Delusion of Self-Sufficency

"Reflections from Recovery"
Sam's thoughts on "I" continue here:

Written by "Sam" 10/26
The spiritual part of our disease is self-centeredness .

What is self-centeredness ?

It is the belief that the world revolves around me.  My wishes, my demands - are the only ones worth consideration.  Our self-centered minds believe they are capable of getting everything they want if only they would be left to their own devices.We say that self-centeredness is the spiritual part of the disease because the self-centered mind cannot conceive of anything greater than or more important that itself.  But there is a spiritual solution to our spiritual disease.

We strip away our delusion of self-sufficiency by surrendering to a Higher Power greater than ourselves.  We admit we have been wrong, make amends, and seek knowledge of what's right from the God of our understanding.  We seek to serve others and not ourselves.

The goal is to become more God-centered and less self-centered.


grace, peace + hope
-Jesse

Addicted

Addiction is a tyrannical master.  If addiction is a thousand page book, I've read the dust jacket, and maybe opened the cover.  I'm not an expert.  But I can tell you that addictive behaviour is destructive behaviour.

Let me tell you nothing good comes from any form of addiction.  Whether it is eating, sex, drugs, drinking, gambling, cutting, hoarding, American Idol...addiction is bad.  The verse below is not specifically about addiction, but many of the actions listed can be addictive.  (1 Peter 4)

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

So these are things to be avoided.  A few words later Peter writes, "be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray."  Clear mind and self-controlled.  Not addicted.

Okay so we have established that addiction is bad.  (You know I was kidding about American Idol right?)  Well, sort of.  But there is an addiction that most Christians have.  I know I have struggled with this particular addiction for a few years now.

Going to church.

Yeah.  I said it.  Going to "church" can be an addiction.  And I'm not splitting hairs on what type of institution.  The denomination, size of congregation, size of building-facility or home, what you wear, what the leaders wear...none of that matters.  The addiction lies in you and me.  We get comfortable.  It's nice to come to a place, "where everybody knows your name..."

Come on, you can admit it.  I know it's true for me.  If I was to be 100% honest I could not say that every time I've gone to church was because I wanted to worship God.  Sometimes it was an obligation.  Sometimes it was a source of pride.  Sometimes I just wanted to see friends.  Sometimes it was the only thing to do.

Then there were the days I went because I needed to feel that spiritual high.  I didn't really want the Spirit to convict me, but I wanted to get on the worship roller coaster and feel like I had been moved.  Those days I really focused on the music, the way it made me feel, how well the worship team sang.  Could it transport me out of the mundane.  I was there for selfish reasons.  It wasn't every time I went, but it was frequent.

I was addicted to going to church.

And there can be many reasons for it.  For me it was the spiritual high and needing to keep busy.  For others it could be guilt.  Or pride.  The sense of belonging.  There are as many reasons as there are church goers.

But going to "church," be it in a huge facility or a grass hut is only a fraction of what we should be doing as disciples of Jesus.  Going to church is not a bad thing.  Being addicted to it is.
 

Tomorrow:  Breaking the Habit

grace, peace + hope-Jesse

Abound

There is an oft quoted verse in Philippians that goes something like this:

"that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion,"

 I have heard this used many times in various ways.  Usually to encourage someone who is going through a transition or difficult time.  That God is doing something good through your life, and He will see you through to the end.

While I believe that sentiment is true, there is more to this than just that.

Let's look at the larger context, Philippians 1 verses 3-11: (emphasis mine)

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

 What Paul is really saying that God will carry to completion is that their love will abound in knowledge and insight so they can discern what is best to be pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness...that comes through Jesus.

That comes through Jesus Christ.

That sounds a lot like something Jesus said.

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

 So let's look at that again.  Paul is not just saying that every good work will be continued on til the day of Christ Jesus.  He wants their love to abound.  What does that even mean?  Abound is a verb that means:

to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers, to be filled; teem

Love to be filled with knowledge and insight.  Knowledgeable and insightful love that can discern what is best and be pure and blameless.  Love filled with the fruit of righteousness.  A fruit that comes through Jesus.

 "Remain in me."

 The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus.  By remaining in him.  To abound with Jesus.  To be filled with, to teem with Jesus.  To occur or exist in great quantities of Jesus.

That is what Paul is praying for.  That is the good work that will be carried on until the day of Christ.  That those who are partner to the good news of Jesus will be filled with Jesus.  And to be filled with Jesus bears fruit of righteousness.  That fruit will fall into the lives of people around us by the way we live our lives.

If we live our lives teeming with Jesus, we can't help but share him with others.  When the storms of life come, and we face trials the wind will show our "fruit" to those in our lives.  When we are shaken by disease the fruit of hope and joy that comes from Jesus will drop.  When we are attacked by enemies with words or threats, the fruit of kindness and forgiveness will fall.  When we are blighted with hate and anger and fear, it is the fruit of patience, peace and love that shows.

All that comes from Jesus.  And we don't show that fruit if we don't remain in him.  To use the old expression, The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree.  Let our tree be Jesus.  We are the branches.  Let his fruit fall from us.  Let his lessons and teachings and love be ripe in our lives.  Let his love and mercy and forgiveness abound within us.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear