Getting a Lucky Do-Over

But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. 1 Corinthians 8:3

Ever notice that in life the more you try to control the situation, the less you really are in control?!  I mean maybe you liked the outcome because you got what you wanted but how many other lives did you hurt in the process of getting what you wanted?

Many people feel that in order to be a good Christian that you have to give up complete control to God and that life is going to be so boring, no fun and all full of service to others at all times.

Both of these ideas are wrong. Yes we need to just let God do "His thing" but it's not going to be boring.  Goodness, look how creative He is!!!  One glance outside at the world around us should be enough for us to understand that he has an imagination that outdoes ours every time. Look at the human body - umm.. we didn't create that!  He did! Heck, we are still trying to figure out how it all works!

So, consider yourself lucky. Give up the addiction or hurt or hang-up and just let God be God. The verse for today tells us that if we love God He will be leading our lives.  And frankly, I think an addiction is proof enough that we don't have control ourselves.  So why wouldn't we let the Man who created everything and made it amazing finish His story - and see how much better He can end it.

I consider that getting a chance to have a lucky do-over.

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The Last Days

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2nd Timothy 3:1-5

I often wonder, are we the "last days"? You read this and think that yes all of these are true now - today - in our present world! And how horrible they sound, right?

But they I begin to think about each one individually and realize that in the world of addictions, all of these are present, albeit some strongly more than others - but they are there. And the part about have nothing to do with these people - wow!

But I remembered something I heard a pastor say a few years ago about this passage.  He wrote that "Christ sends none away empty - only those that are full of themselves". How amazing is it that with all of these horrible traits - as an addict - as a sinner - that as long as we fall on our knees and ask him to be the center of our lives that He will be there with us.

Even as we accept this gift of grace there is a message here to be heeded. We are warned to not have anything to do with these people.  It is very true that those with an addiction are often weak to fall back into the old habits. And so we must distance ourselves from those things or people that were part of our past. It might be painful, but it is healthy to do so.

I wrote about this on the main blog as a series about "people, places and things " and "support systems" (and which is why I put them as yellows in the recoveryBox app - I feel so strongly about this, especially when I have scripture to back up my feelings).  To read the series, visit this link to the articles there.  http://www.recoveryboxapp.blogspot.com/search/label/support%20system

It might be hard to separate from those items/people - but you are not alone. Jesus is there waiting for you. He was waiting for you even before you knew you needed help from your addiction.

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