Thought for the Day

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Taught by grace

Thought for the day: “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” What child of God was ever permitted to fall lower than God’s “underneath?” H. GILL

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” (Titus 2:11-12 NKJ)

The idea of grace being a teacher in my life is something I haven’t given much thought to. I have always considered grace from God as working as a safety net. I know that it is much more than that, but from my experiences, the mental image I get of God’s grace is one of getting a second chance, of being caught and held safe before I spiritually bounce off the floor. When I first became a Christian, grace was explained to me as unmerited favor. Something that I receive that I could have never been able to afford or even pay for by the good things that I might do. How the grace of God has worked in my life is by God giving me a second chance, and a third and fourth and on and on. When ever I have strayed from God’s will for my life and I realize that I have walked away on my own. When I honestly desire a change and I come back to God with my head hung down. Then God always has accepted me back with loving arms that wrap around me like no human can do. That was grace to me, when I deserved punishment, but received love instead. What a different concept of grace the apostle Paul has given me today, that of grace being a teacher. Come to think of it, some of the best teachers that I had were the ones who gave me second chances. The teachers that were patient with me and let me learn by experience were the ones that made the difference. I may learn something from a book, and know it well, but until I apply it to my life it is just knowledge. Some of the best lessons that I have learned from life have been the ones that I failed at first. Grace is that patient teacher that lovingly picks me up after a failure and heads me in the right direction again. Where would I be without the grace of God today? I don’t know, but I do know that I would be hopelessly miserable, stuck with the constant reminder of my failures. God’s grace and mercy give me a fresh start every day as long as I clean up any wreckage that I might have left behind from yesterday. When I become responsible for my own life then God will help me by doing what I cannot do for myself………JRE

Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say on these verses…..

“When we realize how much God loves us and that he provides the power for us to live a godly life, we are motivated to entrust our life to him and seek his will. The proper response to God’s grace is right conduct. The Bible never considered guilt and fear appropriate motivations for righteousness. We obey God because he loves us and desires to help us succeed. Seeing God as accepting, gracious, and compassionate instead of harsh, condemning and punitive is critical for our spiritual growth. We don’t need to fear God because of our sins. He still loves us and will help us rebuild our life when we admit our failures to him. This can give us hope as we work through recovery.” Life Recovery Bible page 1482

jralphengland@yahoo.com

The gift of God

Thought for the day: “Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God Himself. MOTHER TERESA

This morning I got up and decided that I was going to spend my time of devotion just reading the Word of God and not write anything. That was my decision and it was not influenced by anything other than myself. Some where about mid-morning I started feeling as though there was a big chunk of my day missing. I have been writing a paragraph, which has become like a journal, several days a week for close to five years. It is how I start my day of recovery, “First things first,” and I choose to begin with God. God is a Power greater than myself that has always supplied me the strength to get through the twenty-four hours ahead. Most days if I don’t write it is because of some obligation that I have, but today it was strictly my will. The first sign I had of something wrong was when I was short with someone on the telephone. Next I checked my email and saw that there was a response to the page I sent out yesterday, the person commented on how they appreciated receiving them. Then I had someone show up unexpectedly and I found reason to leave and head for town. But before I walked out the door, they asked me if I was still writing a daily page and sending it out? I hopped on my bicycle and decided to take the long way to town to avoid anyone. The first person I saw was a friend who commented on my daily page. I was starting to get the message and decided to come home and finish me daily time of devotion. I talked to my cousin Margaret just a little bit ago and I said, “Maybe I just needed to tell people how much I appreciate them and that I love them.” Also I said, “I need to tell them that God loves them too.” Margaret quickly responded, “Now that’s what it’s all about. All you really need to say is Jesus loves you” If I have any kind of message today it is just that, Jesus loves you. God so loved the world that He gave of Himself. Today may I realize that it’s a gift that I have to receive. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
My soul is greatly troubled; But you, O LORD, how long?
Return, O LORD, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies sake!
PSALM 6:2-4 NKJ

Please share with me what the Nelson Serenity Bible has to say…….jre

It is human nature to want to be (and to believe that we are) in complete control of our circumstances and our lives. But truly fortunate people come to a point in their lives when they realize this is definitely not possible or even desirable. These people are the fortunate ones because they have come to the end of themselves just as the psalmist David has come to the end of his physical and emotional resources.
“My bones are troubled” is a Hebrew way of saying “I am wracked with pain.” David the valiant warrior, admits his weakness, his emotional collapse. But instead of being defeated by this admission, David has actually placed himself in the strongest position possible. Now he is free to transcend the emptiness of his own resources, free to surrender trying to manage things on his own strength, and free to partake of God’s unlimited resources!
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 380

Possibly I have filled in the gap that was missing from my life today. I thank all who allow me to be of service by sharing the unchanging Word of God. God has truly done for me, what I tried, and found that I could not do. I am grateful to ya’ll………JRE

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace

“Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind, and has given up worrying once and for all.” OVID

“Needless worry can be silenced by accepting the things we cannot change.”
Author unknown

“Do not worry then saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:31-34 NAS

I didn’t come into recovery with my pockets full of money, a social life that was full of friends, and good standing in my community. I came in with a broken spirit, much of my stuff in the pawnshop, and I was rejected by many of my so-called friends. I was on probation for 5 years, had my driving privileges revoked for ten years, and was left riding a bicycle everywhere at 52 years of age. That is what I would not call a picture of success. On top of everything else I was worrying about picking up the bottle and syringe and going back to my old life style. I wanted to quit forever, but realized that forever was too big of a chunk of time deal with. I was familiar with the AA slogan “One day at a time,” but found difficulty living life one day at a time. How can you live life one day at a time when you are worried about forever? In September of 1998 as part of my own program of recovery I started reading the Bible daily for inspiration and insight into the nature of my problems. Some how these scripture verses from the sixth chapter of Matthew got lodged in my heart. If Jesus said that I needed to concentrate on today then that is where the work needed to be done. I could see “One day at a time” all through Matthew 6:34. There was a tremendous burden lifted off of me when I realized that the Word of God and the program of Alcoholics Anonymous lined up together. The truth of the matter is that AA borrowed the one day at a time slogan from Christian sources. The complete version of the Serenity Prayer, which I am proud to say was written by a Missouri preacher named Rienhold Niebuhr, penned the term “living one day at a time.” Share this with me……………
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make things right if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen
“Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,” now there’s a bit of acceptance that takes some acceptance. Today may I be more accepting, and therefore willing to allow God to do for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Spirit-guided

Thought for the day: “Live near to God, and so all things will appear to you little in comparison with eternal realities.” R. M. M’Cheyne

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63 NKJ)

This morning as my study of the Scriptures brings me to the sixth chapter of the Book of John, I once again am taken back by way the people viewed Jesus. Jesus had just fed thousands of people with a single meal, and they thought if He could do this, that He needed to be made king. Anyone who could perform and bring about miracles like that could surly remove the oppressive Romans off the back of the Jews. Jesus perceived that they were about to take Him by force and make Him king. It was at this point that Jesus slipped away to a private place to pray. I see a lesson in this, when you’re the center of attraction, possibly the best thing to do is slip away and pray. The next day when the people found out that Jesus was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee they got in ships and followed Him. It was at this point that Jesus told them that they wanted Him not because of the spiritual miracle that took place, but because they had seen Him produce food and they ate it. It would have been the same today if Jesus had produced money. People today would follow someone who could cause money to appear out off thin air, especially if they gave it to them. Today as I read the apostle John’s account of the miracle I come to realize that Jesus could see that they were only after the material blessings. The next thing that I see as happening is a thinning out of the followers. Jesus gave them some hard spiritual words to digest. He said that He was the Living Bread and you had to eat His body and drink His blood to have life. The Greek word that John uses for life is zoe and it means spiritual life. Of course when many of the people who were seeing only with materialistic eyes heard this they were repulsed. I would imagine that they thought of cannibalism first without thinking of a possible spiritual meaning, and they packed up and left. “From that time on many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him” (John 6:66). Jesus did give them a hard saying to digest, but He explained it immediately. The problem was that many had formed a first impression and could not get beyond the mental image of cannibalism. That was because they were thinking only in terms of material things. Jesus quickly told them that it’s the Spirit that gives life, and the flesh profits nothing, so the act of cannibalism profited nothing. He told them that the words He spoke were spirit, but they heard only what they wanted to hear. My desire today is to look beyond the material to the spiritual that I may receive the true Living Bread. I will eat of the Bread of Life and allow God to do for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE

“To be attracted toward God and a better life, you must be spirit-guided. There is wonderful illumination of thought given to those who are spirit-guided. To those who are material-guided, there is noting in God or a finer life to appeal to them or to attract them. But to those who are spirit-guided there is strength and peace and calm to be found in communion with an Unseen Lord. To those who believe in this God they cannot see but whose power they can feel, life has a meaning and purpose. They are children of the Unseen Lord, and al human beings are their brothers and sisters.” HAZELDEN…………………….. Twenty-Four Hours A Day

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Simple thanks

Thought for the day: “On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize that it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing, as it is to do the wrong.”
Rick Warren

“And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were sat down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” (John 6:11 KJV)

In the year 1949 when I was three years old, I lived in Germany with my folks. My dad was in the Army. He was part of the occupational forces that had control of Germany after World War Two. I attended a German kindergarten when I was just a little older than three. The only requirement for children was that they be weaned, and potty trained. I qualified so down the street I went to kindergarten. As I recall from memory and from looking at pictures taken then, I was the only American in the class. Our minds are very formative at the ages between three and five years, and I recall taking quickly to the German language. My dad used to use me for an interrupter in those days. My folks told me that when I started American kindergarten at the age of six that I would mix the two languages together. It was probably confusing for others, but I probably understood what I meant. The reason I am telling this story is because of prayer. My mom and dad didn’t attend church very much and I don’t remember having family prayer except at the dinner table. You could count on saying the blessing every time we ate. The first prayer I ever remember memorizing was one that we said at the table over the food. I think that possibly my mother had learned it as a child and possibly my grandmother as well. It was simple and to the point. “For this food we are about to receive, may the Lord help us to be thankful. Amen.” I learned this same prayer in the German kindergarten in the German language. For years my folks would ask me to say the prayer in German at the dinner table. Today I don’t remember the German version, but remember knowing it as a child. How meaningful and simple this prayer is. Today at the dinner table and before meals I hear prayers for blessings that are not so simple. I hear for the food to be used for the nourishment of our bodies to further the kingdom of God, I hear prayers thrown in for family, friends, governments, situations, and everything else. Then at the end, there will be a “thanks for the food.” I am not judging others in this, I am speaking from experience. I am the guilty one, I try and pray for everything at the dinner table and sometimes forget to say thanks for the food. Today may I learn to keep it simple. When I first came into recovery from alcohol and drug addictions, I remember a friend who we call “Little Joe,” tell me, “it’s as easy as saying please in the morning and thank you at night.” Simple gratitude, a simple “giving thanks,” says volumes at times. I like what the Dake Bible has to say about this scripture verse, share this with me.
“On all such occasions, Jesus gave thanks for blessings already provided, putting emphasis on thankfulness rather than asking for food to be blessed.”
God is doing for me what I could not do for myself, may I keep the emphasis on thankfulness. Thanks for letting me share…………………….JRE

“Daily Bible reading will keep you in range of God’s voice.” Rick Warren

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Giving up to go on

Thought for the day: “At the gate of patience there is no crowding.”
Moroccan proverb

“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Luke 1:45 NLT

This simple statement found in the Book of Luke is short but profound. In it can be found the keys to salvation, healing, prosperity, and peace. The occasion for the statement that was made by Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was when Mary the mother of Jesus came for a visit. They were both pregnant at the time and even though Elizabeth was much older than Mary they had much in common. How simple life can be when we believe that God can and will help us. Before I could experience spiritual salvation I had to know and understand what God said about it. Before I could receive healing from God, spiritual and physical, I had to know what God had promised me. Before I could experience prosperity from God I had to have a working knowledge of the principles involved. And before I could have peace in my life I had to learn and know how to turn situations over to God. I had to believe that what God said was true, and that it would work for me in my life. Much of my experience came by trial and error. When I attempted to do things on my own and many times failed, I eventually sought help from other sources. It was at this point that many pointed me in the direction of their own personal strength, a loving God. I am so grateful for the people who shared their experience, strength and hope with me so that I could understand more about God and come to my own conclusions. My conclusions were that God could and would answer my simple prayers for help if I believed they would be answered. I am amazed at how just a tiny doubt can make void much belief. When it comes to God it all starts at faith and grows and develops from there. God has given me a wonderful garden in my life that has sprung out of seeds of belief. Believing that “With God, all things are possible,” is where it started. The truth is that I was at a point of complete brokenness realizing that I could not do it on my own. I had to believe that God could help me, either that or die, and at that point of surrender help flooded in from all directions. I had to give up before I could go on, and God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE

“God could and would if He were sought.” Alcoholics Anonymous page 60

“The remarkable truth is that our choices matter, not just to us and our own destiny but, amazingly, to God Himself and the universe He rules.”
Philip Yancey
Every decision that each of us makes has an influence on the universe. As long as we are alive and breathing our thoughts and actions are part of the makeup of the whole universe. Many time we never know the final outcome of something we have said or done. To think that I am just a small part with no effect on anyone else today, seems to be a self-centered, self-serving idea of myself. May I work at being less self-centered. Thank for letting me share…………………JRE

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Paving the road for my own escape

Thought for the day: “Like a fish, one should look for holes in the net.”
Samoan proverb

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB

When I first started applying the Word of God from the Bible to my program of recovery, I stood heavily upon this scripture verse. I came to the realization that any temptation that I might experience was common to someone else somewhere else. Some of the temptations that I had and still frequent my life of recovery are the use of alcohol, smoking pot, speed, sexual lust, and dishonesty. Through this scripture I realize that I am not alone in my feelings. I also find hope in the fact that with temptations, no matter how severe, I will be able to take it. After twenty years of attempting recovery in many different ways, and after having many relapses, today I know that one little slip could mean death. When I was thirty-four years old I met a woman who like myself knew that because of our personalities we could not drink or do drugs. After five years we married and were married for nine years. We divorced because of problems that existed because of our drug and alcohol use. The last time I saw her was a year after our divorce, and she had just gotten out of treatment for substance abuse. The last thing she said to me was, “Jerry, I want to make it this time in recovery, I know that I have one more drunk in me, but I don’t know if I have one more recovery.” Those were her last words to me. One month later she died of an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol. I continued to use and abuse drugs and alcohol for the next three years. How foolish of me. Today I need this scripture in my life to live. With every temptation God will provide a way of escape. I have found and need everyday to realize that the way of escape God has provided is not some miraculous door that opens up, and allows me to get away from the temptation, but is a resource of people who are there to support me. My way of escape comes from family members who have unconditionally loved me and are there for me in my recovery. From having a church family that knows where I come from, and supports my recovery. And most importantly an avenue of escape from temptations has been the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. AA has given me the tools to dig into my hidden and secret life, and to uncover and bring to light many of my character defects and shortcomings that were the source of my problems. AA has also given me the opportunity to offer an escape from temptation to others, and thereby paving the road for my own escape. God truly provides a way, and does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE

“If we would rise into that region of light and power plainly beckoning us through the Scriptures of truth, we must break the evil habit of ignoring the spiritual. We must shift our interest from the seen to the unseen. For the great unseen Reality is God. “He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). This is basic in the life of faith. From there we can rise to unlimited heights.” A. W. Tozer

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Seedtime and harvest

Thought for the day: “Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy.”
RALPH WALDO EMERSON

“Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.” (Galatians 6:7-10 NLT)

One thing that is sad about being involved in the programs of AA and NA is the fact that several times a year there is news of someone slipping into eternity in the grips of their addiction. Maybe some of the reason it is so sad is that living in a rural area made up of several small communities, it seems so personal. Even though being anonymous is the spiritual foundation of AA and NA (because it makes us all equal), when newcomers come into the program we often know who they are and possibly know many of their family members. We don’t share this with outsiders and respect their anonymity, but many times we can’t help but know their personal situation. The words of the apostle Paul ring true in life and especially in recovery from alcoholism and addictions, “You will always reap what you sow.” Many come around the tables of AA and NA full of hope for a new life, but when they find that there is sacrifice, soul searching, hard work, and service to others involved, they who are not willing to “live to please the Spirit” soon tire. They become “tired of doing what is good, become discouraged and give up.” Many return to their addictions and living a life of satisfying their self-centered desires. As they reach another low point in their lives they return to the tables of AA and NA. I have seen these cycles go on for years, I myself first came to AA in 1974 and 25 years later I received a one-year medallion. I speak from experience. It is only by the grace of God that I am here today. It is so sad when I see people try and try again, only to go back out and die. I ask myself why could they not get it? The Word of God teaches many things, and seedtime and harvest are woven through the printed pages. Today may I be grateful that God allowed me many chances, and may I never tire from carrying the message of recovery through the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. God did for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE

“So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way to entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even through we would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power. We had to have God’s help.”
Alcoholics Anonymous page 62

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Something about that name

Thought for the day:“Deep down in every man, woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God.” Alcoholics Anonymous page 55

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:18-21 NKJ)

One thing about my life when I wasn’t living for the Lord was the fact that I did things I didn’t want people to know about. Many of the things that I did that involved drugs and alcohol abuse were illegal and therefore I tried to conceal what I did. My behavior always seemed to surface at the wrong time, and light was brightly shed upon it. Today I still have thoughts and some behaviors that I prefer to keep in the dark. The reason I say this is because I am not perfect. At times I will say something that I wish I hadn’t, and there are times when my actions do not reflect the presence of God in my life, but God is shinning bright on the inside. And this light exposes my deeds and thoughts most clearly to myself. It is then, that for the good of myself, I must confess and try and turn from these wrong behaviors. I believe in the name Jesus and therefore am not condemned. My study of the Scriptures this day bring me to the words of Jesus, “believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” and what is that name? None other than the name “Jesus.” To believe in the name means to believe in what the name means. Jesus the Christ was not the first person to be named that name. The name Jesus is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Jeshua, Joshua, or Yehoshua, which means “Jehovah Saves.” When Jesus was a little boy and his mom called out the door for Him to come for supper, she probably called the name Joshua. The second great leader of the Israelites was Joshua and an interesting fact about his name is that he was not named that name at birth, but was named Oshea, and Moses changed his name. Joshua and Jesus the Christ both had the same name similar jobs of victoriously leading people into a world that is wicked. Both had the same name meaning God saves. When Jesus said “he who does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God is condemned already,”(paraphrased) that means that they don’t believe that God can save us. When I step into battle I want to follow a leader with a good name. All names have meanings, and I choose today to follow the name Jesus. To be victorious I must allow God to do for me what I could not do for myself, and this requires believing in the name Jesus……….JRE

“I am a spiritual being……. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.”
MAX LUCADO

jralphengland@yahoo.com

My aggressive urban attitude

Thought for the day: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Author unknown

In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and rescued me.
The LORD is for me, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Yes the LORD is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
It is better to trust the LORD than to put confidence in people.
PSALM 118:5-8 NLT

I spent the first forty years of my life living in large metropolitan cities. The last twenty years I have spend living in the country. It took me some time to adjust to the social differences between the two. In the city I was constantly meeting new people. It was a daily occurrence to see and possibly talk to someone I had never seen before. In the country, when I go to town I see the same people I have seen for years. There are new people that move into the community, but by far the greater majority are those that have lived here most of their lives. In the city a person’s reputation didn’t account for much because most people don’t know anything about you. In the city we seem to bump into each other and as we part, it is very possible that we may never meet again. When I first moved to the country I brought with me many city attitudes that as the years went by I had to adjust. An example was my city driving habits. City drivers drive totally different than country folk. City drivers are always in a hurry and if by some chance you get in their way, they will honk, yell at you, and jester you with their hands. In the city when that happens on the freeway, most times the people never meet again, and if they do the memory is vague. City folk seem to let little irritations that happen fade quickly, possibly because they are replaced quickly by some other irritation. As a million people go about daily bumping into each other, many directions will cross, and not all are pleasant. In the country I found that if I became irritated by someone’s driving, or just general slowness, if I say anything and jester in any way, they might remember it the rest of their lives. I moved to the country in the grips of a drug addiction, and alcoholism that was running rampant. As I blundered through the people in the community where I live I left a bad taste in the minds of many. In September of 1998, my destructive behavior had taken me to the lowest low in my life. The pain of pleasure had exceeded the pain that it would take to change. I called out to God and God heard my cry. Daily my relationship with God has improved. God treated me like a new baby, helping me crawl just a little at a time, being patient with me as I tired in my new growth. As I began to walk God helped me with baby steps, when I fell God was once more patient with me as I took time to stand again. Today I walk and sometimes I stumble, but God helps ease my pain by sending others who have also stumbled, and together we lean on each other as we hold God’s hand and walk. I burned many bridges behind me as my urban aggressive attitude flared up from time to time. These were bridges that no man could rebuild. Over the past seven years and nine months of living a clean and sober life, fueled by God’s grace, many bridges have been rebuilt, not by reputation, but by character. I don’t want to sound as if I am bragging on my self, because the truth is that God did for me what I could not do for myself……………………..JRE
“We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 83-84)

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Straight shootin'

Thought for the day:“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light.” PLATO

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NLT)

It is said that the apostle John died of natural causes at the age of 100. He was the only one of the twelve disciples that died naturally, and the only one that live to a ripe old age. He wrote his account of the life and ministry of Jesus around the year 90 A.D., which was some sixty years after the fact. John had lots of time to reflect on his walk with his beloved friend and Savior. I think that is why the Book of John in some ways has a more direct approach to the life of Jesus. The genealogies that go on and on in the other gospel accounts are not found in John. John puts both feet right in the middle of the Saviors life. What drew me to look closer at the scripture verse from the Book of John was the word, “sin.” The Greek word that John used is “hamartia,” and it come from the root word “hamartano” which has a meaning of missing the mark, and to not share in the prize. John uses a word for sin that refers to someone shooting at a target and missing. When I think of the word sin I don’t particularly think of missing a target. I more or less think of not having a target at all, and just wildly shooting. That’s exactly the way my life was before Jesus. I was like a top that has been spun; you don’t know where it’s going. It might just sit there and spin, or it may wildly go wherever it pleases. I had no target and the direction I was shooting was not safe for myself, and the others who were around me. When Jesus came into my life I realized that I needed direction, and the Word of God gave me some boundaries. I became an arrow on the archery range of my life. The target was built out of love held in place on a frame of forgiveness, with the bull’s eye being eternal life. The bull’s eye is centered in other circles, circles of service, sanctification, holiness, and righteousness. I am so grateful for the grace of God, which does not just give me one and only one shot. When I miss the mark, I may try again. The only failure is to quit and give up. With each try my aim gets better. With each try God helps me adjust my speed, my strength, and my elevation. I am not an expert. I can claim spiritual progress not spiritual perfection. I know that if I don’t give up, my final shot will hit the bull’s eye. This I know! God will help me make the last shot, because God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE

“The Greek word harmartia, missing the mark; always in a moral sense, a sin, whether by omission or commission, in thought, word, or deed. Christ came to teach men how to shoot straight, to hit the moral bull’s eye every time.”
FINNIS JENNINGS DAKE

“Be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”
1 PETER 5:6-7 THE MESSAGE

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Glory be

Thought for the day: “God heals our hurts so we can help others get the healing they need, not so we can rise to a higher position in society.” (Life Recovery Bible)

“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14 KJV)

The earth is filled with the “knowledge of the glory of the Lord,” but sometimes I fail to recognize it. The knowledge of the glory is there if I only try and understand it. Without understanding there is no knowledge that is teachable. I might know something, but if I don’t understand it how can I teach it to someone else? As I ponder this prophecy by Habakkuk I come to the conclusion that I am only scratching the surface of knowledge of the glory of the Lord. I pray that as I go about my business today that I may become more knowledgeable of the glory. May I look into the eyes of an older person and see the glory. May I look in the eyes of a child and see the glory. May I look in the mirror and see the glory of God. May I look to the sky and see the glory. May I look to the hills, forests, and streams and see the glory. May I look to man’s accomplishment, the buildings, the roads, the schools and churches and see the glory. May the understanding of my eyes speak to my heart and relate it all to the glory of God. “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Thanks for letting me share today, God continues to open my eyes and do for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE

“The ‘air’ which our souls need also envelops all of us at all times and on all sides. God is round about us…………..on every hand, with many-sided and all-sufficient grace. All we need to do is to open our hearts.”
OLE HALLESBY

jralphengland@yahoo.com

the sons of God

Thought for the day: “Peace is when time doesn’t matter when it passes by.”
Maria Schell

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13 KJV)

In early spring of 1983 I was doing time in Kansas City at the Municipal Corrections Institution, a minimum-security prison that could keep inmates for up to one year. I had received my forth DWI, had been drunk and rowdy, and the judge cut me no slack. Slack was not what I needed. I remember my girlfriend and several of her fellow workers showed up in the courtroom. They had signed complaints against me and were required to be there. The last thing that Evelynn said to me that day was, “You need spiritual help.” Truer words were never spoken. A few days later a corrections officer witnessed to be about how Jesus was changing his life, I decided to give it a try. I spent the next couple of months reading the Bible day and night. I attended every church service and was present at every bible study. I remember one bible study when a fellow inmate walked through the door and pronounced that he was the son of God. I was a new Christian and was very defensive about my Savior. Those were pretty close to fighting words with me. I remember arguing with the guy and so did the few others that were in the group study. He quoted the Scripture above, John 1:12, went to the door, lifted up his foot, and shook the dust off his shoe and left. He never returned or spoke to me again. To this day every time I read this verse I am reminded of that incident. Was he right? Was I wrong? I am still baffled by what happened that evening. I think that his attitude spoke louder than the words of scripture that he quoted, and so immediately I took offense, or should I say defense. What ever my response was it was wrong, I lost the opportunity to be a friend to someone. In the New American Standard Version instead of calling us “sons of God,” the term “children of God is used.” This modern rendering helps me understand more of what the apostle John meant when he wrote this. The Greek word that John used is “teknon” which means “child, daughter, son.” The gentleman who shook the dust off his shoes and left the bible study probably knew more about scripture than I did, and If I had given him the time to explain himself he might have opened my eyes to that verses. But I was defensive and his attitude sucked, and we got nowhere real fast. Today may I remember that situation and continue to learn that we are all one family, all children, all daughters or sons, of God. I wish I could meet that guy today, but I vaguely recall his face, and know not his name. I missed it, all because of my arrogant “new” Christian attitude. Today God is still teaching me by using this scripture every time I read it. God is still 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 you dislike; then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.”
EMMET FOX

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Gratitude list

“Too many people offer God prayers with claw marks all over them.”
Author unknown

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:10-12 NASB

Have you ever made a gratitude list? That would be a list of people, things, events, situations, and anything else that you are grateful for. I recommend it. In the back of my Narcotics Anonymous book on a blank page I have a gratitude list. I made the list several years ago at a time when I was overwhelmed by circumstances in my life. At that time I had just been diagnosed with a liver disorder and was feeling very low. After years of drinking and drugging the free rent on my body was over and it was time to pay up. At the time I was two years clean and sober and I thought why does this have to happen to me now. The very first thing that I did was run to my church where I found the youth pastor Jesse, and I asked for him to anoint me with oil and agree with me in prayer. Jesse being a man of God agreed and grabbed his bible and we headed for the oil bottle. As we walked down the hallway toward the sanctuary, Jesse read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, where there is found a listing of the blessings and cursings of God. It’s all about obedience. We agreed with the Word of God, he put the oil on my head, and we prayed the prayer of faith. I received my healing that day, but it was five years later before the physical healing came about. And then it came about by medical doctors, agreeing with the Word of God, and many prayers. It took all available sources. Today to my gratitude list I add healing. The reason I mention my gratitude list is because it is a wonderful tool in leveling out the low spots in our lives. We have so many things to be grateful for that can get buried when other less enjoyable thoughts seem to consume all our waking and even sleeping hours. Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that there are those out there that love us unconditionally. I screwed up many times in my life, but my Mom and my Granny never stopped loving me. They are both gone today, but God has made sure that the love other family and friends is evident in my life. They are on my gratitude list. I am grateful for the unconditional love of God and the fact that I have been forgiven. I am grateful for living in a country that allows me to worship God. It is easy to take this for granted. I am grateful for my sobriety. Each day is a new day where the grace of God abounds. I am very grateful to be able to share my experiences, strengths and hopes with others, and I am grateful for others that share the same with me. When I count my blessings and put them on my gratitude list, I find that what God has done for me will balance the scales of life in the right positive direction. I have gratitude because God has done for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases.

Psalm 103:2-3 NASB

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Y2K ?

Thought for the day: “Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain, but a way to heal pain.”
Author unknown

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9 NASB)

What ever happened to all the hype about Jesus coming back around the year 2000? I first accepted Jesus Christ in my life as my Lord and Savior in 1983 and I remember back then how many said that somewhere around the turn of the century the Lord would be coming back. As time got closer and closer the false prophets kept up their predictions. Then around 1999 I started hearing of the return of Jesus mingled with Y2K predictions of large power outages and the crash of many computers. Like all of us, when I awoke on the first of January, the year 2000, nothing had changed except the fact that I was another day older. The Bible states that no man knows the time when Jesus will come back (Matt. 24:36), so why did so many think they had the answer? I think it has to do with time and how we as humans measure time. Peter said that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. So I think that God does not have a calendar, and if God does, it doesn’t mean very much. Also God does not have a watch and if God does it doesn’t matter what time it is. What is important to God is not time, but that none should perish! God’s love for us supersedes any system of time that man has devised to keep track of man and our lives. And of course it’s impossible to keep track of God. You can’t measure God with a clock and calendar. I am so grateful that I was able to accept forgiveness from God through the finished work of the cross. I am grateful that time did not run out on forgiveness and love. I have seen several people come to the Lord in the last couple of years and their lives have been changed drastically. The testimony of their faith reverberates through my community. They were all alive at Y2K, what a loss it would have been for it all to have ended at that point in time. “Not wishing for any to perish” overpowers the clock on my wall. I am grateful that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves…………………...JRE

“Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what and ill-tempered man I am.”
C. S. LEWIS

“These defects grow in the dark and die in the light of exposure.”
Narcotics Anonymous BasicText, page 31

jralphengland@yahoo.com

But for the grace of God

Thought for the day: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

“Jesus left Tyre and went to Sidon, then back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. Jesus led him to a private place away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting onto his own fingers he touched the man’s tongue with the spittle. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and commanded, ‘Be opened!’ Instantly the man could hear perfectly and speak plainly!”
Mark 7:31-35 NLT

As I study these Scripture verses today in the Life Recovery Bible my mind is focused on intervention. Intervention is when people who care about someone, approach him or her, and try to get them to realize that they need help. Part of my own recovery from drugs and alcohol has been to let myself be available to those who need help, and to try and point them in the direction of that help. Many times help is refused. Many times help is accepted, but only for a short time, or until they get to feeling better and then they pick up their addiction again. Then there are those who listen, have a desire to change, ask for help, and work a program, which lets them take an honest look at themselves. In the process of recovery we draw closer and closer to God each day as we continue to remove the barriers that have kept us isolated from God. It is a sad day when those who have been offered helped refuse it, and because of their decisions, loose their life and cross over into eternity. Just a thing such as this happened in my community this week. A young woman who had been in and out of different recovery programs for alcohol and drug addictions slipped away. She tried many times to change over the years but could not get both feet planted in recovery. Many people who cared about her had brought her to meetings, and often she had the desire to stop using, but other influences always seemed to pull her away. Now it’s too late. My memory of her struggle will be used as a positive reinforcement in my own recovery from drugs and alcohol. I also will share it with those who follow the steps of recovery and have a sincere desire to change. The AA slogan, “But for the grace of God, there go I,” rings true in my mind today. May I never forget or take for granted what God has done for me. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE

Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say on these Scripture verses.

“One key to recovery can be other people who lead us to the help we need. In this account, a group of people apparently cared enough for this deaf man to do something about his problem. They brought their friend to Jesus and begged Jesus to heal him. We may be the one God will use to give other hurting people hope and direction for recovery. As we share our story of deliverance and God’s power, we can give other the gift of life and health. We will not only give hope to others, be we will also experience a renewed commitment to our own recovery.” (Page 1179)

“Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find Him there.”
A. W. TOZER

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Gardens

Thought for the day: “Every garden may have some weeds.”
English proverb

“Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel.”
Proverbs 20:3 NASB

I love my garden. Sometimes I find myself stressing over it when it is in need of tilling and weeding, but I still love it. I think that everyone who is recovering from alcohol and drug addictions should find a spot somewhere to grow plants. It teaches us responsibility for other living things. The garden spot that I have has been in my family for many years. My great grand father had a garden there, my grand father had a garden there, my mother growing up worked in the same garden, and now I have the privilege of using the garden spot for my summer vegetables. The garden size is 45 feet by 80 feet, and takes time to tend. Seven years ago when I first sobered up, by the grace of God, I planted a vegetable garden. It produced, but not really very well. The ground had lain fallow for several years and was what I would consider unhealthy soil. I see this in myself also at that time in my life. After years of personal neglect due to my self-centered addictions my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual life was very unhealthy. I planted the next year with the same results, a below average harvest. The next two years after that were a little better, improvement was slow. Then I started using straw around some of the plants during the growing season to help keep the weeds down and I found that as I plowed it under the next year the soil developed a different texture, it appeared healthier. The next few years I applied lime and fertilizer and the results are very noticeable. Healthy plants don’t just spring up and produce a harvest; they must be cared for on a regular basis. One thing I have noticed about gardens is that you have to prepare the ground and sow seeds to produce vegetables, but weeds they just grow without any help at all. Strange isn’t it? I have noticed changes in my own life similar to my gardens over the past seven years. Most meaningful changes in our lives take time and continual care and maintenance. As I daily read the word of God, don’t drink or use, attend church, go to meeting and become willing to help others, the quality of my harvest is good, and seems to improve from year to year. There are many factors in having a healthy garden, soil, light, water, nutrition, but one of the most important factors is continual care. Neglect will overtake us very quickly when allowed. The weeds in our lives, which I call character defects, will overtake our gardens if we don’t daily tend to them. I am so grateful for the lessons that God has taught me about myself through the everyday things in my life. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE

“Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12 NLT)

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Staying young

Thought for the day: “The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.”
HADA BEJAR

And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.” (Luke 22:25-26 NKJ)

Just what did Jesus mean when He said, “He who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger”? There was also another time when Jesus said you couldn’t enter the kingdom of heaven without being converted and becoming as little children. So what did He mean by saying that we needed to be younger or as little children? The Greek word that is used for younger is neos and it has a primary meaning of “new,” when relating to people “youthful,” and when relating to things “fresh.” The word “fresh” is reaching out and touching my spirit this morning. Striving for greatness in spiritual matters is almost opposite what the world requires for greatness. The world teaches that greatness comes from experience and having overcome obstacles through time. Being grounded and solid, not wavering, and being in control. On the corporate and business level these qualities could be some of the characteristics of what would be called greatness. They can also be applied to the spiritual, but newness and freshness must also be added. Many of the spiritual giants of our day probably did not set out to achieve greatness, but demonstrating humility and a willingness to be fresh and new with what God has given them, they became great. I like what the Dake Bible has to say about this verse, share this with me. “Younger…….. A listener, learner, and a servant, rather than a teacher, director and commander.” In AA we have a saying that we need to “stay green and flexible,” therefore teachable. Today I get the same message from the words of Jesus. When I become humble and as a little child, God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself………………………..JRE

“Into a world like this the sound of Jesus’ words come wonderful and strange, a visitation from above. It is well that He spoke, for no one else could have done it as well; and it is good that we listen. His words are the essence of truth. He is not offering an opinion; Jesus never uttered opinions. He never guessed; He knew, and He knows. His words are not as Solomon’s were, the sum of sound wisdom or the results of keen observation. He spoke out of the fullness of His Godhead, and His words are very Truth itself. He is the only one who could say ‘blessed’ with complete authority, for He is the Blessed One come from the world above to confer blessedness upon mankind. And His words were supported by deeds mightier than any performed on this earth by any other man. It is wisdom for us to listen.”

A. W. TOZER……………..The Pursuit of God, page 104-105

jralphengland@yahoo.com

Overindulgence and intoxication

Thought for the day: “Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are, and what they ought to be.” William Hazlitt

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” (Luke 21:34-35 KJV)

During the last weeks of Jesus’ ministry he spent much time teaching in the temple in Jerusalem. As I study his teachings I find them to be quite different from the teachings that took place early in His ministry. Early on He taught about how to live peaceably and honestly with God, our fellow man, and with ourselves. Later on He gave personal warnings as He taught. It wasn’t so much about loving your neighbor, loving your enemies, being faithful to your spouse, or being blessed by giving of yourself, it was more about how we could end up if we don’t pay attention to spiritual matters. Jesus said to “take heed to yourselves.” This means to spend time in self-examination and to listen to our hearts. If we don’t, our hearts will be overcharged. Ever been overcharged for something? I have and it is a feeling that develops into resentments that could grow into anger. Jesus said we could be “overcharged with surfeiting.” What is surfeiting? Webster defines it as overindulgence. The Greek word used here is kraipale which is a medical term used for nausea after overindulgence in food and drink. Jesus then states that we should take heed to not be overcharged with drunkenness. I find it interesting that Jesus spoke of overeating and drunkenness in the same statement linking them as equals. The Greek word used for drunkenness is methe, the root word in methamphetamine, and it means intoxication. Then Jesus warns us of “cares of this life.” I would call this worry, anxiety, depression, or any state of being that might come out of overindulgence and intoxication. They all seem to be tied together, overeat, get drunk, and get bummed out. The last words of Jesus’ public ministry speak loudly to me this day as I observe in myself behaviors that He warned us about. By the grace of God and the program of Alcoholics Anonymous I am in recovery for the drunkenness that He warned us about, but I need to work or the other two. The words “take heed to yourselves” seem to scream at me. My hope is in turning it over to God so that God can do for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE

“Simplicity is the keynote of a good life. Choose the simple things always. Life can become complicated if you let it be so. You can be swamped by difficulties if you let them take up too much of your time. Every difficulty can be either solved or ignored and something better substituted for it. Love the humble things of life. Reverence the simple things. Your standard must never be the world’s standard of wealth and power.”
HAZELDEN………………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day

jralphengland@yahoo.com

"In your patience"

Thought for the day: “Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness.” Charles Caleb Colton

“In your patience possess ye your souls.” Luke 21:19 KJV
“In your patience possess your souls” Luke 21:19 NKJV
“By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Luke 21:19 NASB
“By standing firm you will gain life.” Luke 21:19 NIV
“By standing firm, you will win your souls.” Luke 21:19 NLT

These are the words of Jesus as His disciples asked Him some questions about the future. Jesus had just told them how Jerusalem would be destroyed, which did happen by the Roman Empire about forty years after the prophesy. His disciples wanted to know what would be the signs of these things that were going to happen, and He gave them some of the events that would take place beforehand. Jesus also prophesized about events that would take place before His second advent. The time when He comes back to earth to rule and reign. The historical view of what actually happened and some of the events that are taking place in the world today and are interesting indeed, but in my daily study of the word this small scripture verse amongst all the prophesy really grabbed my attention. Jesus told His disciples who were no doubt scared by what He had said, to “Stand firm and you will gain your life.” We know for a fact that many of the disciples and apostles did not live long enough to see the destruction Jerusalem; they were martyred before the events took place. So did they “gain their lives?” You bet they did! By standing firm in what they believed, what they had on the inside of them, their faith, could not be taken from them regardless of the situation on the outside. We believers know that the substance of our faith is love and life. Nobody can take your faith without your permission. Nobody can take your spiritual life with out your permission. “By standing firm you will gain your life,” what a simple statement that has such power to it. Today in my program of recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, I am able to once again take the words of Jesus and apply them directly to my daily time of meditation, and come back with results that will help me live life on life’s terms, one day at a time. God does for me what I could not do for myself……………………JRE

“One of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of temperament. We make our temperament and our natural affinities barriers to coming to Jesus. The first thing we realize when we come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatever to our natural affinities. We have the notion that we can consecrate our gifts to God. You cannot consecrate what is not yours; there is only one thing you can consecrate to God, and that is your right to yourself. If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you. God’s experiments always succeed.”
OSWALD CHAMBERS

Oswald Chambers has a way of cutting through the thick of it and getting right to the point. Today may I realize that no matter what I bring to God, the most important thing that I can bring is myself. By giving up the “right” to myself that God has freely given me, I become whole. This is one of the paradoxes of reward found in Jesus Christ. Thanks for letting me share…………………JRE