.” Simone Weil

Unload the gun before fear pulls the trigger…..Anonymous
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1 PETER 5:2 NKJV
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

As we encounter Step 7, there may be confusion between the distinctly different experiences of humiliation and humility. The practice of our old dependencies may have brought upon us many disparaging experiences of humiliation, and these compounding humiliations may have precipitated our reaching a final emotional “bottom.”
The humble approach called for in Step 7 is not to be equated with humiliation. God does not want to mortify us, but He does want us to submit to His leadership. As we humble ourselves before God as His children in need, He lifts us up by filling our innermost hungers. Step 7 is the humble confession that we cannot meet our needs by our own codependent striving, Instead, we must cast our anxieties and burdens into God’s care.
NELSON SERENITY BIBE page 339
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I did not understand a humble attitude at all. But I did understand humiliation. My problem was not alcohol, drugs, sex, possessions, or anything “out there.” My problem was Jerry and still is. God could not deal with me when I exalted myself over God and everyone else. Too much of one thing causes burn out, and too much of Jerry caused a slow burn which eventually was snuffed out. Being broken hurts, but God, family, and friends, helped me pick up the pieces. I am grateful to be alive today. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………JRE

Strong hand of God

Thought for the day: “When I was sixteen I thought I knew everything, but the older I get the smarter mom and dad get.” B. Morris
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But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. LUKE 15:17-20 NKJV

Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
The story of the prodigal son reminds us that confession can be a stepping-stone toward renewed fellowship with God.
The embodiment of so many of our addictive tendencies, the prodigal son had dissipated his own resources and those of his father in a mistaken effort to establish his youthful identity. He returned home filled with shame and confessing in his heart, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (vv.18,19).
The father’s response to his errant son is a mirror of God’s response to our authentic confession. Although the prodigal son expected rejection and chastisement, he found compassion, acceptance, and renewed kinship. As we seek new relationship to God through the acknowledgment of our wrongs, can we envision a Heavenly Father who greets us as warmly as the father greeted his wayward son? As we confess our brokenness, can we feel a God who reaches out, not to chastise us, but to embrace us and welcome us home to His everlasting family?
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE
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I am reminded of the words of a Hank Williams song, “I wondered so aimless, life full of sin. I would not let my dear Savior in. Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night, praise the Lord I saw the Light.” I spent many years wasting everything I had, my money, family, friends, love, and time. I reached a point where the only way I could look was up. I hit bottom. I had nowhere to turn, so I reached out and got a hold of what I could. It turned out to be the strong hand of God, and still to this day I don’t want to let go, it’s all that I have that really counts. By holding on to God, everything else has been restored and more! I am so grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
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I see “humility for today” as a safe and secure stance midway between violent emotional extremes. It is a quiet place where I can keep enough perspective and enough balance to take my next small step up the clearly marked road that points toward eternal values.
BILL W. AA Grapevine April 1961

Chocolate cake with chocolate icing

Thought for the day: “Stay teachable”
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Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
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PSALM 51:14-17 NKJV
Deliver me from bloodguiltness, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and contrite heart,
These, O God, You will not despise.
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David was the beloved psalmist and shepherd whom God elevated to king of Israel. One important reason David was able to fellowship so closely with God throughout his life was that he was willing to humble himself before God and others. Humility is an attitude that God has been building in us throughout our recovery program, and it is a key ingredient to the successful completion of Step 9.
David’s words “broken and contrite” are very close in idea to the attitude underlying Step 9. In the same way David asked God to help him “open his lips,” we should depend on God to bring a new power and grace to our lives as we correct past wrongs and achieve healthy ways of relating to the people around us.
As we turn to God for the willingness to make amends, we release ourselves from the power of old resentments, which have held us in bondage.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE
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THE FORGOTTEN MOUNTAIN
When I was a child, I acquired some of the traits that had a lot to do with my insatiable craving for alcohol. I was brought up in a little town in Vermont, under the shadow of Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is that of looking up at this vast and mysterious mountain, wondering what it meant and whether I could ever climb that high. But I was presently distracted by my aunt who, as a fourth-birthday present, made me a plate of fudge. For the next thirty-five years I pursued the fudge of life and quite forgot about the mountain.
BILL W. ……….A.A. Comes Of Age, pages 52-53
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I myself pursued the “chocolate cake with chocolate icing” of life, and completely forgot about the Forest Ranger that I had wanted to be as a child. I still love trees and for 15 years worked as a professional tree trimmer. But because of some bad choices that led to indulgent behavior, I could not reach my goals. Today God has given me a second chance, and I believe without a doubt that if I wanted to pursue an education in forestry, God would help me accomplish the goal. I will probably not do this, but today I know that the opportunity is there if I have the desire. I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE

Entire Sanctification

Thought for the day: “Spiritual fitness can be enhanced by repetition, not by rhetoric; by practice, not by preaching.” ANONYMOUS
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Only God can truly change a life. No matter how much I exercise, try and control my diet, read books of wisdom, or fellowship with learned people, the changes that are made because of these activities are only found in the mind and body. True changes in one’s life, happens in the spiritual heart of a person. The Holy Ghost cannot live in a heart with anger, resentment, jealousy, fear, selfishness, greed, lust, and many other character defects. When invited into a persons life, the Holy Ghost, through faith in Jesus and the work of the cross, will begin work on the problem. The self.
An example of a changed life is the apostle Peter. Peter walked with Jesus for 3 ½ years, and knew first hand the love that flowed from Jesus. But when they came to arrest Jesus, he pulled his sword and cut one of the fellows. At the trial he denied Jesus, and lied. Later on after the Holy Ghost was given to believers, and peter was filled, he still had some problems accepting people that were not Jews. A life set aside for God does not happen over night. Entire sanctification is a growing process.
We read in the book of 1st Peter which was written about thirty years after Peter had received the Holy Ghost, the writing of a man whose life had been changed. And as long as Peter was alive the Holy Ghost continued to work in his life to make him a better person. And will do the same for all of us who believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost…………..JRE

1 PETER 3:8-9 NIV
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you might inherit a blessing.”
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Many don’t understand God’s anger because they confuse the wrath of God with the wrath of man. The two have little in common. Human anger is typically self-driven and prone to explosions of temper and violent deeds. We get ticked off because we’ve been overlooked, neglected, or cheated. This is the anger of man. It is not, however, the anger of God.
God doesn’t get angry because he doesn’t get his way. He gets angry because disobedience always results in self-destruction. What kind of father sits by and watches his child hurt himself?
MAX LUCADO………..In the Grip of Grace
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I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share…………………JRE

People Pleasing

Thought for the day: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” JAMES 1:22 NIV
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DON’T EXPECT APPROVAL
“Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth…..But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark.”
GENESIS 6:17-18
God informed Noah of His plan: He was going to destroy the world with a flood. So for one hundred and twenty years, by faith, Noah followed the Lord’s leading. He gathered the materials, he built the ark, probably to the ridicule of everyone around him. After all, this was a world that had never known rain; the earth was watered from beneath. And while Noah was building this ark, he was preaching righteousness to those around him…..Surrounded and mocked by his depraved…..contemporaries, this preacher of righteousness, by faith, stood against the tide of his culture.
Sometimes our faith is such a rebuke to our peers that we suffer persecution because of it. No extra charge for his simple warning: Don’t expect overwhelming approval and affirmation just because you’ve chosen to walk by faith.
CHARLES SWINDOLL…………..The Mystery of God’s Will
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You can’t please all the people all the time. During the last 4 years, 9 months, and 19 days, I have found myself trying to be a people pleaser. Today I look at this behavior and try and sort the good aspects of it from the bad. It seems like if you do things one way for somebody there is always somebody else who disagrees with what you are doing. Who do I please? The answer can be found in the Word of God; “Do all things as if you are doing them for God.” This is pleasing to the Father and wipes away any feelings of guilt. To sow seed you have to break open the ground. And when the ground is found in the hearts of ourselves and
others there can be some pain caused by the plow. I thank God for the fruit brought forth in my heart by others who cared enough to take the time to crack the hard surface of my heart, and sow seed. I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE

“And what ever you do, whether in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:17 NIV
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“Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual serenity, as I have excellent reason to know. Roots of reality, supplanting the neurotic underbrush, will hold fast despite the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or which we would use to destroy ourselves.”
BILL W. a letter dated 1949

Reality for me is that I am nothing and can do nothing without God in my life. Thanks for letting me share…………………..JRE