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01-09-2009, 08:47 PM
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[a] away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11
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The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools. A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:21-24
-----
It is finished!
Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives and souls.
Jesus Christ is the Judge of the quick and the dead.
Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind and there is no other.
Brethren, God has not appointed us to rule, to judge or to save.
There is but one Ruler, one Judge and one Savior.
Brethren, it is our task to serve, to forgive and to declare the good news of the work of salvation wrought on the cross of Calvary by Jesus Christ.
Let Jesus Christ rule in your life and the lives of all others.
Let Jesus Christ do the acts of judgement and judge not but forgive everybody everything.
Accept the work of Salvation by Jesus Christ as a completely finished work sealed by His blood on the cross.
It is finished!
©01/10/2001 Jim Welch
-----
An Audible Word
"For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15, NASB)
In a Sunday morning sermon, a preacher described an event as he believed it would happen if Jesus were to walk through the sanctuary doors, walk down the isle and stand at the front of the church. He believed that if this were to happen, if Jesus were to appear in that manner--in the flesh--that we would get up and run to him. While the image was one that brought me warmth and joy, it also brought me some discomfort. To see him like that would be great, to run to him, to behold and to be held was a wonderful thought. But then to be in the physical presence of One who knew everything about me, One who knows me better than I know myself--that can be kind of scary.
How many of us could come to Christ, spiritually naked and unashamed? How many of us could come to Christ even though we would be ashamed, making ourselves vulnerable and trusting him to love us just as we are? I fear that many of us would never benefit from such an occurrence. We might be afraid of what he might say or what He might see. Our masks that we put on for the church family would fall to the ground at Jesus' feet, exposing us to him and possibly to everyone else. Instead of running to him we might just sit where we are and hang our heads, looking down at the ground.
Though many of us do not hear an audible word from God, we do hear His voice through other means. And just as if Christ were physically standing before you, you have the choice of whether or not you will listen and act upon what you hear. His word to us has been made available. His word to us is unchanging, but it can change us if we allow it to do so. Try reading Matthew 5-7 with an attitude of unbiased, unquestioned acceptance. Take what Jesus says to you at face value and commit to apply whatever God says to do--regardless of the apparent difficulty of the task. In childlike faith accept what He says--even when it doesn't make sense. Apply it--and you will experience God's power in ways you've never imagined. We do have a wonderful Lord. Instead of coming and standing in front of the church, He comes to us. He meets us where we are and accepts us just as we are, and He gives us what we need to draw near to Him unashamed.
Day by Day Devotionals
-----
Born According to Plan
Ephesians 1:4-5
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
Chosen and Adopted
Yesterday we learned that God designed you as a wonderful and unique person for a job that only you can do. He could do that because he knew his plan for you before he had even created the world. The scripture above makes it very clear that you are not an accident. He had your life all mapped out way before you were born. One vital stop on the highway of your life is the day you become his adopted child by accepting his offer to forgive your sins and save you for all eternity.
The word “predestined” means that God planned everything out and made sure you got saved so you could be his daughter or son. I never quite understood this concept until I learned what God did for my friend Margaret. I met Margaret at a Christian homeless shelter. She had suffered some of the worst tragedies we could imagine. She had been terribly abused as a child. As a teenager she used drugs and alcohol. After she was grown, she spent years and years living in poverty and unhappy relationships until she finally lost everything. She went to the shelter so she wouldn’t have to live in her car.
Soon after she arrived, Margaret accepted Jesus as her Savior. She immediately enrolled in the yearlong disciples’ Bible study program. In time, she shared her story. One day, it dawned on me that nearly every one of the women in the class had gone to church and read the Bible as children. They knew about Jesus and often prayed to him when things went wrong. God worked behind the scenes to move them here and there. He kept them alive until they came to the shelter and heard about Jesus.
Fortunately, God’s plan for most of us doesn’t include what Margaret suffered. Instead, he gave us Christian parents who love us dearly and tell us about Jesus from the time we’re born. They take us to church and share the plan of salvation with us. And one day, it all makes sense and we pray to receive Jesus as Savior. We ask him to forgive us for all the bad, mean, dishonest things we’ve done. He gives us a new heart and makes us pure enough to go to heaven when we die. At the very moment we ask him to save us, we are adopted into God’s family—all according to plan, right on time, and without fail.
Today’s Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for planning for my salvation. Thank you that before I was even born, you knew you would adopt me into your family. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to hear about Jesus and the faith to accept him as my savior. Please help me be a good son/daughter to you, one that will make you proud. Amen.
Written by Martha E Menne
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1 Minute Daily Devotions
January 10, 2009
Your Secret Time
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:6
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus advises us to spend quiet time with God each day. In fact, He not only suggests that this time be private, He actually uses the word "secret!"
Some people take this verse so literally that they say you should never pray in public, but that's not what Jesus is talking about. He's talking about the spirit of prayer. He's talking about having time alone to pray to God, and not be showy about it.
Why does Jesus place such emphasis on this? Why is it so important? It's important because Christianity is a relationship. And in any meaningful relationship we need time with the other person, to talk and to listen, to communicate, to share our lives together.
Make it your daily priority to have a quiet time with God. These precious moments alone with your Heavenly Father are your opportunity to grow your relationship with your best friend.
-----
The Crafty Serpent
Bible Reading: Genesis 3:1-5; Matthew 24:4-5,10-11,24; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 2:21-22.
In the book of Genesis, we are told that the serpent was sneakier than any of the other wild animals. The first thing he told Eve was that "God doesn't really mean what He says". The serpent is still around today, still trying to make us believe that God doesn't know what He's talking about. Eve believed the serpent, and we are all suffering because of her mistake. When the serpent starts whispering in your ear, tell him to "shut up!" God knows what He's talking about. Listen to God.
Moment of Meditation: The devil's most dynamic device against us is deceit, and his strongest strategy is subterfuge.
A Talk with Jesus: Jesus, give me spiritual discernment concerning the devil's devices against my life. Amen.
For Further Study: Proverbs 12:2; Acts 13:10; Mark 13:5-6,22; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Peter 3:10; Revelation 13:13-15; 20:8; 21:27.
-----
Mercy
Daily Devotional for January 10
Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life"
Psalm 136:1-26 "His mercy endureth for ever."
Mercy will always cover the effects of sin. Sin is living in "Satan's Independent Nature" John 8:44, Isaiah 14:13-14. A person that lives without mercy will always tend to judge others. Also, they tend to have a negative attitude.
Mercy is showing kindness to others at all times. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness". God's loving-kindness in the form of mercy is brand new every morning. He is calling us.
Christ Jesus died for our sins so that His mercy could touch our soul and spirit every morning.
Bible References (KJV)
John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Isaiah 14:13-14 "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High."
-----
Seeing Through
January 10th
READ: Mark 5:21-6:6
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village (Mark 6:5-6).
We can gather up the meaning of this whole account in just a few words: Limited views mean limited lives. That is, if your view of life is so narrow and crabbed, so withered and shrunken as to include nothing but what you can see and feel and taste and smell and hear and reason, then your life is going to be horribly deprived and poverty stricken. This is how it was in Nazareth. Jesus had been in Nazareth the year before. They tried to kill Him on that occasion because He would not do what they wanted. Now He comes back again and teaches in the synagogue, and they are astonished. They ask the right questions: "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought by His hands!"
But their answers to their own questions are horribly limited. "Who is this? Is this not the carpenter? Why, He made the table in our house. I remember when we used to feed Him tea and sandwiches for lunch when He came to help us build the house where I live! He was just a carpenter! And His brothers and sisters live here--we know the whole family! Why, He couldn't be this powerful a man!" And they did the incredible--they took refuge in that final resort of all weak and small minds--they ridiculed Him. They took offense at Him and began to discount all He had done.
Therefore, Jesus pointed out to them that this is characteristic of fallen human nature. There was no recognition of His worth, no honor accorded Him in His own hometown. And as a result, there was no mighty work done there. He responded to the few who had faith, but there was nothing the town could boast of. And is it not amazing that through all these centuries, though Nazareth has never been forgotten as the town in which Jesus grew up, yet to this very day it is regarded in Palestine with some sense of embarrassment! They missed their great opportunity.
What is this all saying--this entire account of the healing of the woman, the raising of Jairus's daughter, and the reception given him by the people of Nazareth? It is saying to us today, "Lift up your eyes and look beyond the visible to the realities of God. Live in the full dimensions of life, as God intended life to be." Life can never be explained entirely in terms of the natural. We are left impoverished and despairing if all we have to depend on is our natural resources, natural power. But God is rich in grace, rich in power, rich in inward strength and sympathy, and His cry to us is, "No longer be unbelieving, but believe and have faith that I am at work, and I will enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams."
Teach me, Lord to respond with the touch of faith--not the thronging of admiration, but the touch of faith--to this Blessed One who, now in our midst, is ready to meet our need.
This daily devotion was inspired by one of Ray's sermons.
-----
POOR AND NEEDY
“Therefore, dependence, as AA practices it, is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.” 12&12 p.36, Step Three
“As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.” Psalm 40:17
For what it's worth: Since alcohol conquered me and beat me into submission, why was dependence and surrender so negative to me? I did not resist alcohol as much as I fought the surrender concept of Alcoholics Anonymous. It had to be the insanity of my alcoholism. How blessed I am to have come to believe that I could be restored to sanity; and, far more, to have turned my will and my life over to the care of God as I understand Him. I could not have done that before when I understood Him to be a harsh, punishing God. Although it took years of sober time, AA gave me a new understanding of a merciful, loving Heavenly Father. That God I surrender to every new day. Doing so has created marvelous changes not only in my life, but deep within me. Instead of dodging Him, I run straight into His lap. Instead of trying to be independent, I seek more and more dependence upon Him. Actually, I am simply becoming more aware of how dependent I already am. It warms my old, cold heart when I stop and say to myself: “I am poor and needy, but my Heavenly Father is thinking about me right now.”
God bless you!
Joe W.
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[a] away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11
-----
The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools. A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:21-24
-----
It is finished!
Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives and souls.
Jesus Christ is the Judge of the quick and the dead.
Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind and there is no other.
Brethren, God has not appointed us to rule, to judge or to save.
There is but one Ruler, one Judge and one Savior.
Brethren, it is our task to serve, to forgive and to declare the good news of the work of salvation wrought on the cross of Calvary by Jesus Christ.
Let Jesus Christ rule in your life and the lives of all others.
Let Jesus Christ do the acts of judgement and judge not but forgive everybody everything.
Accept the work of Salvation by Jesus Christ as a completely finished work sealed by His blood on the cross.
It is finished!
©01/10/2001 Jim Welch
-----
An Audible Word
"For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15, NASB)
In a Sunday morning sermon, a preacher described an event as he believed it would happen if Jesus were to walk through the sanctuary doors, walk down the isle and stand at the front of the church. He believed that if this were to happen, if Jesus were to appear in that manner--in the flesh--that we would get up and run to him. While the image was one that brought me warmth and joy, it also brought me some discomfort. To see him like that would be great, to run to him, to behold and to be held was a wonderful thought. But then to be in the physical presence of One who knew everything about me, One who knows me better than I know myself--that can be kind of scary.
How many of us could come to Christ, spiritually naked and unashamed? How many of us could come to Christ even though we would be ashamed, making ourselves vulnerable and trusting him to love us just as we are? I fear that many of us would never benefit from such an occurrence. We might be afraid of what he might say or what He might see. Our masks that we put on for the church family would fall to the ground at Jesus' feet, exposing us to him and possibly to everyone else. Instead of running to him we might just sit where we are and hang our heads, looking down at the ground.
Though many of us do not hear an audible word from God, we do hear His voice through other means. And just as if Christ were physically standing before you, you have the choice of whether or not you will listen and act upon what you hear. His word to us has been made available. His word to us is unchanging, but it can change us if we allow it to do so. Try reading Matthew 5-7 with an attitude of unbiased, unquestioned acceptance. Take what Jesus says to you at face value and commit to apply whatever God says to do--regardless of the apparent difficulty of the task. In childlike faith accept what He says--even when it doesn't make sense. Apply it--and you will experience God's power in ways you've never imagined. We do have a wonderful Lord. Instead of coming and standing in front of the church, He comes to us. He meets us where we are and accepts us just as we are, and He gives us what we need to draw near to Him unashamed.
Day by Day Devotionals
-----
Born According to Plan
Ephesians 1:4-5
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
Chosen and Adopted
Yesterday we learned that God designed you as a wonderful and unique person for a job that only you can do. He could do that because he knew his plan for you before he had even created the world. The scripture above makes it very clear that you are not an accident. He had your life all mapped out way before you were born. One vital stop on the highway of your life is the day you become his adopted child by accepting his offer to forgive your sins and save you for all eternity.
The word “predestined” means that God planned everything out and made sure you got saved so you could be his daughter or son. I never quite understood this concept until I learned what God did for my friend Margaret. I met Margaret at a Christian homeless shelter. She had suffered some of the worst tragedies we could imagine. She had been terribly abused as a child. As a teenager she used drugs and alcohol. After she was grown, she spent years and years living in poverty and unhappy relationships until she finally lost everything. She went to the shelter so she wouldn’t have to live in her car.
Soon after she arrived, Margaret accepted Jesus as her Savior. She immediately enrolled in the yearlong disciples’ Bible study program. In time, she shared her story. One day, it dawned on me that nearly every one of the women in the class had gone to church and read the Bible as children. They knew about Jesus and often prayed to him when things went wrong. God worked behind the scenes to move them here and there. He kept them alive until they came to the shelter and heard about Jesus.
Fortunately, God’s plan for most of us doesn’t include what Margaret suffered. Instead, he gave us Christian parents who love us dearly and tell us about Jesus from the time we’re born. They take us to church and share the plan of salvation with us. And one day, it all makes sense and we pray to receive Jesus as Savior. We ask him to forgive us for all the bad, mean, dishonest things we’ve done. He gives us a new heart and makes us pure enough to go to heaven when we die. At the very moment we ask him to save us, we are adopted into God’s family—all according to plan, right on time, and without fail.
Today’s Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for planning for my salvation. Thank you that before I was even born, you knew you would adopt me into your family. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to hear about Jesus and the faith to accept him as my savior. Please help me be a good son/daughter to you, one that will make you proud. Amen.
Written by Martha E Menne
-----
1 Minute Daily Devotions
January 10, 2009
Your Secret Time
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:6
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus advises us to spend quiet time with God each day. In fact, He not only suggests that this time be private, He actually uses the word "secret!"
Some people take this verse so literally that they say you should never pray in public, but that's not what Jesus is talking about. He's talking about the spirit of prayer. He's talking about having time alone to pray to God, and not be showy about it.
Why does Jesus place such emphasis on this? Why is it so important? It's important because Christianity is a relationship. And in any meaningful relationship we need time with the other person, to talk and to listen, to communicate, to share our lives together.
Make it your daily priority to have a quiet time with God. These precious moments alone with your Heavenly Father are your opportunity to grow your relationship with your best friend.
-----
The Crafty Serpent
Bible Reading: Genesis 3:1-5; Matthew 24:4-5,10-11,24; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 2:21-22.
In the book of Genesis, we are told that the serpent was sneakier than any of the other wild animals. The first thing he told Eve was that "God doesn't really mean what He says". The serpent is still around today, still trying to make us believe that God doesn't know what He's talking about. Eve believed the serpent, and we are all suffering because of her mistake. When the serpent starts whispering in your ear, tell him to "shut up!" God knows what He's talking about. Listen to God.
Moment of Meditation: The devil's most dynamic device against us is deceit, and his strongest strategy is subterfuge.
A Talk with Jesus: Jesus, give me spiritual discernment concerning the devil's devices against my life. Amen.
For Further Study: Proverbs 12:2; Acts 13:10; Mark 13:5-6,22; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Peter 3:10; Revelation 13:13-15; 20:8; 21:27.
-----
Mercy
Daily Devotional for January 10
Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life"
Psalm 136:1-26 "His mercy endureth for ever."
Mercy will always cover the effects of sin. Sin is living in "Satan's Independent Nature" John 8:44, Isaiah 14:13-14. A person that lives without mercy will always tend to judge others. Also, they tend to have a negative attitude.
Mercy is showing kindness to others at all times. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness". God's loving-kindness in the form of mercy is brand new every morning. He is calling us.
Christ Jesus died for our sins so that His mercy could touch our soul and spirit every morning.
Bible References (KJV)
John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Isaiah 14:13-14 "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High."
-----
Seeing Through
January 10th
READ: Mark 5:21-6:6
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village (Mark 6:5-6).
We can gather up the meaning of this whole account in just a few words: Limited views mean limited lives. That is, if your view of life is so narrow and crabbed, so withered and shrunken as to include nothing but what you can see and feel and taste and smell and hear and reason, then your life is going to be horribly deprived and poverty stricken. This is how it was in Nazareth. Jesus had been in Nazareth the year before. They tried to kill Him on that occasion because He would not do what they wanted. Now He comes back again and teaches in the synagogue, and they are astonished. They ask the right questions: "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought by His hands!"
But their answers to their own questions are horribly limited. "Who is this? Is this not the carpenter? Why, He made the table in our house. I remember when we used to feed Him tea and sandwiches for lunch when He came to help us build the house where I live! He was just a carpenter! And His brothers and sisters live here--we know the whole family! Why, He couldn't be this powerful a man!" And they did the incredible--they took refuge in that final resort of all weak and small minds--they ridiculed Him. They took offense at Him and began to discount all He had done.
Therefore, Jesus pointed out to them that this is characteristic of fallen human nature. There was no recognition of His worth, no honor accorded Him in His own hometown. And as a result, there was no mighty work done there. He responded to the few who had faith, but there was nothing the town could boast of. And is it not amazing that through all these centuries, though Nazareth has never been forgotten as the town in which Jesus grew up, yet to this very day it is regarded in Palestine with some sense of embarrassment! They missed their great opportunity.
What is this all saying--this entire account of the healing of the woman, the raising of Jairus's daughter, and the reception given him by the people of Nazareth? It is saying to us today, "Lift up your eyes and look beyond the visible to the realities of God. Live in the full dimensions of life, as God intended life to be." Life can never be explained entirely in terms of the natural. We are left impoverished and despairing if all we have to depend on is our natural resources, natural power. But God is rich in grace, rich in power, rich in inward strength and sympathy, and His cry to us is, "No longer be unbelieving, but believe and have faith that I am at work, and I will enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams."
Teach me, Lord to respond with the touch of faith--not the thronging of admiration, but the touch of faith--to this Blessed One who, now in our midst, is ready to meet our need.
This daily devotion was inspired by one of Ray's sermons.
-----
POOR AND NEEDY
“Therefore, dependence, as AA practices it, is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.” 12&12 p.36, Step Three
“As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.” Psalm 40:17
For what it's worth: Since alcohol conquered me and beat me into submission, why was dependence and surrender so negative to me? I did not resist alcohol as much as I fought the surrender concept of Alcoholics Anonymous. It had to be the insanity of my alcoholism. How blessed I am to have come to believe that I could be restored to sanity; and, far more, to have turned my will and my life over to the care of God as I understand Him. I could not have done that before when I understood Him to be a harsh, punishing God. Although it took years of sober time, AA gave me a new understanding of a merciful, loving Heavenly Father. That God I surrender to every new day. Doing so has created marvelous changes not only in my life, but deep within me. Instead of dodging Him, I run straight into His lap. Instead of trying to be independent, I seek more and more dependence upon Him. Actually, I am simply becoming more aware of how dependent I already am. It warms my old, cold heart when I stop and say to myself: “I am poor and needy, but my Heavenly Father is thinking about me right now.”
God bless you!
Joe W.