 Meditations on Addiction & on Christ as Liberator Meditations on Addiction and Jesus as Liberator Day 1 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our suffering is of God.’ (2 Corinthians 3: 5) Human beings are a slave by nature to something other than themselves, and by the nature of their slavery shall all their actions be formed. Prior to giving my life to Jesus and willingly placing myself into his bondage, I was under the impression that I was my own boss, that I made my own decisions, that I was the one choosing where and when I wanted to go. Now with hindsight I can see that I was merely making decisions based upon my servitude to something I didn’t know I was a slave to – alcohol and drugs. For others, the servitude is similar or else the names merely change to that of money, a career, gossip, position, power, recognition, fear, sex, etc. Even though the names change the servitude is to sin and each of us follows through in our daily lives with walking in a particular way dependent upon our unique sinful orientation. We as human beings are dependent people and never can find sufficiency in and of ourselves. John Donne appropriately stated that no man is an island. St. John, in his gospel, recognized the same reality when he wrote, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.” (John 3: 27) John here states an essential truth for all men whether he be a sinful person or one with a new life in Jesus: that all we have is from God. Our life is from God. “All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1: 3) God created all that there is and nothing any man possesses was made apart from God. Our true dependency rests with God and not with any other dependency. Our nature, because of Adam, places itself however into servitude to sinful ways and confuses us by deceiving us into believing that we are free. Only when we place ourselves into the servitude of Jesus do we experience freedom. Thank you Lord for the freedom I now find in you, for helping me to see that depth I had sunken to in my past dependencies and for freeing me from them. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring, April 4th Day 2 “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 116:9) Walking before the Lord reflects a fundamental attitude of spirituality that needs to pervade my life from morning till morning. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Colossians 5:16) Walking thus in the Spirit all the day long first of all brings victory over the old man and allows me the daily experience of putting on the new man. Second, I can lift my heart in worship unto the Lord. In so worshipping I perform my most important and only ministry unto God – that of giving Him praise. While I walk in the Spirit, the Spirit that is indwelling within me remains in continuous prayer interceding for me and praising. Finally my walk witnesses to others the difference that Jesus makes in my life. Walking in the Spirit brings life and peace (Romans 8: 6), qualities that can only temporarily be known by the world during fleeting moments. But this life and peace is mine eternally. By walking in the Spirit I will never again know being alone, for Jesus Himself will be right with me – closer to me than my own heart. My walk before the Lord needs to be marked by consistency. Heaven only knows the inconsistencies and waywardness of walking contrary to the Will of God. This new walk, however, is something that needs be to true today and tomorrow. It needs to be consistent in practice and in accord with the Will of God. Paul in Ephesians pleads with us to walk with dignity and worthiness. This can only occur when we are consistent. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Ephesians 4: 1) God has called us to such a walk. He wishes us to walk in righteousness. He wants us to endure one another in love, to be longsuffering, to be endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4: 2) With these two characteristics of walking in the Spirit and walking with consistency the walk of the believer before the Lord will be truly blessed and anointed. The light on the hilltop will shine upon many. The light that shines can not see all those hiding in the darkness who are depending upon its brightness for guidance. Lord I pray that today with your grace I may walk worthy by walking in your Spirit. Today Lord, help me to be spiritually minded, knowing that you will add whatever else is necessary to my life - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring, April 11th Day 3 “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9) The undeserved favor of God awaits each and everyone who accepts Jesus into their lives. For “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1: 17) There is a saying which states, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”, which often reflects a gratitude referring to a change in lifestyle a person experiences which seemingly is so much better than the one he left behind, even though this new lifestyle has yet to change according to the Will of God. Even these individuals, who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ into their lives but have seen their lives bettered by the grace of God, feel this gratitude. For these individuals, this grace is a grace which comes before salvation, reflecting God drawing them through His favor and His ability to their ultimate inner change of heart for eternity. All grace of God calls us to accept a new life of glory, one that is for eternity, in and through and by Jesus Christ. Peter writes, “But the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered, makes you perfect, establishes, strengthens, settles you.” (1 Peter 5: 12) We live in an age of grace. There is nothing we need to do to earn eternal life but believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as Lord of our lives. (John 3: 16) “This is God’s grace, to be included in the death of Jesus whereby we are dead, and to be included into his resurrection, that we may walk in newness of life: that being the very life of Jesus.” (Romans 6: 4) From this flows the whole reality of the body of Christ which is the church. (Ephesians 1: 22-23) The grace of God at times falls upon those who merely switch from one path of darkness to another path of darkness. This grace demonstrates that God is a reality and present for them. Some however interpret this as if they have a personal relationship with God but they are mistaken as this relationship can only be established on a personal level when a person accepts Jesus. John quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14: 6) The grace of God is undeserved favor offered to us to be reconciled unto Him through the blood of Jesus which was shed for us by His death on the cross. At the moment of turning towards Jesus and accepting Him into our lives, grace enters into our lives in a greater way than we can comprehend as our souls are washed as white as newly fallen snow. Grace instantaneously sanctifies us in the sight of God. Grace from that point then works to conform us to the very image of Jesus. (Romans 8: 29) And, most amazingly, grace works most powerfully in those areas of our lives which least resembles that image of Jesus. Thus with Paul, I too give glory today for my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring, April 14th Day 4 “For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Mathew 5: 45) God’s grace, because of Jesus, has been offered to all people, both Jew and Gentile. Jesus broke down the wall of partition that separated these two groups of people and in on body he has made both one. (Ephesians 2: 14) God’s grace is to draw all men unto himself. (John 12: 32) Man has sinned. (Romans 3: 23) I have sinned. I have disobeyed the law of God and do not deserve to be with God. Yet God because He loved me became flesh and gave Himself totally for me. (John 3: 16) In the blood he shed, my sins are covered and I am now allowed into the presence of God. God gives each of us many, many chances to come to Him. Each day is a chance. Circumstances and people in my life prior to being reborn challenged me to evaluate my life. Though my heart became more and more hardened, God kept loving me and his grace kept falling. The new circumstances were harder and harder to avoid. Too many circumstances happened that could no longer be tucked away into a convenient corner and forgotten. The Holy Spirit, the Convictor of man of his evil way, stirred my thinking to hopes that maybe there was another way. The life I had was worse than many but also better than many. Yet because the grace of God kept falling, the Spirit’s conviction mirrored for me my own weakness and instability. The Spirit showed me through close calls that went my way but had absolutely nothing to do with my ability to perform that someone other than me was concerned about my life. Then the grace of God gave me the ability to make even the first step in faith. All that happens in life is designed to bring each of us to the ultimate free choice in our life – to accept or to reject the mystery of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. In this free choice we are brought to the pinnacle of our existence – all of heaven’s angels await our “yes” so that they might break into a spontaneous chorus of Alleluias and praises. Thank you Lord for giving to me thy great salvation so rich and free. Thank you for staying with me, for pursuing me, even unto the dark corners of my world. Thank you for hope and for making me whole. Lord continue to send down your rain not only that I now may grow more like you but that those that have not yet made that free choice for you, will soon do so. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them that love him? “ (James 2:5) The world in which we live honors and worships money and the rich man. He rules our towns, our cities, our states, our nations. All of our society is directed toward achieving money. Tremendous pressures are exerted each day by the media, by advertising, and through political reality to entice us into forming goals based on the standards of wealth. In contrast to this worldly philosophy, Jesus stated, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6: 33) When we seek first the face of God we will begin to discover him among the poor, the oppressed, the tormented, the sick, the lame, etc. Jesus himself said, “For I was hungry and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” (Matthew 25: 35-36) Jesus continued, “Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25: 40) Though the Lord did at times company himself with the rich, his ministry was to the poor. The rich have and seldom want. The poor have not and are seeking. It is much easier for a poor individual to give his attention to seeking God because his mind is not so entrapped with the ways of the world and its wealth. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19: 24) The importance of maintaining an attitude of poorness is emphasized on the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 3) In this attitude, not swayed by the pressures of the world, we can be free to seek God’s way with our whole heart, our whole mind, and our whole soul, and let God take care of our needs as he sees them. Praise you God for an attitude of not serving material things, but for an attitude of freedom that I may give my attention entirely to you. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 6 “As the whirlwind passes so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” (Proverbs 10: 25) Night and day complete the day and never shall one be the other. Good and evil will always exist side by side until the Lord decides the time has come for his return. Until then the wicked and the righteous shall live in the same world together, yet one shall not be the other. But while the righteous man has all of eternity to look forward to as he will be in the presence of God and will enjoy heavenly blessings, the wicked will be tormented by the everlasting fire and separated forever from the righteous. “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into the barn.” (Matthew 13: 30) This separation is permanent and there is no hope again for the wicked once death occurs. “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence.” (Luke 16: 26) So while it appears many times that the wicked enjoy success and the righteous suffer persecution, the appearance is only temporary even in this life for “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of the transgressors shall destroy them.” (Proverbs 12: 3) The wicked always are working to make the surface of their lives presentable and acceptable to people. They live on the surface looking for happiness through things, other people, success, power, etc. But on the inside, their bellies feel hollow or are knotted up with balls of iron. The wicked run away further and further from their inside experience into the next pleasure or outside attraction always hoping that they will find the answer which takes away the gnawing occurring inside. This is the powerful dynamic of all addictions. The righteous are building the kingdom within and have their eyes on Jesus. Jesus said that the kingdom was within that this was what he was building. His kingdom is His presence within the heart of man established through the power of the Holy Spirit and experienced as the very life of God. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6: 19)Inside, the righteous man lives fully and completely even to the point where "his cup runneth over". What he has inside constantly desires to burst forth and be shared with any who wish to partake. Thank you Jesus for your Holy Spirit living in me. There is nothing righteous in me or about me without your saving grace and love. By living in you, I become transformed and am made righteous. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 7 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13: 12) Paul writes to the Romans that “we have been saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8: 24-25) When hope is gone out of a person, depression has already moved in. Hope brings forth life and walks with great expectancy. The woman who hopes for “the man” to marry her year after year and then discovers “the man” is to be married to another will suffer a loss of hope and her heart will break in two. She may sink into despair and find refuge in drugs or alcohol. With hope gone, it doesn’t matter any more what happens. I might as well cast myself to the four winds and permit them to toss me around though I may very well hate and despise them for casting me about. I might allow people to use me, to walk over me as I in turn use them and walk over them. I might yell and scream that no one cares and then won’t let a soul get close enough to try. A life without hope poisons the soul and destroys the mind. Eventually hopelessness leads to thoughts of suicide as it did Jonah, “And it came to pass, when the sun did rise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die then to live.” (Jonah 4: 8) For the one, however, who believes in Christ, rather than hopes for something of the flesh or of the world, that individual has a solid hope. Hope accompanies the presence of the Holy Spirit as the believer abides in Jesus. The beautiful and inspiring passage in Hebrews (Hebrews 6: 18) tells us that hope is the soul’s sure anchor, while Peter tells us that this hope is grounded in the resurrection of Christ. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1: 3) Filled with hope, a Christian can pass through any tribulation. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to share the news about the second coming of Jesus that the news might be a comfort and a source of hope. (1 Thessalonians 4: 18) Hope brings life into my day. It pushes aside my problems, lifts discouragement, forgives hurts, overlooks faults in love, forbears others in love. Today I look to my blessed hope and thank God for my new outlook on life – one filled with hope! - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 8 “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (I John 3:1) How can the world know that I am a Christian since it knows not Jesus? John here is saying that the world cannot know me as a Christian and it is impossible to do so. The world as John here uses the word stands for all of society that is antithetical to Christianity; that, as a minus can never be a plus, so too the world in this life can never be Christian. This is a reality that takes a great deal of time to ponder and accept. It is one thing to read the above statement of John’s and to say “Oh yeah, that’s true!” and move on to the rest of John’s letter and to concentrate on love, apostasy, salvation, sonship, and the other beautiful themes he develops, but quite another to live with the reality these few words are attempting to bring home to each of us. The world vies for our attention constantly. It barrages us with its message. TV, radio, and newspapers, etc. are forever badgering us with the ways of the world. This is the environment we are forced to live in and within which we must nurture our spiritual lives. The temptations of allurement away from the spiritual walk can easily lead us astray if we are not guarding our faith with alertness as to the struggle we face. John is emphatic about the dangers that lurk, waiting to trip us. He advises us strongly, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” (1 John 2: 15-17) The world is right there all the time waiting, waiting, always waiting: enticing, thrilling, adventurous. Every turn we take we need to be in the Lord. Silence amid the world’s noise is wholesome. There in silence, the presence of God resides within me heart. My attention! My attention! Where are you today? Be careful! Study today. Be aware of your environment! Learn about what you are living in. See the contrast between the noise and attraction of the world versus the quiet pulling of the presence of God. Today, may my attention learn and grow strong in your commitment to “but he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever.” (1 John 2:17) - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 9 “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.” (1 Corinthians 7: 21) Paul here in the letter to the Corinthians is giving some advice to people regarding the state of their earthly condition and what they ought to do about it. Paul speaks primarily of developing an attitude toward what we are doing rather than merely considering our work or state of life. “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Are you called being a servant? care not for it: but if you may be made free, use it rather.” (1 Corinthians 7: 20-21) Paul then goes on to specify the attitude we ought to have, “You are bought with a price; are not you the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” (1 Corinthians 7: 23-24) In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul again takes up the same theme from a slightly different angle but still concentrates on attitudes but now also on a technique we can employ to put this attitude into practice. “Servants, be obedient to them that are you masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. With good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does that same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free.” (Ephesians 6: 5-8) Paul keeps driving home to us that in Christ we are a new creation; that in Christ we are both free and servant: that it is in being a servant that we experience our true freedom. Paul, in Romans 6, contrasts the servanthood we see in this life with the servanthood of Christ. The servanthood in the world is imposed by external forces, either economical, political, or by power people. In this servanthood we have little choice. The servanthood, though in Christ, is freely chosen by our own will as we are conformed more and more to the very image of Jesus Christ by our own choosing and by the grace of God. Today I chose therefore to yield myself unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and to yield myself as an instrument of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6: 13) Today I will work on my attitude of doing all things as unto the Lord and not unto men. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 10 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3: 16) The great mystery of God as revealed to mankind through Jesus Christ is the glory and honor that Jesus Himself, who is God Almighty, gave to God. God’s love for man as demonstrated through the person of Jesus confounded the tactics and genius of Satan who thought he had all things figured out. But Satan missed the possibility that God could actually love man enough to empty Himself and become a man and then die for that man. No genius has been created that could have contemplated such a love. But Satan missed another possibility also and that was the love that the Father and the Son had for one another. Even though all things were made by Jesus Christ (John 1: 3) and could have been just as conveniently disposed of into non-existence, much the same way that God will do away with the heavens and earth at the end of the millennium before he creates a new heaven and earth. (Revelations 21: 1) God loved the creation of Jesus Christ to such a depth, because it flowed out of Jesus and was an extension of Him, that when it fell into disobedience and sin, that His love flowed forth into a plan of redemption. The plan involved His very own Being coming into the life of a man, being made manifest by the Spirit, demonstrating His love, and providing a way for man to be reconciled onto Himself. What a mystery! The depths of such love cannot be fully comprehended. We can only enter into its presence and through fleeting glimpses catch a corner of its immensity. And we can only enter into this presence as we ourselves reach out in love and touch others, or lift up our hands in praise, or dwell on the Word; but to do these very things we need the grace of God, which is his love being poured out on us. On our own we can do none of these things, for our way is that of sin. Today, I stand open to the shower of grace that God is sending forth and I will partake of His grace in loving another and thus enter into that great mystery of godliness. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 11 "At the basis of Christ's Kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace." There is no need to worry abut being "good enough" for Christ or wondering if I have done enough to be loved by Him. His love is unconditional. It cannot be affected by what I do, it is always rich and full. God does not love me because of what I do for Him. If He did, it wouldn't be love. Love goes far beyond the pleasure of what someone does for someone else. Love is a bond between two souls, it is a deep appreciation of who someone else is and an understanding not only of their strengths and gifts but of their weaknesses and vices. It is accepting someone just as they are. That does not mean that love excuses sin or makes it acceptable, but it does cover "a multitude of sins." Love goes far above and beyond the pain of sin. The wonderful thing about love is that it actually creates the desire to not sin or to hurt another. Love has the ability to transform a person into someone capable of more love. Love can build upon itself and strengthen itself. Evil can only destroy and consume as it tries to say alive and feed its insatiable appetite. Love is happy with what it already has and only desires to produce more that others may find the peace and joy of God, because God is Love. Love is part of God's beautiful simplicity. Love is never complicated with rules and conditions. It is pure and wonderful. It is truly something that could only be of God. Love requires nothing, but gives all. "We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring." - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1: 9) We are called by God unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ. To enter into the fellowship of Jesus we need to give our lives to Him and accept Him as Lord of our life. At that moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us and it is through the Holy Spirit residing within that we gain access to the fellowship. For in a fellowship, a common tie unites each of the people. In AA it is alcoholism, in OA it is compulsive eating, in the VFW it is having served in a foreign war, in the JCs it is being involved in community affairs. In Christianity it is the Holy Spirit residing within the individual that brings about the sense of identity. Without sharing in the common spirit of the group there can be no fellowship. As believers the Holy Spirit makes us one and gives us new life. The Holy Spirit gives us purpose, guidance, hope, meaning, belief, love, joy, perseverance, forbearance, longsuffering, unity, and eternal life with God. The Holy Spirit presently is our down payment. “Ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possess.” (Ephesians 1: 13-14) In a fellowship we need to not only have a common uniting force, but we also need to be in agreement upon a set of governing principles that will allow the uniting force to develop and grow. AA and other similar self help fellowships follow guidelines of 12 basic steps and traditions. If people in AA do not agree to follow these guidelines, there is a good chance the fellowship group will not survive. When the guidelines are followed the group retains its integrity and grows. So too as Christians, we need to be in a group that has a set of principles and guidelines and if we wish the fellowship to be lasting and growing we need to adhere to these principles. Christians have choices to make when it comes to the fellowship group they want to be a part of. Once they make their choice they need to dedicate themselves to following the guidelines. Christians, who stand in two or three different fellowships at once and these fellowships are in disagreement, will have a deep struggle within as to which fellowship they will dedicate themselves. Chances are if they remain in opposing fellowships, no dedication will ever be made. Lord today may I dedicate myself to the fellowship of your direction – that of Jesus Christ. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 13 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all tings by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:9) Paul, writing in the following paragraph, gives us beautiful insight into how we may grow up (mature) into the body of Jesus. “but speaking the truth in love, may we grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. “ (Ephesians 4: 15-16) Here we see first the need to speak the truth in love. Speaking in love is an action that is required of us. We cannot sit back and wait for people to come up to us. Paul says we need to initiate the action. Each of us needs to take the risks to meet other people and to speak up. Paul says this is how we grow up into him. Paul didn’t just reserve this statement for the elders or for the board members or for the Sunday School superintendent. He meant it for each person who considers themselves a part of the fellowship of the church. Paul then proceeds to his second insight that the whole body is fitly joined together by Christ who is the head and by the people who comprise that body. Each of us have been aware that Jesus is the head and in charge and provides the unity between us, but how many realize that Paul is also saying that the body functioning and wholeness is also dependent upon the effectual working of each and every member. It is this combination that makes for an increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This puts a great responsibility onto each of us. The hand cannot say to the rest of the body, “Today, I am not going to work,” and expect the body to continue to function at optimum levels. When the whole body is functioning according to the effectual working of each member then the Body can concentrate on functions outside of itself. The “fellowship of the mystery” is the fellowship of the Body of Christ – the interrelationship between the whole body and the head. This unique relationship was hid in God until Jesus revealed the mystery. This “fellowship of the mystery” is God’s plan before the foundations of the world to reconcile man back to himself. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4: 10) Today, I will seek to understand deeper what my responsibilities are as a member of the body of Christ. Today, I seek to be an effectual working member. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 14 “I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worth of the vocation wherein ye are called.” (Ephesians 4:1) Immediately after Paul writes to the Ephesians about the church in heavenly places he becomes very practical and writes how the church ought to be in earthly places. Chapters 4-6 of Ephesians are primarily guidelines for Christians to follow in developing the day to day fellowship, in reaching out to others, in battling spiritual evil, in living with unbelievers, and in maturing within on a personal level. There are many other places in the New Testament where guidelines for practical living are also spelled out. Each of us needs to take time and examine these guidelines to see how we are doing. The reason for this examination lies within Paul’s exhortation to us “to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.” As a father I have a vocation to be a certain model to my children, as a husband so also to my wife, and as a counselor or teacher or carpenter or executive or etc. to my work. A vocation is a calling. Christians each have a calling by God to believe in Jesus, to be conformed to the image of Jesus, to be one with Jesus, to be a member of the corporate body of Jesus, and to love one another. Above all the vocations we have been called to, being called by God to be a Christian supersedes all other callings. As a matter of fact it not only supersedes all other callings, but also establishes a framework within which all of the other callings in my life are to be defined and developed. It is a vocation with eternal ramifications. As a vocation, Christianity has no equal. Yet how often do I regard my new vocation with such respect and awe. Too often I take it for granted and become lackadaisical, not walking worthy at all, reducing the calling in importance so that very little meaning is ever associated with it. “To walk worthy of the vocation” remains a great challenge. I need to know how to walk worthy. If I don’t know how to walk worthy, I can only speculate based on my own experience which generally has little to do with God’s direction. God’s Word contains complete instruction on how to walk worthy. Chapters 4-6 of Ephesians are but 3 chapters dealing specifically with this walk. Only when I know how to walk can I then walk. O Lord today, I pray that I may walk worthy of the vocation you have called me to, that I may hold my vocation in proper esteem and that I may show my gratefulness in the action of my walk. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 15 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4: 7-8) Love dwells at the center of the Christian fellowship. Without love, the Spirit of Jesus removes himself and the fellowship then resembles and becomes merely another worldly fellowship. John wrote in his letter that only through our love for one another could we be sure that God dwelt within. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” (1 John 4: 11-13) By reaching out in love to our fellow Christians we actually begin to experience the love that God has for each of us. Our fellowship also is our testing and proving ground where our love is perfected that when we finally reach our destination in heaven we will reach it in boldness and confidence. ‘And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4: 16-17) We are to be as Jesus is right now here in this world. It is not a question whether it would be nice to be like Jesus in his love for man, rather it is the only way. “For if a man say, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loves God love his brother also.” (1 John 4: 20-21 Our witness, our preaching, our evangelizing, our praying and whatever else is all of naught if first we don’t love. The fellowship magnifies our weaknesses in stepping forth in love, but it also magnifies the strength that we receive from others. To not be affiliated with a fellowship is extremely dangerous for a Christian. We need to be united to the vine if we are to bear fruit. When we cut ourselves away from the fellowship or undermine it we hurt ourselves and the rest. Chances are the rest will survive. We may not. Dear Jesus, thank you for the fellowship found in your Body. Help me to love each person in the fellowship. Help me to be a servant. Teach me to love even as you loved - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 16 “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4: 3) The Living New Testament translates the above verse, “Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit, and so be at peace with one another.” Here again we get an insight into the fellowship of the Body of Jesus Christ. Man and woman in marriage are encouraged to be one faith. Their union can only be accomplished as they spend time together getting to know one another intimately. Ephesians 4: 3 is saying something quite similar. Paul writes that we need to be led together by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is undoubtedly the unifying against in our fellowship but to be led together implies that we are sharing with each other how the Holy Spirit is forming us and guiding us. A modesty that would keep us from sharing with the rest of the Body is not of the Holy Spirit and needs to be eliminated from our life. Fear which keeps our mouth closed needs to be eradicated. We need to move in boldness and confidence. Residing within our very bodies is the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the Counselor, and the Prince of Peace. And we are still afraid. We need to stop being so self-centered, with out eyes focused just on ourselves. Naturally when we have our eyes focused on ourselves our fears will dominate. But we are called to be supernatural – above the natural. We need to have our eyes focused on Jesus. He needs to have our attention. When we focus in on Jesus we will endeavor and “strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness produced by the Spirit.” (Amplified Bible) We can measure our own focus on Jesus. How? Not by saying I have my eyes focused on Jesus! No. But by how we are endeavoring in the fellowship. Are we waiters? or are we doers? God doesn’t need people waiting for other people to wait on them. Nothing gets done that way. God wants doers, people who will endeavor. The only kind of waiters God wants are those that wait on Him to be waiters to men – the type that serve. When we are endeavoring to keep the unity, we may be hurt, but we need to keep going – forgiveness needs to be quick – time is running fast – time is in short supply. The Day of the Lord is coming. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! Thank you Jesus for your Holy Spirit who resides within me. Empower me Lord to endeavor to keep the Holy Spirit and that I may serve your Body in Love - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 17 “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship.” (Romans 3:13-15) In the Old Testament, man was to prove what he could do and what he was. The Old was on the one hand indispensably necessary to awaken man’s desires, to call forth his efforts, to deepen the sense of dependence on God, to convince him of his sin and spiritual impotence, and thus prepare him to know his need for the salvation of Christ. “If ye will obey my voice and keep my covenant…ye shall be unto me an holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5,6) Obedience appears then as the condition of blessing. The law promised life. “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your Fathers, is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 4:1) But the law could not give life. “Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.” (Galatians 3:21) The real purpose of the law was that it might convince man of his sin, and might so awaken the confession of his spiritual impotence and of his need for a New Covenant and a true redemption. So it is that “By the law is the knowledge of sin: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” And “That sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” (Romans 7:13) Even though the law could not give life “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Romans 7: 12) In the new Covenant, God would show what He would do: to deliver us from the bondage of sin and the dominion of sin. Grace thus came by Jesus Christ. Its exceeding abundance (1 Timothy 1:14) works to set us free and to pardon all our sins, to bestow a perfect righteousness, and to be accepted unto God’s favor and friendship. Furthermore, this same grace is manifested in the work which the Holy Spirit maintains within us moment by moment. The central blessing of the New Covenant is the new heart in which God’s law and fear and love have been put. Grace is not only the power that moves the heart of God in its compassion toward us when he forgives us and accepts us as His child, but is equally the power that moves the heart of the saint and provides it each moment with the disposition and the power which it needs to love God and to do His will. The highest conceivable summit of blessedness is our being partakers of the divine nature, of the divine holiness. We are holy in Christ. As we believe it, as we receive it, as we yield ourselves to the truth, and have this holiness revealed to us during fellowship with Him, we shall know how divinely true it is. In the New Covenant sanctification is our covenant right. With a treasure of holiness in Christ and the very Spirit of holiness in our hearts, we can live holy lives. That is, if we believe in Him, “who works in us both to will and to work.” It is the New Covenant holiness, wrought by God Himself in us, believed in and waited for from Him, that can make our waiting differ from the carnal expectations of the Jews or the disciples. What we can never do, God will work in us. What has not entered into the heart of man, God will work in those that wait for him. Teach me Lord to wait! Teach me Lord to be totally dependent upon Your Grace, Your Spirit. Lead my heart into the experience of holiness. Incline my ear to your voice. May my life be a living sacrifice found pleasing to You. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 18 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; for bearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. Colossians 3: 12-13 We find Paul writing in Galatians that “the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5: 17-18. Through the Spirit, we are set free from the law and through the Spirit we experience the victory against the flesh. On our own we can only do those things that are of the Flesh, for on our own we are the flesh. Paul says what we, in the flesh, are capable of doing only evil, such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, etc., belong to our ability in the flesh. Through the resurrection of Jesus and through being planted in that resurrection, we receive the Spirit “which is the earnest of inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” (Ephesians 1:14) Immediately the Spirit goes to work within us, fostering our new life, feeding it, purifying it, and cleansing it so that eventually we “also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22) The Spirit builds us together by bringing us together into a fellowship whereby he then pours out His gifts that the needs of each person may be met. In the fellowship, each person receives encouragement, companionship, correction, admonition, teaching, counseling, etc. These are then added with the personal and individual guidance the Spirit gives, along with the power to practice the new life such as longsuffering, kindness, meekness, humbleness of mind, compassion. As individuals both receive and practice the new life, a whole new inner experience begins to be realized. This is the fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5: 22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” Our job in all of this is but to yield, not passively, but in presenting ourselves to God as a “living sacrifice” to be done with as He wishes. Praise you Jesus for sending your Spirit. Your yoke is sweet, your burden light. I rest in you. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 19 In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8: 37) Though conversion changes a sinner into a child of God, he still is full of ignorance and weakness, with little perception of what a wholehearted devotion to God consists of, nor can he yet grasp that God is his King nor that God is ready to take full possession of him. In some people the transition from the elementary stages to mature growth is by a gradual process and steady enlightenment. But experiences teach that, in the great majority of people, this healthy growth is not found nor properly fostered. These people have not yet experienced the secret of victory over sin and perfect rest in God. The wilderness journey for the Israelites was the result of unbelief and disobedience, allowed by God to humble them, and prove them, and show what what was in their hearts. Many Galatians sought to perfect in the flesh what was begun in the Spirit. Paul calls attention to their danger. He also wrote to the Corinthians that they were carnal, still babes requiring to be feed with milk and as men still walking in the flesh. To the Romans, Paul spoke eloquently of a Christian living a life under the law and still caught in its bondage (Romans 6-8). Conversion is only the gate that leads into the path of life. Within that gate there is still great danger of mistaking the path, of turning aside, or turning back. Where this danger and threat to our new life is taking place we are called at once, with our whole heart, to turn and give ourselves to nothing less than all that Christ is willing to work in us. The low state of the average life of the believer has to be recognized. Instead of blaming the frustration and lack of success at the feet of God, the cause of the failure needs arising from self-confidence. "For I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Romans 12) To think soberly of myself requires I accept my spiritual bankruptcy apart from God's grace. It means I trace the history of my self-efforts prior to conversion and also since conversion. To think soberly necessitates that I see myself no better nor worse than others, as my sin is great before God and has kept me from living according to the law successfully. To believe that victory over sin after conversion comes by relying upon my own strength remains an illusionary quest never to be achieved. Yet, instead of assuming responsibility for my failure, I most likely will blame God for not honoring my efforts. Anger often wells up within me and discontent floods my soul. I am close again to losing the path of life. My attitude borders on "I don't want to hear rebuke or correction because my heart says 'What's the use?'" So my ears turn deaf as I listen. For every rebuke I have a rebuttal. For every correction, I return "You know it all, don't you?" O my soul, pay attention to the word. "For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age....Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ let us go unto perfection..." (Hebrews 5: 12-14; 6, 1) O my soul flee "for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before you." The hope which anchors the soul sure and steadfast and allows the soul to enter into that which is within the veil. Hebrews 6:18, 19. O my soul, bend you knees today before your Lord and invite Him into your life in a new and fresh way. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Day 20 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning. For 40 years you led your people through the wilderness, humbling them, proving them, and showing what was in their hearts. You removed the sin of the people and only those whose hearts were ready did you lead through the Jordan into the promised land of Canaan. This experience for them was as mighty as leading your people out of Egypt through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. So our soul must also have this second experience, its second conversion, its second meeting with you at the cross. Here our soul must see and confess the wrongness, the sin of the life it is living, a life not in harmony with God's revealed will. The soul's personal rights conflict with the freedom of surrendering all to God and no longer having any right. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 2: 19-20) "In view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12: 1) The soul must understand the Covenant life which Scripture holds out, which Christ Jesus promises to work and maintain. As I see my failure owes itself to striving in my own strength and, as I believe that Jesus will actually work all in me in divine power, I take courage and dare surrender myself to Jesus anew. Confessing and giving up all that is of self and sin, yielding myself wholly to Christ and His service, I believe and receive a new power to live his life by and in the Son of God. Men cannot see how the revelation of the true life of holiness and entrance in it by faith out of a life of self-effort and failures may be immediate and permanent. They look too much to man's efforts and do not know that this second conversion is nothing more nor less than a new vision of what Christ is willing to work in us and the surrender of faith that yields all to him. Humility and utter self-despair along with the resignation to God's mighty working is simply faith, is the infallible way to be delivered from self and have the Spirit of love born in the heart. There is a call to turn to Christ as the one and sure deliverer from the power of self. There is divine certainty of a better life for all who will in self-despair trust Christ for it. Entire surrender of the whole being to the operation of God requires being still in my soul, waiting as the watchmen for the morning, waiting as the sheep wait for the shepherd for the green grass, waiting as a lover waits for his beloved. Christ's entire self-renunciation was not just one of the many virtues of his character; indeed, it was the first essential virtue without which God could have wrought nothing in him, yet through which God did work all.. "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does." (John 5: 19-20) O my soul wait upon your Lord. Heed yourself to Christ's words, "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Abide my soul in Him who is your strength. Grow my soul in Him who is your life. Wait my soul upon Him for in Him is the sweet victory. - taken from Meditations on Addiction by Michael Beiring Please Email Us With Any Comments or Feedback ©2006 CopperCountry.com,Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |