JMD Devotional 221 Romans 6:16-18 Slaves No More

Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)? But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).

I have a lot of respect for Twelve-Step Programs. They work because they are based on Biblical principles. They are really an outgrowth of the Church, and the Church needs to remember some of what it has given away. The prominent truths I see at work in them are:
A. Universal sin and dysfunction of humanity: we are all sick to some degree. We have hurt ourselves and others, we live in denial, we are not honest even with ourselves.
B. We need to take ownership of our sins and compulsive behaviors and acknowledge our finiteness and limitations (helplessness) so we can give up on our own (useless) resources.
C. We cannot fix or heal ourselves; we need to turn to a spiritual power greater than ourselves (i.e. God).
D. We need connection to other people who are also committed to recovery for encouragement, support, teaching, and accountability (hence, Church and/or support group).
E. As we progress, we have an obligation as our brother’s keeper to stick with the program and help others grow toward wholeness using our experience.
F. Salvation, recovery, wholeness, holiness is never a one-shot prospect; one must live the on-going process and revisit all of the steps again and again like climbing a spiral staircase. If you slip, you begin again where you are and continue climbing.

Check out the Hazelden Meditation series. “Keep it Simple”, “Touchstones”, “Answers in the Heart” make great daily meditations. www.hazelden.org

Dear God,
I am a debtor to many people who have courageously fought for recovery and have left a legacy of hope. They did it without the resources available today; but I thank You for these resources. Help me to not let pride keep me isolated and disconnected from other struggling people; help us to come together and manifest the wholeness that only comes from Your being in the center. May You receive glory from changed lives and redeemed people and successful living.
Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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