Thursday, April 27, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “If you were to spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God, you would not be going about with your heads hanging down like bulrushes, complaining how poor you are; but you would lift up your heads with confidence, and proclaim the riches of His grace because you could not help it.”
D. L. MOODY
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 KJV)
Today as I study the Dake Bible I take time to reflect on what Finis Jennings Dake calls “The philosophy of redemption.” Finis explains why man had to be redeemed and how man’s redemption was possible, share this with me:
“In the case of man, Satan caused him to rebel against God and break His law, incurring the death penalty. Man, being under the sentence of death, could not pay his own death penalty and also live again to enjoy freedom from sin and carry out the eternal purpose for which he was created. To carry out the eternal plan he had to be redeemed and brought back into full reconciliation with God in order to fulfill the holy and righteous demands of the law and holiness of God. God undertook redemption work for man by sending Jesus Christ to die for him and resurrect him from the dead so that the original plan could be realized.” (Finis Jennings Dake)
I realize that this is somewhat deep, but it totally speaks to my soul. There was a time that I did not understand or even believe all of this about redemption, reconciliation, ransom, and all the other words that I just never used in everyday language. But as I pray for understanding and continue to read the Word of God daily, little by little the fog is lifting and these concepts are becoming clearer and clearer. Some people seem to grasp these spiritual ideas easier than others. I had to apply my faith and believe without totally understanding why. I am so grateful that I did not let doubt stop the learning process in my life. For me reading the Word of God has been like taking a glass of mike and putting it under a faucet with a small trickle of water flowing into the glass. The glass remains milky for some time, but as the fresh water continues to flow the glass begins to clear. Eventually it is crystal clear. Today in some areas of my studies I enjoy the clear fresh water of the Word. Other areas are still clouded but they are clearing as time goes by. Today as I study about the philosophy of redemption, something that Finis Dake wrote really struck a chord with me. Share this also with me:
“All life, both vegetable and animal, is sustained and perpetuated by substitutional suffering and death of innocent victims.” (Finis Jennings Dake)
Think about that for a while………..nothing lives except at the cost of the death of some other living organism. Even the grass that covers the earth won’t live solely on inorganic material. Insects rely on vegetation and other insects. Mammals rely on vegetation, insects and other animals for survival. Everything is dependent upon everything else for the essence of life. The philosophy of redemption is what keeps life sustained, both materially and spiritually…God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share……………..JRE
A glass of milk under the water faucet
Thought for the day: “If you were to spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God, you would not be going about with your heads hanging down like bulrushes, complaining how poor you are; but you would lift up your heads with confidence, and proclaim the riches of His grace because you could not help it.”
D. L. MOODY
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 KJV)
Today as I study the Dake Bible I take time to reflect on what Finis Jennings Dake calls “The philosophy of redemption.” Finis explains why man had to be redeemed and how man’s redemption was possible, share this with me:
“In the case of man, Satan caused him to rebel against God and break His law, incurring the death penalty. Man, being under the sentence of death, could not pay his own death penalty and also live again to enjoy freedom from sin and carry out the eternal purpose for which he was created. To carry out the eternal plan he had to be redeemed and brought back into full reconciliation with God in order to fulfill the holy and righteous demands of the law and holiness of God. God undertook redemption work for man by sending Jesus Christ to die for him and resurrect him from the dead so that the original plan could be realized.” (Finis Jennings Dake)
I realize that this is somewhat deep, but it totally speaks to my soul. There was a time that I did not understand or even believe all of this about redemption, reconciliation, ransom, and all the other words that I just never used in everyday language. But as I pray for understanding and continue to read the Word of God daily, little by little the fog is lifting and these concepts are becoming clearer and clearer. Some people seem to grasp these spiritual ideas easier than others. I had to apply my faith and believe without totally understanding why. I am so grateful that I did not let doubt stop the learning process in my life. For me reading the Word of God has been like taking a glass of mike and putting it under a faucet with a small trickle of water flowing into the glass. The glass remains milky for some time, but as the fresh water continues to flow the glass begins to clear. Eventually it is crystal clear. Today in some areas of my studies I enjoy the clear fresh water of the Word. Other areas are still clouded but they are clearing as time goes by. Today as I study about the philosophy of redemption, something that Finis Dake wrote really struck a chord with me. Share this also with me:
“All life, both vegetable and animal, is sustained and perpetuated by substitutional suffering and death of innocent victims.” (Finis Jennings Dake)
Think about that for a while………..nothing lives except at the cost of the death of some other living organism. Even the grass that covers the earth won’t live solely on inorganic material. Insects rely on vegetation and other insects. Mammals rely on vegetation, insects and other animals for survival. Everything is dependent upon everything else for the essence of life. The philosophy of redemption is what keeps life sustained, both materially and spiritually…God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share……………..JRE
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “A new broom sweeps clean but an old broom knows the corners.”
Proverb on friendship from the Virgin Islands
“So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law”
GALATIANS 5:16-18 NLT
The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church of the Galatians because they had been coming under the influence of those that wanted to have the new believers in Jesus Christ to revert back to the old Jewish ways. These were ways that involved the obeying of many laws that had been devised to keep people on the straight and narrow path. Of course the many laws could not be kept. Even today, I don’t know of anybody that obeys all the laws of the land. I am sure that there must be someone out there who has never broke a law, I just haven’t met them as of yet. I see people that while driving don’t come to a complete stop at stop signs, and they also can be found to speed a few miles over the limit. I see this happen right in the presence of law officers and they just let it slide, which is not obeying the law either. I see trash all along the roadways that comes from people who disobey natural laws of polluting. People burn trash that omits toxic fumes into the air, which others have to breath. There must be some kind of law that says, “Thou shalt not pollute the air of thy neighbor.” Many times we don’t break the laws ourselves directly, but we support those that do and therefore are guilty by association. My conclusion is that all the laws cannot be kept. My conclusion about spiritual laws is the same, no matter how hard I try, I cannot obey all the laws. The apostle Paul gives me the reason behind this continuous pulling in my spirit. “The Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.” There it is, my flesh says go one-way and my spirit says go another. Constantly feeling this tug of war can make me quite miserable at times. As I grow spiritually I am learning to allow my spirit, to be influenced with the Spirit (capital “S”). This is not easy because my individual spirit is attached to my body by my flesh, which has a constant pull it its direction. Only by reaching beyond my limitations to a Power greater than myself am I able to get the strength needed to counter act the pull of the flesh. I get this by reading God’s Word on a regular basis, by listening to the words of the apostle Paul who daily did battle with the spirit and flesh, and by having others in my life who have overcome and share their experience, strength and hope with me. The individual battle goes on only inside of me, but I muster the strength of the soldiers that walk with me, and use their experiences as if they were my own. By allowing other Spirit filled soldiers in my life, God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1 NLT)
“Tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.” OSWALD CHAMBERS
Spirit filled soldiers
Thought for the day: “A new broom sweeps clean but an old broom knows the corners.”
Proverb on friendship from the Virgin Islands
“So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law”
GALATIANS 5:16-18 NLT
The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church of the Galatians because they had been coming under the influence of those that wanted to have the new believers in Jesus Christ to revert back to the old Jewish ways. These were ways that involved the obeying of many laws that had been devised to keep people on the straight and narrow path. Of course the many laws could not be kept. Even today, I don’t know of anybody that obeys all the laws of the land. I am sure that there must be someone out there who has never broke a law, I just haven’t met them as of yet. I see people that while driving don’t come to a complete stop at stop signs, and they also can be found to speed a few miles over the limit. I see this happen right in the presence of law officers and they just let it slide, which is not obeying the law either. I see trash all along the roadways that comes from people who disobey natural laws of polluting. People burn trash that omits toxic fumes into the air, which others have to breath. There must be some kind of law that says, “Thou shalt not pollute the air of thy neighbor.” Many times we don’t break the laws ourselves directly, but we support those that do and therefore are guilty by association. My conclusion is that all the laws cannot be kept. My conclusion about spiritual laws is the same, no matter how hard I try, I cannot obey all the laws. The apostle Paul gives me the reason behind this continuous pulling in my spirit. “The Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.” There it is, my flesh says go one-way and my spirit says go another. Constantly feeling this tug of war can make me quite miserable at times. As I grow spiritually I am learning to allow my spirit, to be influenced with the Spirit (capital “S”). This is not easy because my individual spirit is attached to my body by my flesh, which has a constant pull it its direction. Only by reaching beyond my limitations to a Power greater than myself am I able to get the strength needed to counter act the pull of the flesh. I get this by reading God’s Word on a regular basis, by listening to the words of the apostle Paul who daily did battle with the spirit and flesh, and by having others in my life who have overcome and share their experience, strength and hope with me. The individual battle goes on only inside of me, but I muster the strength of the soldiers that walk with me, and use their experiences as if they were my own. By allowing other Spirit filled soldiers in my life, God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1 NLT)
“Tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.” OSWALD CHAMBERS
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day:
“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still small voice within me.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it he went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here Elijah?”
I KINGS 19:11-13 NLT
The prophet Elijah had just been at the height of his career. He had come up against the wicked king Ahab and Jezebel, and had a victorious defeat over them and their prophets. Having had God work in his life in such a powerful and miraculous way you would think that Elijah would have had a sense of well-being and security, but not so. He had upset the powers that be, and they put out a contract on Elijah’s life. Up one minute and down the next, Elijah stuck his tail between his legs and ran. Why is it that after the anticipation of some great event in our lives we often become depressed afterwards? I know that women sometimes after the birth of a child have post-par tem depression. How about graduation from school or college? We look forward to it for a long time and then it is there and gone in one day. Afterwards reality hits and life is more of a routine, the day in and day out kind of stuff. Marriage is another large event in our lives that leaves us with the rest of our lives to think about that day. I recall having several attempts at sobriety, striving for the one-year clean and sober mark only to fail. In September of 1999 I managed to get 365 days sober. I recall the next few days were anti-climatic as I realized that it was just one day at a time after that. All that effort, a big cake with one candle on it, and several friends to say, “well done,” hit the spot. But the next day life was quiet and all I had left was the still small voice inside encouraging me onward. God didn’t speak to me through the big cake with one candle on it. God didn’t speak to me through the bronze medallion that the group gave me. God didn’t speak to me because I showed up to receive the recognition of my friends. I discovered that God spoke to me the next morning in a still small voice that said, “I love you, and you don’t need to take the first drink.” Today I have a loving God in my life that doesn’t shout at me, doesn’t yell at me, doesn’t condemn me when I’ve stumbled, doesn’t criticize me, only encourages me each morning as I listen for the quiet voice. A voice that gently says, “I love you, and you are not alone.” Elijah had become depressed and sought refuge in the cave in a mountain. His self-pity over whelmed him and he probably thought he was all alone with his feelings. God understood this and didn’t yell at him for being down, but spoke in a gentle whisper of encouragement. It worked for Elijah and it works for me, God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“We can go through all the activities of our days in joyful awareness of God’s presence with whispered prayers of praise and adoration flowing continuously from our hearts.”
RICHARD J. FOSTER
A gentle whisper
Thought for the day:
“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still small voice within me.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it he went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here Elijah?”
I KINGS 19:11-13 NLT
The prophet Elijah had just been at the height of his career. He had come up against the wicked king Ahab and Jezebel, and had a victorious defeat over them and their prophets. Having had God work in his life in such a powerful and miraculous way you would think that Elijah would have had a sense of well-being and security, but not so. He had upset the powers that be, and they put out a contract on Elijah’s life. Up one minute and down the next, Elijah stuck his tail between his legs and ran. Why is it that after the anticipation of some great event in our lives we often become depressed afterwards? I know that women sometimes after the birth of a child have post-par tem depression. How about graduation from school or college? We look forward to it for a long time and then it is there and gone in one day. Afterwards reality hits and life is more of a routine, the day in and day out kind of stuff. Marriage is another large event in our lives that leaves us with the rest of our lives to think about that day. I recall having several attempts at sobriety, striving for the one-year clean and sober mark only to fail. In September of 1999 I managed to get 365 days sober. I recall the next few days were anti-climatic as I realized that it was just one day at a time after that. All that effort, a big cake with one candle on it, and several friends to say, “well done,” hit the spot. But the next day life was quiet and all I had left was the still small voice inside encouraging me onward. God didn’t speak to me through the big cake with one candle on it. God didn’t speak to me through the bronze medallion that the group gave me. God didn’t speak to me because I showed up to receive the recognition of my friends. I discovered that God spoke to me the next morning in a still small voice that said, “I love you, and you don’t need to take the first drink.” Today I have a loving God in my life that doesn’t shout at me, doesn’t yell at me, doesn’t condemn me when I’ve stumbled, doesn’t criticize me, only encourages me each morning as I listen for the quiet voice. A voice that gently says, “I love you, and you are not alone.” Elijah had become depressed and sought refuge in the cave in a mountain. His self-pity over whelmed him and he probably thought he was all alone with his feelings. God understood this and didn’t yell at him for being down, but spoke in a gentle whisper of encouragement. It worked for Elijah and it works for me, God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“We can go through all the activities of our days in joyful awareness of God’s presence with whispered prayers of praise and adoration flowing continuously from our hearts.”
RICHARD J. FOSTER
Monday, April 24, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Following the path of least resistance is what makes both men and rivers crooked.” Author unknown
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, it is thrown out.” (Luke 14:34-35 NIV)
Jesus said we are the spiritual salt of the earth. We as believers are the flavoring and spice in a bland world that goes on day after day in its own direction. I have noticed that life goes on regardless of how things may appear. People come and go, ideas come and go, new inventions come and go, fads come and go, styles come and go, diets come and go, medicines come and go, ways of exercise come and go, and what today we think of as being “in” tomorrow is “out.” Life seems to be a big surface made up of the here and now with ripples caused by people and things that go on until they eventually subside or are started again as new somewhere else. Nothing material last forever. I remember when I bought a piece of property twenty years ago, at that time, I thought that this is always going to be just like the way it is now. How wrong I was, land is constantly changing. Old trees die, and new trees come up in their place. Soil will wash away exposing new rocks and old rocks will gather soil and vegetation around then be hid from sight. Even life itself changes. Twenty years ago there were no armadillo’s in southern Missouri, today they are as common as rabbits. Fifty years ago on the farm where I live, I never saw a deer. Today they are thick. Ten years ago bald eagles were very rare in this part of the state. Today they are still rare, but we have sightings several times a year, with more each year than the year before. The old saying, “The only thing constant is change,” is very true indeed. As I study the words of Jesus today I ponder on the fact that we are considered the salt of the earth, and that we as salt are good, but that we also may lose our saltiness. To me this means that once you’ve got it spiritually, doesn’t mean that you will always have it. Jesus said the salt can lose its saltiness. How can salt lose it saltiness? Over exposure and being diluted are two ways that come to mind. Too much salt in one place is not good. If believers only gather together and never venture away from each other they are too salty even for their own good. Then again, one grain of salt in a gallon of water has no affect, so balance is the key to being the spice in life. A few years ago I received a spice rack as a gift, I thought that this will surely improve my home cooking. How wrong I was, it took several failed attempts at adding too much quantity and variety of spices to learn that a little evenly distributed has a better taste than too much or too many spices. To be evenly distributed and added sparingly to taste brings about the best flavor. And so it is as believers, if we gather too much and bombard non-believers with much doctrine and demands, they will run from the effects of too much salt. Be gentle, season to taste, salt is an acquired taste and too much only repels. God is teaching me to be sensitive to my spiritual taste buds, to be aware of when too much salt is being added. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“If you understand and accept the teachings of Jesus; and if you make every effort to practice them in every department of your own daily life; if you seek systematically to destroy in yourself everything which you know should not be there, things such as selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth, not feeding or nourishing them by giving in to them, but starving them to death by refusing them expression; if you extend the right thought loyally to every person or thing within your ken, especially to the people or things you dislike; then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.” EMMET FOX
Just enough salt
Thought for the day: “Following the path of least resistance is what makes both men and rivers crooked.” Author unknown
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, it is thrown out.” (Luke 14:34-35 NIV)
Jesus said we are the spiritual salt of the earth. We as believers are the flavoring and spice in a bland world that goes on day after day in its own direction. I have noticed that life goes on regardless of how things may appear. People come and go, ideas come and go, new inventions come and go, fads come and go, styles come and go, diets come and go, medicines come and go, ways of exercise come and go, and what today we think of as being “in” tomorrow is “out.” Life seems to be a big surface made up of the here and now with ripples caused by people and things that go on until they eventually subside or are started again as new somewhere else. Nothing material last forever. I remember when I bought a piece of property twenty years ago, at that time, I thought that this is always going to be just like the way it is now. How wrong I was, land is constantly changing. Old trees die, and new trees come up in their place. Soil will wash away exposing new rocks and old rocks will gather soil and vegetation around then be hid from sight. Even life itself changes. Twenty years ago there were no armadillo’s in southern Missouri, today they are as common as rabbits. Fifty years ago on the farm where I live, I never saw a deer. Today they are thick. Ten years ago bald eagles were very rare in this part of the state. Today they are still rare, but we have sightings several times a year, with more each year than the year before. The old saying, “The only thing constant is change,” is very true indeed. As I study the words of Jesus today I ponder on the fact that we are considered the salt of the earth, and that we as salt are good, but that we also may lose our saltiness. To me this means that once you’ve got it spiritually, doesn’t mean that you will always have it. Jesus said the salt can lose its saltiness. How can salt lose it saltiness? Over exposure and being diluted are two ways that come to mind. Too much salt in one place is not good. If believers only gather together and never venture away from each other they are too salty even for their own good. Then again, one grain of salt in a gallon of water has no affect, so balance is the key to being the spice in life. A few years ago I received a spice rack as a gift, I thought that this will surely improve my home cooking. How wrong I was, it took several failed attempts at adding too much quantity and variety of spices to learn that a little evenly distributed has a better taste than too much or too many spices. To be evenly distributed and added sparingly to taste brings about the best flavor. And so it is as believers, if we gather too much and bombard non-believers with much doctrine and demands, they will run from the effects of too much salt. Be gentle, season to taste, salt is an acquired taste and too much only repels. God is teaching me to be sensitive to my spiritual taste buds, to be aware of when too much salt is being added. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“If you understand and accept the teachings of Jesus; and if you make every effort to practice them in every department of your own daily life; if you seek systematically to destroy in yourself everything which you know should not be there, things such as selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth, not feeding or nourishing them by giving in to them, but starving them to death by refusing them expression; if you extend the right thought loyally to every person or thing within your ken, especially to the people or things you dislike; then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.” EMMET FOX
Thursday, April 20, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Neglect mending a small fault and 'twill soon be a great one.”
BEN FRANKLIN
When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I prefer Apollos,” aren’t you acting like those who are not Christians?” Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? Why, we’re only servants. Through us God caused you to believe. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. My job was to plant the seed in your heart, and Apollos watered it, but it was God not we, who made it grow. The ones who do the planting or the watering are not important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work. We work together as partners who belong to God. You are God’s field, God’s building, not ours.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:4-9 NLT
Everybody sows seeds of some kind. We are never just sitting by idling, with nothing being sown. Even when we don’t appear to be sowing seeds in the lives of others we are. Many times when we are totally alone we still sow seeds by having been an influence at some other time than the present. Many times in my life I have been reminded of some experience or words that someone has shared with me at a previous time, and as I recall them they seem to bloom in my present situation. These words and mental images of someone else’s situation, and how they overcame, are seeds of encouragement. They may lay dormant in my life until my own like situation comes along and waters them. As I begin to draw upon and use the resources available, I realize that these little seeds of hope have grown into answers and ways of escape. They are little seeds that grow into pathways and become open doors to a better life. My AA sponsor told me something once that I still recall. He said, “Built a shelf in you mind for things that you hear that you don’t have use for at the present time. Don’t just discard these thoughts, but store them. Some day you might find that you need something you have heard, and it will be there for you at that time.” As I look back over my life I see where there have been times in my youth when older people would point things out to me about my life. Because of my young self-centered attitudes I paid little attention. Today I realize that these were seeds of encouragement that I neither saved, nor stored. I wish I only knew then, what I know now. Today I see God taking seeds that have been sown in my life, allowing them to be watered by still others, to grow and bring about increase. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………….JRE
“As we progress in recovery, we are to reach out to others. As we tell them about our deliverance, hoping to help them turn their lives around, these verses should encourage us. Even when the message doesn’t seem to be getting through, we can leave the results in God’s hands. Sometimes people respond to our story immediately and enter recovery. At other times our words are only seeds that over time will grow and lead someone to be changed by God’s power. Perhaps we are just one of many people God will use to change someone’s life. One thing is sure: If we speak out God will use us to change lives.”
LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1371
Seeds, water and growth
Thought for the day: “Neglect mending a small fault and 'twill soon be a great one.”
BEN FRANKLIN
When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I prefer Apollos,” aren’t you acting like those who are not Christians?” Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? Why, we’re only servants. Through us God caused you to believe. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. My job was to plant the seed in your heart, and Apollos watered it, but it was God not we, who made it grow. The ones who do the planting or the watering are not important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work. We work together as partners who belong to God. You are God’s field, God’s building, not ours.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:4-9 NLT
Everybody sows seeds of some kind. We are never just sitting by idling, with nothing being sown. Even when we don’t appear to be sowing seeds in the lives of others we are. Many times when we are totally alone we still sow seeds by having been an influence at some other time than the present. Many times in my life I have been reminded of some experience or words that someone has shared with me at a previous time, and as I recall them they seem to bloom in my present situation. These words and mental images of someone else’s situation, and how they overcame, are seeds of encouragement. They may lay dormant in my life until my own like situation comes along and waters them. As I begin to draw upon and use the resources available, I realize that these little seeds of hope have grown into answers and ways of escape. They are little seeds that grow into pathways and become open doors to a better life. My AA sponsor told me something once that I still recall. He said, “Built a shelf in you mind for things that you hear that you don’t have use for at the present time. Don’t just discard these thoughts, but store them. Some day you might find that you need something you have heard, and it will be there for you at that time.” As I look back over my life I see where there have been times in my youth when older people would point things out to me about my life. Because of my young self-centered attitudes I paid little attention. Today I realize that these were seeds of encouragement that I neither saved, nor stored. I wish I only knew then, what I know now. Today I see God taking seeds that have been sown in my life, allowing them to be watered by still others, to grow and bring about increase. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………….JRE
“As we progress in recovery, we are to reach out to others. As we tell them about our deliverance, hoping to help them turn their lives around, these verses should encourage us. Even when the message doesn’t seem to be getting through, we can leave the results in God’s hands. Sometimes people respond to our story immediately and enter recovery. At other times our words are only seeds that over time will grow and lead someone to be changed by God’s power. Perhaps we are just one of many people God will use to change someone’s life. One thing is sure: If we speak out God will use us to change lives.”
LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1371
Thursday, April 13, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The most creative power to the human spirit is the power to heel the wounds of a past it cannot change.” (Author unknown)
“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”
HEBREWS 12:12-15 NASB
As I get older I am learning to try and grow better not bitter. Some people are so much fun to be around. They always have positive attitudes, they do not take a position of superiority because of their experience, they are willing to show and teach things they have learned in their life, and they are able to use the painful experiences in their life without bitterness to help others recovery from like situations. What a joy it is to have people like this in my life to draw from and to learn from. Then there are some that I have met that are just the opposite. I will put myself in this category in times past. These are those who because of some trauma and tragic situation have continued to dwell upon the problem as it grows and grows, and becomes more infected. After an emotional scab has formed and later as it becomes a scar, they bitterly display the scar saying, “look what
I‘ve been through.” It is painful to be around bitter people because they hurt you with the pain they are feeling. Scripture tells me that this is “coming short of the grace of God.” And so it is, to accept the grace of God and forgiveness we have to put down our past and walk in the newness of life that we have received from Jesus Christ. In my childhood I had fears and insecurity because my parents divorced. Later in adolescence I developed fears because of economic insecurity. I was drafted and Vietnam added to my emotional instability. Add twenty-five years of drug and alcohol abuse. Throw in rage and violence. Then stir that all into many relationships that were founded on greed and lust. Top it off having family and friends die because of alcoholism and drug addictions, and you can get one messed up person who thrived on displaying his scars of bitterness. I had every reason to be bitter didn’t I? I had excuses and I used them, and all it did was drive people away. That’s what Scripture says, “have no root of bitterness springing up causing trouble, and by it many be defiled.” Having set most loved ones at a distance; I soon learned that I was only hurting myself over and over. Ah, but for the grace of God. When the pain exceeded the pleasure in my thriving self-centered will, having nowhere to turn I reached out………and God was there. I had to drop my burden to embrace God. Today some of the scars are still there, but I don’t have time to look back, I want to look forward to an unending flow of grace and mercy. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say on this scripture:
“When we deal with difficult circumstances or face painful recovery issues, we may grow angry or bitter. Sometimes we don’t perceive our own bitterness taking root; we need others to point it out to us. The feelings are understandable, especially if we have been victimized; allowing our self to feel them can be a first step in recovery. But we need to forgive and to release the injustices and hurts to God in order to experience His over whelming forgiveness. When we hang on to our bitterness, we not only hinder our own healing but also hurt others along the way.”
LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE page 1504
Grow better not bitter
Thought for the day: “The most creative power to the human spirit is the power to heel the wounds of a past it cannot change.” (Author unknown)
“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”
HEBREWS 12:12-15 NASB
As I get older I am learning to try and grow better not bitter. Some people are so much fun to be around. They always have positive attitudes, they do not take a position of superiority because of their experience, they are willing to show and teach things they have learned in their life, and they are able to use the painful experiences in their life without bitterness to help others recovery from like situations. What a joy it is to have people like this in my life to draw from and to learn from. Then there are some that I have met that are just the opposite. I will put myself in this category in times past. These are those who because of some trauma and tragic situation have continued to dwell upon the problem as it grows and grows, and becomes more infected. After an emotional scab has formed and later as it becomes a scar, they bitterly display the scar saying, “look what
I‘ve been through.” It is painful to be around bitter people because they hurt you with the pain they are feeling. Scripture tells me that this is “coming short of the grace of God.” And so it is, to accept the grace of God and forgiveness we have to put down our past and walk in the newness of life that we have received from Jesus Christ. In my childhood I had fears and insecurity because my parents divorced. Later in adolescence I developed fears because of economic insecurity. I was drafted and Vietnam added to my emotional instability. Add twenty-five years of drug and alcohol abuse. Throw in rage and violence. Then stir that all into many relationships that were founded on greed and lust. Top it off having family and friends die because of alcoholism and drug addictions, and you can get one messed up person who thrived on displaying his scars of bitterness. I had every reason to be bitter didn’t I? I had excuses and I used them, and all it did was drive people away. That’s what Scripture says, “have no root of bitterness springing up causing trouble, and by it many be defiled.” Having set most loved ones at a distance; I soon learned that I was only hurting myself over and over. Ah, but for the grace of God. When the pain exceeded the pleasure in my thriving self-centered will, having nowhere to turn I reached out………and God was there. I had to drop my burden to embrace God. Today some of the scars are still there, but I don’t have time to look back, I want to look forward to an unending flow of grace and mercy. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say on this scripture:
“When we deal with difficult circumstances or face painful recovery issues, we may grow angry or bitter. Sometimes we don’t perceive our own bitterness taking root; we need others to point it out to us. The feelings are understandable, especially if we have been victimized; allowing our self to feel them can be a first step in recovery. But we need to forgive and to release the injustices and hurts to God in order to experience His over whelming forgiveness. When we hang on to our bitterness, we not only hinder our own healing but also hurt others along the way.”
LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE page 1504
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” Henry Ward Beecher
“So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God, even as I try to please everybody in everyway. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they maybe saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NIV)
Is the apostle Paul a people pleaser? It appears so from what he has to say in his letter to the church at Corinth. Today we hear much about the negative aspects of being people pleasers. It may take away our own identity, cause low self-esteem, make us insecure, and cause emotional problems because we are always under the thumb of someone we are trying to please. And what if they are not pleased? The fact is that we are not going to please all the people all the time. So why be a people pleaser? Paul gives us the answer; he said it is not about seeking his own good. As I consider his motive and attitude in trying to please everybody in everyway, I realize that many times in my own life I have sought to please others with ulterior motives. I have agreed to go along with something because inside I was able to bond with this person in a particular way, or possibly if I went along with what ever it was, I could be associated some how with this person. I also have pleased others because of fears. I did not want to appear as being wrong. This too is self-seeking. I learn today from the apostle Paul that trying to please everybody in everyway only works when it is done for the good of many, not just for the good of myself. I can just picture Paul standing in the metropolitan city of Corinth having many different cultures and ethnic groups all about himself, and rather than offend some or many he would be compassionate and understanding as he kept the peace by being pleasing to others. What a testimony that is for the grace, compassion and forgiveness that God so freely gave to us. Even God did not condemn us. People pleasing is good when we have a servants heart, and put others before our own desires. Today God had again shown me something from the Word that I passed over lightly at other times. God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
The Life Recovery Bible, sheds some light on these verses, share this with me:
“Paul sought to balance his argument here, for it is easy to become too legalistic as we work through the recovery process. The balance can be found by being willing to give up any of our rights that might cause others to fall while also not forcing our standards on anyone else. This does not lead to co-dependency, where we seek to please others for unhealthy reasons. Paul sought to please others for the specific purpose of leading them to salvation. If our actions are governed by our love for others, we will be well on the way to developing strong relationships and overcoming the problems that drive our addiction or compulsion. God will also use us as powerful instruments to help other hurting people.” (The Life Recovery Bible, page 1380)
“YOU GIVE THEM DRINK FROM YOUR RIVER OF DELIGHTS. FOR WITH YOU IS THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE; IN YOUR LIGHT WE SEE LIGHT.”
Psalm 36:8 NIV
Pleasing people pleasers
Thought for the day: “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” Henry Ward Beecher
“So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God, even as I try to please everybody in everyway. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they maybe saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NIV)
Is the apostle Paul a people pleaser? It appears so from what he has to say in his letter to the church at Corinth. Today we hear much about the negative aspects of being people pleasers. It may take away our own identity, cause low self-esteem, make us insecure, and cause emotional problems because we are always under the thumb of someone we are trying to please. And what if they are not pleased? The fact is that we are not going to please all the people all the time. So why be a people pleaser? Paul gives us the answer; he said it is not about seeking his own good. As I consider his motive and attitude in trying to please everybody in everyway, I realize that many times in my own life I have sought to please others with ulterior motives. I have agreed to go along with something because inside I was able to bond with this person in a particular way, or possibly if I went along with what ever it was, I could be associated some how with this person. I also have pleased others because of fears. I did not want to appear as being wrong. This too is self-seeking. I learn today from the apostle Paul that trying to please everybody in everyway only works when it is done for the good of many, not just for the good of myself. I can just picture Paul standing in the metropolitan city of Corinth having many different cultures and ethnic groups all about himself, and rather than offend some or many he would be compassionate and understanding as he kept the peace by being pleasing to others. What a testimony that is for the grace, compassion and forgiveness that God so freely gave to us. Even God did not condemn us. People pleasing is good when we have a servants heart, and put others before our own desires. Today God had again shown me something from the Word that I passed over lightly at other times. God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
The Life Recovery Bible, sheds some light on these verses, share this with me:
“Paul sought to balance his argument here, for it is easy to become too legalistic as we work through the recovery process. The balance can be found by being willing to give up any of our rights that might cause others to fall while also not forcing our standards on anyone else. This does not lead to co-dependency, where we seek to please others for unhealthy reasons. Paul sought to please others for the specific purpose of leading them to salvation. If our actions are governed by our love for others, we will be well on the way to developing strong relationships and overcoming the problems that drive our addiction or compulsion. God will also use us as powerful instruments to help other hurting people.” (The Life Recovery Bible, page 1380)
“YOU GIVE THEM DRINK FROM YOUR RIVER OF DELIGHTS. FOR WITH YOU IS THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE; IN YOUR LIGHT WE SEE LIGHT.”
Psalm 36:8 NIV
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “No sin is hidden to the soul.”
BENGALI (Asian Indian) PROVERB
“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”
1 JOHN 1:8-10 NLT
The apostle John in writing his letter reassures us that our sins can be forgiven and that God can and will cleanse us from every wrong. How John got around to the topic of sins was by way of writing about the fellowship we have with God and with each other. John says that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. If we say we have fellowship with God, but live in darkness then John says we are liars. Sin is the darkness in our lives. It is not the bright spot in each of our lives. Even the sinner doesn’t care much for other sinners. A thief does not like to be stolen from, and even the worst of convicts don’t care for child molesters. Whether we are good or bad, sin separates from each other and most assuredly from God. John says, “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth,” so then how can we walk in the light with God if we have darkness in our lives? Kind of confusing isn’t it? The answer for me can be found in confessing my sins to God. Only God can forgive me and only to God must I come alone with my sins. Scripture says that I must confess to others, and this I do, but only God can cleanse me. To stay in the Light of God I have to confess yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, minute-by-minute, and second by second if I have to. It’s a full time job all by its self. To stay true to God, to others, and to myself, I have to develop an attitude that stays aware of sins in my life. I will be the first to admit that I am not the best at doing this, but I try and I am learning. I am so grateful that at any time I can humbly come to God and confess my sins, and become cleansed. Twenty-four seven, three hundred and sixty-five or six. That is twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Even on leap year, I have the privilege of speaking to my Father about my life. Staying in the Light is a personal thing, you can’t do it for me, and I can’t do it for you. To each their own.
The Indian proverb that I came across this morning really spoke to me about sin in my life and how it is never hidden from my own soul. Believe me, I know that I know when things are not right. I am reminded of something that a Christian friend said to me a few years back, “You might forget who owes you, but you never forget whom you owe.” We just know inside when things are not right. Today God is helping me turn wrong into right by doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Never allow the dividing up of your life in Christ to remain without facing it. Beware of leakage, of the dividing up of your life by the influence of friends or circumstances; beware of anything that is going to split up your oneness with Him and make you see yourself separately. Nothing is so important as to keep right spiritually. The great solution is the simple one, ‘Come unto Me.’ The depth of our reality, intellectually, morally and spiritually, is tested by these words. In every degree in which we are not real, we will dispute rather than come.”
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Twenty-four seven, three hundred sixty-five or six
Thought for the day: “No sin is hidden to the soul.”
BENGALI (Asian Indian) PROVERB
“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”
1 JOHN 1:8-10 NLT
The apostle John in writing his letter reassures us that our sins can be forgiven and that God can and will cleanse us from every wrong. How John got around to the topic of sins was by way of writing about the fellowship we have with God and with each other. John says that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. If we say we have fellowship with God, but live in darkness then John says we are liars. Sin is the darkness in our lives. It is not the bright spot in each of our lives. Even the sinner doesn’t care much for other sinners. A thief does not like to be stolen from, and even the worst of convicts don’t care for child molesters. Whether we are good or bad, sin separates from each other and most assuredly from God. John says, “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth,” so then how can we walk in the light with God if we have darkness in our lives? Kind of confusing isn’t it? The answer for me can be found in confessing my sins to God. Only God can forgive me and only to God must I come alone with my sins. Scripture says that I must confess to others, and this I do, but only God can cleanse me. To stay in the Light of God I have to confess yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, minute-by-minute, and second by second if I have to. It’s a full time job all by its self. To stay true to God, to others, and to myself, I have to develop an attitude that stays aware of sins in my life. I will be the first to admit that I am not the best at doing this, but I try and I am learning. I am so grateful that at any time I can humbly come to God and confess my sins, and become cleansed. Twenty-four seven, three hundred and sixty-five or six. That is twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Even on leap year, I have the privilege of speaking to my Father about my life. Staying in the Light is a personal thing, you can’t do it for me, and I can’t do it for you. To each their own.
The Indian proverb that I came across this morning really spoke to me about sin in my life and how it is never hidden from my own soul. Believe me, I know that I know when things are not right. I am reminded of something that a Christian friend said to me a few years back, “You might forget who owes you, but you never forget whom you owe.” We just know inside when things are not right. Today God is helping me turn wrong into right by doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Never allow the dividing up of your life in Christ to remain without facing it. Beware of leakage, of the dividing up of your life by the influence of friends or circumstances; beware of anything that is going to split up your oneness with Him and make you see yourself separately. Nothing is so important as to keep right spiritually. The great solution is the simple one, ‘Come unto Me.’ The depth of our reality, intellectually, morally and spiritually, is tested by these words. In every degree in which we are not real, we will dispute rather than come.”
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Monday, April 10, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Drive gently over the stones.” Jonathan Swift
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes in the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” (Luke 11:24-26 NLT)
These are words of Jesus and they ring very true in my life form my own personal experiences. The evil natures in my life always progressed and became worse as I would quit some behavior and later go back to it. I relate this scripture to what is called the progressive nature of the disease of addiction. I would first like to clarify why I consider alcoholism and drug addiction a disease. It is not because it is started by a virus or some bug. It is not, it has very much to do with our self-will. It is a disease because it follows the same pattern as other diseases. That is that it has a start, it grows progressively, and the end result is death if not arrested. All diseases will follow this pattern that is why we seek prayer, treatment, and cures. I have found that in myself the nature of the disease of addiction always progressed even while I was not using or drinking. I know that this goes against the ideas of being delivered once and for always from my malady, but God loves us so much that He continues to give us our free will to make choices in our lives, what ever they may be, good or bad. I am delivered from the physical and mental cravings of addictions, but God allows me to take them back at any time. Today I choose not to, I work on this daily, and that’s just how it works for me. In times past I have quit drinking and drugging for periods of time only to pick it up again to find that my condition was worse than it was before I quit. It’s as if I never quit. You would think that after quitting for some time, that the problems I faced would be lessened, but that is just not so. They were always worse. Several years ago this scripture really spoke to me. I came to the conclusion that it was not what I quit that was important, but what I started that was important. You see, when the evil spirit left the person it found no rest and returned back home to the person. Having found the home clean and sober, and with much room, the evil spirit brings seven others which are much worse. There you go, worse is progressive. For me the key is to fill up the home of my heart after it has been swept clean and sober with new spiritual furniture and accessories, and not have room for the return of the evil spirit. Table and chairs for blessings, a sofa for resting in God, scriptural lamps lighting my paths, my favorite passages from the Bible framed on my walls, fellowship with friends that are believers, and most important I invite the Holy Spirit to dwell there also. I am not alone, today God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“We often stay in relationships in which we seem powerless, for in doing so, we maintain built-in excuses for failure. We may also spend time looking down on others who are ‘worse’ than we are, thus avoiding an examination of our own corruption. But in doing these things, we fail to take responsibility for our own life through honest self-examination.
“Jesus confronted the Pharisees, saying, ‘You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy, full of greed and wickedness!’ (Luke 11:39). Can you imagine washing only the outside of a cup that is moldy on the inside and then drinking from it? Of course not! But we do this in a spiritual sense because it is hard to deal with the ‘dirt’ inside our heart.”
THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1227
Swept clean and sober
Thought for the day: “Drive gently over the stones.” Jonathan Swift
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes in the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” (Luke 11:24-26 NLT)
These are words of Jesus and they ring very true in my life form my own personal experiences. The evil natures in my life always progressed and became worse as I would quit some behavior and later go back to it. I relate this scripture to what is called the progressive nature of the disease of addiction. I would first like to clarify why I consider alcoholism and drug addiction a disease. It is not because it is started by a virus or some bug. It is not, it has very much to do with our self-will. It is a disease because it follows the same pattern as other diseases. That is that it has a start, it grows progressively, and the end result is death if not arrested. All diseases will follow this pattern that is why we seek prayer, treatment, and cures. I have found that in myself the nature of the disease of addiction always progressed even while I was not using or drinking. I know that this goes against the ideas of being delivered once and for always from my malady, but God loves us so much that He continues to give us our free will to make choices in our lives, what ever they may be, good or bad. I am delivered from the physical and mental cravings of addictions, but God allows me to take them back at any time. Today I choose not to, I work on this daily, and that’s just how it works for me. In times past I have quit drinking and drugging for periods of time only to pick it up again to find that my condition was worse than it was before I quit. It’s as if I never quit. You would think that after quitting for some time, that the problems I faced would be lessened, but that is just not so. They were always worse. Several years ago this scripture really spoke to me. I came to the conclusion that it was not what I quit that was important, but what I started that was important. You see, when the evil spirit left the person it found no rest and returned back home to the person. Having found the home clean and sober, and with much room, the evil spirit brings seven others which are much worse. There you go, worse is progressive. For me the key is to fill up the home of my heart after it has been swept clean and sober with new spiritual furniture and accessories, and not have room for the return of the evil spirit. Table and chairs for blessings, a sofa for resting in God, scriptural lamps lighting my paths, my favorite passages from the Bible framed on my walls, fellowship with friends that are believers, and most important I invite the Holy Spirit to dwell there also. I am not alone, today God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“We often stay in relationships in which we seem powerless, for in doing so, we maintain built-in excuses for failure. We may also spend time looking down on others who are ‘worse’ than we are, thus avoiding an examination of our own corruption. But in doing these things, we fail to take responsibility for our own life through honest self-examination.
“Jesus confronted the Pharisees, saying, ‘You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy, full of greed and wickedness!’ (Luke 11:39). Can you imagine washing only the outside of a cup that is moldy on the inside and then drinking from it? Of course not! But we do this in a spiritual sense because it is hard to deal with the ‘dirt’ inside our heart.”
THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1227
Friday, April 07, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “One today is worth two tomorrows.”
BEN FRANKLIN
Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
MATTHEW 7:7-8 NLT
Do you want to have an effective prayer life? Keep on asking. Do you feel that there is something missing in your life and you can’t seem to find it? Keep on looking. Do you sometimes you feel that certain doors and opportunities have been closed or not available anymore? Keep on knocking. When we continue to ask God even when we have no results of the prayers being answered, it is like sowing seed. If it is in God’s will what we ask, eventually some of the seeds will germinate. Seeds don’t germinate overnight. God may send someone else to water, someone else to nourish, and yet someone else to bring light. I have noticed that God many times in my life works through other people, so when I have hopes of things spiritual or material, I keep sowing seed in that direction. I have noticed in the natural world that not all seeds germinate. Two weeks ago I started one hundred and forty-four tomato plants from some seeds that I saved from last years harvest. That may seem like a large number of tomato plants, but I have a large garden and usually plant between seventy and one hundred tomato plants. I just went and counted and I have twenty-seven that have germinated and are up and enjoying the sunlight this morning. It is possible that all the seeds will germinate but most times, there are some that don’t. I have noticed that in my prayer life I don’t get all the answers that I expect, so I am learning from the words of Jesus to keep praying, keep sowing, and some will produce fruit. From my own experiences I have learned that often I don’t get things the first time I ask, seek or knock. I am also learning not to give up or quit so easily. My sobriety did not come about the first time I decided to quit alcohol and drugs. I knew that I was out of control and that it was in God’s will for me to live a better life, but I didn’t just jump to the sober side of life overnight. Over years of jumping the fence from the sober side to the drunken side of life, I finally sowed enough seeds in the fertile ground of God’s unfailing love to get rooted and take a stand. Today I realize that I can grow any direction I want. I can choose to head back to the drunk side of life if I have that desire. But, I am learning to take it one day at a time, get my nourishment from God’s Word and sow seeds in the lives of others from this side of the fence. Today I enjoy the sunlight of God’s love and realize that God has done for me what I could not do for myself……JRE
“Seek God early in the day, before He gets crowed out by life’s problems, difficulties, or pleasures. In that early quiet time gain a clam, strong confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Do not seek God only when the world’s struggles prove too much and too many for you to bear or face alone. Seek God early, when you can have a consciousness of God’s spirit in the world. People often only seek God when their difficulties are too great to be surmounted in any other way, forgetting that if they sought God’s companionship before they need it, many of their difficulties would never arise.”
HAZELDEN……………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Keep on keepin' on
Thought for the day: “One today is worth two tomorrows.”
BEN FRANKLIN
Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
MATTHEW 7:7-8 NLT
Do you want to have an effective prayer life? Keep on asking. Do you feel that there is something missing in your life and you can’t seem to find it? Keep on looking. Do you sometimes you feel that certain doors and opportunities have been closed or not available anymore? Keep on knocking. When we continue to ask God even when we have no results of the prayers being answered, it is like sowing seed. If it is in God’s will what we ask, eventually some of the seeds will germinate. Seeds don’t germinate overnight. God may send someone else to water, someone else to nourish, and yet someone else to bring light. I have noticed that God many times in my life works through other people, so when I have hopes of things spiritual or material, I keep sowing seed in that direction. I have noticed in the natural world that not all seeds germinate. Two weeks ago I started one hundred and forty-four tomato plants from some seeds that I saved from last years harvest. That may seem like a large number of tomato plants, but I have a large garden and usually plant between seventy and one hundred tomato plants. I just went and counted and I have twenty-seven that have germinated and are up and enjoying the sunlight this morning. It is possible that all the seeds will germinate but most times, there are some that don’t. I have noticed that in my prayer life I don’t get all the answers that I expect, so I am learning from the words of Jesus to keep praying, keep sowing, and some will produce fruit. From my own experiences I have learned that often I don’t get things the first time I ask, seek or knock. I am also learning not to give up or quit so easily. My sobriety did not come about the first time I decided to quit alcohol and drugs. I knew that I was out of control and that it was in God’s will for me to live a better life, but I didn’t just jump to the sober side of life overnight. Over years of jumping the fence from the sober side to the drunken side of life, I finally sowed enough seeds in the fertile ground of God’s unfailing love to get rooted and take a stand. Today I realize that I can grow any direction I want. I can choose to head back to the drunk side of life if I have that desire. But, I am learning to take it one day at a time, get my nourishment from God’s Word and sow seeds in the lives of others from this side of the fence. Today I enjoy the sunlight of God’s love and realize that God has done for me what I could not do for myself……JRE
“Seek God early in the day, before He gets crowed out by life’s problems, difficulties, or pleasures. In that early quiet time gain a clam, strong confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Do not seek God only when the world’s struggles prove too much and too many for you to bear or face alone. Seek God early, when you can have a consciousness of God’s spirit in the world. People often only seek God when their difficulties are too great to be surmounted in any other way, forgetting that if they sought God’s companionship before they need it, many of their difficulties would never arise.”
HAZELDEN……………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Grain by grain a loaf, stone by stone, a castle.”
Yugoslavian proverb on patience
I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.
ISAIAH 42:16 NASB
The prophet Isaiah told the nation of Israel that because of their spiritual blindness they would suffer being prisoners and captives of another nation, the nation of Babylon. Isaiah also gave a message of deliverance to the nation of Israel, that God would bring them back home after their captivity, and have them led a new way, “paths they do not know.” How could the nation of Israel, who prospered because of their dependence upon God for centuries, and having lived in the presence and glory of God, choose to go a different direction from the way God had directed them? How could God allow them to slide off into darkness? The second question is easy to answer, God will let us choose any direction we want to travel. What a freedom we have spiritually to make our own decisions. Of course many bad decisions lead us into painful experiences and even death, but we are free to choose which way we want to go. The other question I ask myself, how could Israel walk away from blessings and prosperity? This is not so easy to answer. I think of the old saying, “all that glitters is not gold.” Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but that is only because that is where the septic tank and the sewage are drained. I am learning that because other people look like they are having fun, look like they are doing the right thing, and try and get me to join in, does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Reading this Scripture today lets me see how my life in some ways has paralleled the experiences of Israel. I too was blessed by receiving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into my life, and was set free from my self-centered addictive and criminal behaviors. But within a few years I made the decision to revert back to my old ways diving deeper and deeper into the darkness of self-gratification. How could I walk away from the freedom and blessings into a life of failure and bondage? I could because I could, I had the freedom to choose my direction and become blind if I wanted to. It is so awesome how a little bitty light can expel such great darkness. Like a single match lit in an pitch-black auditorium, it can be seen everywhere. At my darkest point little flickers of light were brought into my life. I am ever so grateful. Today a loving God guides me on paths I have never known, darkness has turned into light right before me, and rugged places in my life have been made smooth. God has done for me what I could not do for myself.
“The real question is whether we can learn anything from our experiences upon which we may grow and help others to grow in the likeness and image of God.” (Bill Wilson)
Bill W. puts the icing on the cake today, “grow and help others to grow in the likeness and image of God." God will light and show us the way, but we must help others also as we travel paths we have never known. Thanks for letting me share……………..JRE
Paths we have never known
Thought for the day: “Grain by grain a loaf, stone by stone, a castle.”
Yugoslavian proverb on patience
I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.
ISAIAH 42:16 NASB
The prophet Isaiah told the nation of Israel that because of their spiritual blindness they would suffer being prisoners and captives of another nation, the nation of Babylon. Isaiah also gave a message of deliverance to the nation of Israel, that God would bring them back home after their captivity, and have them led a new way, “paths they do not know.” How could the nation of Israel, who prospered because of their dependence upon God for centuries, and having lived in the presence and glory of God, choose to go a different direction from the way God had directed them? How could God allow them to slide off into darkness? The second question is easy to answer, God will let us choose any direction we want to travel. What a freedom we have spiritually to make our own decisions. Of course many bad decisions lead us into painful experiences and even death, but we are free to choose which way we want to go. The other question I ask myself, how could Israel walk away from blessings and prosperity? This is not so easy to answer. I think of the old saying, “all that glitters is not gold.” Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but that is only because that is where the septic tank and the sewage are drained. I am learning that because other people look like they are having fun, look like they are doing the right thing, and try and get me to join in, does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Reading this Scripture today lets me see how my life in some ways has paralleled the experiences of Israel. I too was blessed by receiving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into my life, and was set free from my self-centered addictive and criminal behaviors. But within a few years I made the decision to revert back to my old ways diving deeper and deeper into the darkness of self-gratification. How could I walk away from the freedom and blessings into a life of failure and bondage? I could because I could, I had the freedom to choose my direction and become blind if I wanted to. It is so awesome how a little bitty light can expel such great darkness. Like a single match lit in an pitch-black auditorium, it can be seen everywhere. At my darkest point little flickers of light were brought into my life. I am ever so grateful. Today a loving God guides me on paths I have never known, darkness has turned into light right before me, and rugged places in my life have been made smooth. God has done for me what I could not do for myself.
“The real question is whether we can learn anything from our experiences upon which we may grow and help others to grow in the likeness and image of God.” (Bill Wilson)
Bill W. puts the icing on the cake today, “grow and help others to grow in the likeness and image of God." God will light and show us the way, but we must help others also as we travel paths we have never known. Thanks for letting me share……………..JRE
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 NASB
This morning I read the first two chapters of The Sermon on the Mount in the Life Recovery Bible. It is the New Living Translation. What I read is almost too much to digest in one setting. Oh, I can read the words and understand them, it’s just that there are so many principles or spiritual laws in the teaching that I find it hard to grasp in my heart all that is said. I find it easier to take one little morsel and chew it thoroughly before swallowing. Jesus starts off by teaching how to obtain the blessings of God. Then He informs that we as believers are the salt of the earth, the spice and preservative of all peoples. He also informs that as God’s agents, we carry God’s light and how we need to let it shine and not let it shine only amongst ourselves. Jesus then teaches about being obedient, about anger, adultery, divorce, about making promises to God, about revenge and loving our enemies, about giving to the less fortunate, about prayer, about money and our material goods, and about living life one day at a time. Of all of Jesus’ teachings, the one about living life one day at a time has been a great influence in my daily walk with the Lord. That’s all I have is a daily walk with the Lord. I have hope for eternity, but the here and now is where I live, and the here and now determines my eternity. Living life daily is so simple that I was confused by it. I knew years ago in my youth that I could not handle alcohol and drugs. I set out many times to quit, and not do them ever again, only to recover just enough, and to feel good enough to try them again. My problem was I was quitting forever, and that was not where I was living. I was living in today, the here and now. Only after I realized that in living life one day at a time, and just staying sober one day at a time, was I able have continuity in my sobriety, which also gave me continuity in my walk with the Lord. You see alcohol and drugs separated me from God. It’s not that God was distant from me, it’s that I, through my self-centeredness was distant from God. Jesus summed up living one day at a time by saying, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34 NLT) Jesus did not say to not be concerned about tomorrow, but not to worry about tomorrow. Today I try and not worry about tomorrow. I try and do the best I can today, stay sober, help others, and give God thanks. I am not perfect at living life this way, but I claim progress, not perfection. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
It is easy to slip back into worrying about tomorrow, dwelling on the “what ifs” and the “if onlys.” Each day brings a host of things we cannot change; there will always be circumstances beyond our control. We must also face the reality of who we are, human beings confined within the slice of life we call today. It is tempting to deny the present, but escaping reality is part of the insanity of our addictive way of life………..
We need to ask our self at every turn in life, Am I accepting this present moment, or am I pretending, trying to escape into the past or the future? Each day there is something to find joy in, and there is strength promised for the troubles of that day.
The Life Recovery Bible, page 1123
“What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all our activities.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 85
The slice of life we call today
Thought for the day: “Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 NASB
This morning I read the first two chapters of The Sermon on the Mount in the Life Recovery Bible. It is the New Living Translation. What I read is almost too much to digest in one setting. Oh, I can read the words and understand them, it’s just that there are so many principles or spiritual laws in the teaching that I find it hard to grasp in my heart all that is said. I find it easier to take one little morsel and chew it thoroughly before swallowing. Jesus starts off by teaching how to obtain the blessings of God. Then He informs that we as believers are the salt of the earth, the spice and preservative of all peoples. He also informs that as God’s agents, we carry God’s light and how we need to let it shine and not let it shine only amongst ourselves. Jesus then teaches about being obedient, about anger, adultery, divorce, about making promises to God, about revenge and loving our enemies, about giving to the less fortunate, about prayer, about money and our material goods, and about living life one day at a time. Of all of Jesus’ teachings, the one about living life one day at a time has been a great influence in my daily walk with the Lord. That’s all I have is a daily walk with the Lord. I have hope for eternity, but the here and now is where I live, and the here and now determines my eternity. Living life daily is so simple that I was confused by it. I knew years ago in my youth that I could not handle alcohol and drugs. I set out many times to quit, and not do them ever again, only to recover just enough, and to feel good enough to try them again. My problem was I was quitting forever, and that was not where I was living. I was living in today, the here and now. Only after I realized that in living life one day at a time, and just staying sober one day at a time, was I able have continuity in my sobriety, which also gave me continuity in my walk with the Lord. You see alcohol and drugs separated me from God. It’s not that God was distant from me, it’s that I, through my self-centeredness was distant from God. Jesus summed up living one day at a time by saying, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34 NLT) Jesus did not say to not be concerned about tomorrow, but not to worry about tomorrow. Today I try and not worry about tomorrow. I try and do the best I can today, stay sober, help others, and give God thanks. I am not perfect at living life this way, but I claim progress, not perfection. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
It is easy to slip back into worrying about tomorrow, dwelling on the “what ifs” and the “if onlys.” Each day brings a host of things we cannot change; there will always be circumstances beyond our control. We must also face the reality of who we are, human beings confined within the slice of life we call today. It is tempting to deny the present, but escaping reality is part of the insanity of our addictive way of life………..
We need to ask our self at every turn in life, Am I accepting this present moment, or am I pretending, trying to escape into the past or the future? Each day there is something to find joy in, and there is strength promised for the troubles of that day.
The Life Recovery Bible, page 1123
“What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all our activities.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 85
Monday, April 03, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The old law about an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.”
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 TIMOTHY 4:7-9 NASB
These are some of the last written words of the apostle Paul before he was executed. He knew that he had made it all the way to the finish line. Paul did not get off to a good start in life. Oh he had education and probably came from a well-to-do family. He probably also got off to a great start in his religious life, but when Jesus came on the scene as promised by the many prophets, Paul followed the traditions instead of the Truth. Paul did manage to get turned around and as a result led many to the Lord and the Truth, as he got back on course and finished the race. Many times in life I never made it to the finish line. I have quit before the end of the course. I recall in high school deciding to run track and be on the track team. After a few days of agony and sweat, I decided that I would do something else. I recall when I first graduated from high school that I was going to take some night college night classes. After a month and falling behind some, I quit. It was four years later before I went back to college, and then only after a trip to South Vietnam. About 14 years ago I set out to build a small log cabin. After 6 years, many drunks, and much wasted money and time, I found myself only half finished and what was built was rotting. I had to tear it all down. I did finish that race (cabin), only after I started a program of recovery. Today I realized that it is not so much of an importance as to how we start something, but what is important is how we finish something. Good starts are nice and well, but the truth is that some of us don’t get off to good starts. The Bible teaches me that life is about recovery, whether it be recovery from physical illness, alcohol and drugs, divorce, loneliness, bankruptcy, depression, mental illness, selfishness, or any kind of sin that creeps it way into our lives. Life is about recovery and all people that I have met, are recovering from something. I have yet to meet someone who is and was created perfect, except my Savior. Today I have hope, the Bible gives me many examples of those who have recovered, and I am not alone in this life of recovery. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“Without hope we are miserable; hope is the driving force behind all recovery. If we had no hope, there would be no possibility of recovery. Understanding who Jesus is gives each of us a hope that can transcend even our deepest despair.”
The Life Recovery Bible, page 1114
“The family tree of Jesus, the sinless God-man, was far from perfect. Judah fathered Prez with his daughter-in-law Tamar, thinking she was a prostitute; Salmon married Rahab, a former prostitute in Jericho; and David had an adulterous affair with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Throughout history God as used imperfect people to work his will. He was more concerned about the attitude of their heart than about the mistakes they made. God is never fooled or discouraged by people’s past mistakes. This should give us hope that God can give us a productive future no matter how destructive our past has been. For a new start, we must admit our sins and commit our life to God.”
The Life Recovery Bible, page 1114
Life is about recovery
Thought for the day: “The old law about an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.”
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 TIMOTHY 4:7-9 NASB
These are some of the last written words of the apostle Paul before he was executed. He knew that he had made it all the way to the finish line. Paul did not get off to a good start in life. Oh he had education and probably came from a well-to-do family. He probably also got off to a great start in his religious life, but when Jesus came on the scene as promised by the many prophets, Paul followed the traditions instead of the Truth. Paul did manage to get turned around and as a result led many to the Lord and the Truth, as he got back on course and finished the race. Many times in life I never made it to the finish line. I have quit before the end of the course. I recall in high school deciding to run track and be on the track team. After a few days of agony and sweat, I decided that I would do something else. I recall when I first graduated from high school that I was going to take some night college night classes. After a month and falling behind some, I quit. It was four years later before I went back to college, and then only after a trip to South Vietnam. About 14 years ago I set out to build a small log cabin. After 6 years, many drunks, and much wasted money and time, I found myself only half finished and what was built was rotting. I had to tear it all down. I did finish that race (cabin), only after I started a program of recovery. Today I realized that it is not so much of an importance as to how we start something, but what is important is how we finish something. Good starts are nice and well, but the truth is that some of us don’t get off to good starts. The Bible teaches me that life is about recovery, whether it be recovery from physical illness, alcohol and drugs, divorce, loneliness, bankruptcy, depression, mental illness, selfishness, or any kind of sin that creeps it way into our lives. Life is about recovery and all people that I have met, are recovering from something. I have yet to meet someone who is and was created perfect, except my Savior. Today I have hope, the Bible gives me many examples of those who have recovered, and I am not alone in this life of recovery. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“Without hope we are miserable; hope is the driving force behind all recovery. If we had no hope, there would be no possibility of recovery. Understanding who Jesus is gives each of us a hope that can transcend even our deepest despair.”
The Life Recovery Bible, page 1114
“The family tree of Jesus, the sinless God-man, was far from perfect. Judah fathered Prez with his daughter-in-law Tamar, thinking she was a prostitute; Salmon married Rahab, a former prostitute in Jericho; and David had an adulterous affair with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Throughout history God as used imperfect people to work his will. He was more concerned about the attitude of their heart than about the mistakes they made. God is never fooled or discouraged by people’s past mistakes. This should give us hope that God can give us a productive future no matter how destructive our past has been. For a new start, we must admit our sins and commit our life to God.”
The Life Recovery Bible, page 1114
