Recovery Devotional 330 How to be Miserable at Church

JMD Devotional 330 3 John 1:9-11 How to be Miserable at Church

I have written briefly to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to take the lead among them and put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me. So when I arrive, I will call attention to what he is doing, his boiling over and casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language. And not satisfied with that, he refuses to receive and welcome the [missionary] brethren himself, and also interferes with and forbids those who would welcome them, and tries to expel (excommunicate) them from the church.

Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. He who does good is of God; he who does evil has not seen (discerned or experienced) God [has enjoyed no vision of Him and does not know Him at all].

The formula is simple: put yourself first, diminish the contribution of others and reject authority.

Dear God,

Why do so many people choose misery over joy at Church? Has Satan so twisted our wits that we know not what we do as we add to Christ’s (and our own) suffering? We are called to be child-like in faith and adult in intelligence; and by nature we get it reversed. Please help us even though we should know better. You have given us the power to change our minds; help us to properly utilize this gift so that we may share in abundant life and not be miserable at church.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

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Recovery Devotional 329 Hi-Fi Church

JMD Devotional 329 3 John 1:4-8 Hi-Fi Church

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers. In fact, I greatly rejoiced when [some of] the brethren from time to time arrived and spoke [so highly] of the sincerity and fidelity of your life, as indeed you do live in the Truth [the whole Gospel presents]. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my [spiritual] children are living their lives in the Truth. Beloved, it is a fine and faithful work that you are doing when you give any service to the [Christian] brethren, and [especially when they are] strangers. They have testified before the church of your love and friendship. You will do well to forward them on their journey [and you will please do so] in a way worthy of God's [service].

For these [traveling missionaries] have gone out for the Name's sake (for His sake) and are accepting nothing from the Gentiles (the heathen, the non-Israelites). So we ourselves ought to support such people [to welcome and provide for them], in order that we may be fellow workers in the Truth (the whole Gospel) and cooperate with its teachers.

High-fidelity audio equipment faithfully reproduces sounds from the master recording, without adding distortion or noise. The amplifiers in a hi-fi instrument run at about half their potential gain; because as they near their max their quality breaks down, much like a soloist exceeding her vocal range. Hi-Fi circuits are designed with a lot of restraint: balance and tone filtering on the inputs and outputs, moderation in the gain, distribution of the workload between successive stages rather than overloading any given section. A genuine hi-fi instrument commands a much higher price. Rip-off manufacturers will copy the basic scheme, but will delete as many components as they can get away with to reduce cost, not appreciating the subtle contribution made by every single element. A hi-fi church is a healthy, prosperous body, drawing its life from many selfless members keenly committed to The Church; to preserve its love, truth and purity.

Dear God,

What can I do for You, my Lord, considering all of Your benefit towards me? Heaven has a strange economy; hoarding and selfishness brings poverty; sacrifice and generosity makes one wealthy. The self-promotion that works in the World fails in Your kingdom. Train us to be good churchmen and churchwomen; hi-fi Christians content in our place of service. Thank You for letting all of us rejoice in and share in the success of Your Church.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 328 Modus Operandi

JMD Devotional 328 Philemon 1:8,9 Modus Operandi

Therefore, though I have abundant boldness in Christ to charge you to do what is fitting and required and your duty to do, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you just for what I am--I, Paul, an ambassador [of Christ Jesus] and an old man and now a prisoner for His sake also—

Restated in another translation:

Philemon 1:8,9a (NIV) Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love…

Under the Old Covenant, religious authority was supreme, justice swift and transgression could be fatal. At the time of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, some people were disappointed that the Kingdom He was setting up was apolitical, separate from the state, voluntary and relational. The authority of the early Church was limited to disfellowship; if a person persisted in a transgression or heresy, and would not submit to church discipline, he/she became unwelcome, a social pariah, anathema (a formal ecclesiastical ban, curse, or excommunication; a vehement denunciation). The early Church did not practice stoning nor torture. Many centuries later, when such heavy measures were employed, they were later seen as an abuse of power and as an exercise of intolerance and ignorance. In free societies, a Church cannot hold and control people under power and threat; in societies that are not free, the Church should set the example and not lord it over the laity. Jesus established the basis for our fellowship beginning with the Apostles in his High Priestly prayer (John 15-17), which is the bond of love and unity as we abide in Him and He in us. He also established the test: if we love Him we will obey Him, and love one another.

In my personal experience, I have felt the legalism of rule-driven churches. I have briefly sat under the oppression of dictatorial pastors. In one church, prominent families competed for power and influence, tearing it apart. I have also visited a church where the deacons were in charge and the pastor had no power what so ever. These churches all lost their warm, inviting spirit due to the power struggles that consumed them. I could not bear the strife and dysfunction, having had my fill of that growing up. Christ did not will to set up a harsh and impersonal institution; the Church was to be an extension of His body and of His fellowship with His followers. Most of what I have experienced has fallen far short of His ideal with a few exceptions. For those that put something other than love first, that lack of love snuffed out their candle.

Dear God,

The Church is a living, growing organism with Christ as its head. Anything that grows has the potential to grow wrong, as parts of it sometimes have. Help people like me to not judge the whole Church by a bad church experience; not even by a dozen bad experiences. Bring healing and restoration to Your people. Help us to put love and grace at the forefront of how we do business in the Church. May we each love the Church as Jesus did, and be willing to give our lives for it; because that is Your vision: a glorious bride.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

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Recovery Devotional 327 Safety Net

JMD Devotional 327 2 Samuel 22:37 Safety Net

You have enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet have not slipped.

We are all prone to missteps. I am most apt to stumble after a victory; on the heels of success I drop my guard, and let my euphoria run unbridled. But the bridle (discipline), and the yoke (submission to Christ) and the self-control (fruit of abiding in him) are what brought me to success in the first place. God knows that we are ill-equipped on our own to make perfect decisions. There is no way that we can see all of the eventual consequences that cascade from our choices. To make matters worse, our minds tend to shield us from ugly realities to preserve our egos, thus creating huge blind spots. Anyone who drives knows the danger blind spots present to changing lanes in heavy traffic. I only trust mirrors a little because they never show the whole picture. I ask my wife, “Is it safe to change lanes?” God enlarges our life-changing steps under us by giving us the Church, Christian accountability and His Holy Spirit to check our moves and to sustain us on uncertain ground.

Dear God,

Your Word is full of principles that preserve life and righteousness. When the way is foggy, or if events transpire faster than I can grapple with them, and for the dangers I cannot see: please make up the difference and enlarge my steps under me so that I do not slip. When my own willful disobedience leads me astray, discipline and forgive me; and restore this man to Your path. Help me to see the minor errors as a ‘short lapse in progress’, and for Christ’s sake keep me from major ones.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

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Recovery Devotional 326 Charity in the Wilderness

JMD Devotional 326 2 Samuel 17:27-29 Charity in the Wilderness

[King David and a small contingent fled for their lives pursued by his murderous son Absalom.]

When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash of Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim brought beds, basins, earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched [pulse--seeds of peas and beans], honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of cows for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.

Years before, when David was in sin and rebellion, God sent Nathan the Prophet to challenge him about his sin and lead him to repentance. God forgave David, but the consequences of his actions remained to haunt his life. One such consequence was that ‘the sword shall never depart from his house.’ Now, about six years later, note that Nathan, the man of God, did not return to say, “I told you so!” like some kind of rabid zealot. There was a godless man (Shimei) who followed and tormented David by throwing stones and dust at him from a ridge line. We Christians are often tempted to state the obvious and point out how a person’s sins have brought on their dire consequences; but people already know this in their heart, God has a better role for us to play. A person who is harassed, weary and fatigued in the wilderness is suffering enough already. God sent David what he needed, which was charity, grace and provision. Let life preach its bitter lessons; but may God’s people show mercy, compassion, and outrageous grace to those in need.

Dear God,

Please impart wisdom to Your people. The little ‘knowledge’ we have inclines us to show it off by throwing stones as self-appointed agents of justice; but there is a deeper wisdom in dispensing grace. Teach us how to be more like Jesus; give us an appropriate message. I tend to extremes, to either dispense empty pabulum or sharp condemnation: help me to arrive at a healthy balance, a winsome message, a compelling witness. May my words be like a healing balm to a wounded soul.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

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Recovery Devotional 325 Faithful Unto Death

JMD Devotional 325 2 Samuel 15:13,14,18-21 Faithful Unto Death

[Absalom rewarded his father’s mercy with orchestrating a bloody coup d’etat.]

13,14 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom. David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise and let us flee, or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the sword.

18-21 All David's servants passed on beside him, along with [his bodyguards] all the Cherethites, Pelethites; also all the Gittites, 600 men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. The king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why do you go with us also? Return to your place and remain with the king [Absalom], for you are a foreigner and an exile. Since you came only yesterday, should I make you go up and down with us? Since I must go where I may, you return, and take back your brethren with you. May loving-kindness and faithfulness be with you.

But Ittai answered the king, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or life, even there also will your servant be.

One of my favorite movies about death is “What Dreams may Come” starring Robin Williams. In the course of the movie, his wife is overcome with sorrow at the loss of her entire family and commits suicide, plunging her into a hell of her own creation. Robin is warned not to try to rescue her, that she can neither see nor hear him, and that if he lingers her hell will become his hell also; but he won’t abandon his mate. He tries to talk her into leaving the shadows, but she does not budge. He begins to loose his view of heaven, and her hell replaces his reality. But his act of ultimate self-sacrifice brings a glimmer of light into her soul, reviving her, and she pulls them both out of her hell. That is fiction; but the reality is that Jesus took upon Himself the entire brunt of God’s wrath toward us, and He descended into Hell to rescue us from that fate.

Psalm 16:10 For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the place of the dead), neither will You suffer Your holy one [Holy One] to see corruption.

Ephesians 4:8-10 Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth? He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).

1 Peter 3:19-20 For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit, in which He went and preached to the spirits in prison, [The souls of those] who long before in the days of Noah had been disobedient, when God's patience waited during the building of the ark in which a few [people], actually eight in number, were saved through water.

Dear God,

Jesus has done it all! He tasted the bitterness of death so that I would not have to. He brought me from death unto life. What a faithful friend! He endures the anguish of the cross, and of hell to save me from the punishment I justly deserved. Help Your people to really know what they were saved from and what Jesus has really done for them so that they might overflow with praise and thanksgiving. And may we, by Your holy influence, reciprocate the loyalty and faithfulness, even unto death. Make us faithful witnesses of this salvation.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

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Recovery Devotional 324 Justice is Blind, But Mercy can See

JMD Devotional 324 2 Samuel 14 Justice is Blind, But Mercy can See

Absalom, one of David’s sons, was in exile, having fled to another country after he killed another of the king’s sons (from a different mother), Amnon, for raping his sister Tamar. While David grieved over the loss of Amnon, he also grieved over his estranged Absalom for three years.

1-8 NOW JOAB son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart was toward Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoah and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, Pretend to be a mourner; put on mourning apparel, do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has long been mourning for the dead. And go to the king and speak thus to him. And Joab told her what to say.

When the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king! The king asked her, What troubles you? She said, I am a widow; my husband is dead. And your handmaid had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.

And behold, our whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who slew his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew; and so they would destroy the heir also. And so quenching my coal which is left, they would leave to my husband neither name nor remnant upon the earth. David said to the woman, Go home, and I will give orders concerning you.

13,14 [She] said, Why then have you planned such a thing against God's people? For in speaking this word the king is like one who is guilty, in that [he] does not bring home his banished one.

We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. And God does not take away life, but devises means so that he who is banished may not be an utter outcast from Him.

We have all broken the Law of God, and justly deserve to die for our sins. Justice is blindfolded, and makes no exceptions. If you have lied, stolen (irrespective of the value of the thing), murdered (even hated), disrespected your parents, failed to keep the Sabbath, have put anything above your esteem of and commitment to God, if you have strongly desired and envied your neighbor’s possessions, then you are guilty as a law-breaker. If you die in your sins you can look forward to judgment and eternal damnation. Contemplate appearing before a Holy God and seeing all of your supposed ‘good works’ burn up like so much trash in His radiant presence. The whole human race deserves to die, eternally banished from the Father! But our Heavenly Father did not want the ember of humanity to be utterly snuffed out, and worked out a long-shot salvation whereby a remnant of mankind could be saved. He has devised the means to bring us back to Himself through Jesus Christ, through the substitutionary death on a cross of a sinless sacrifice. But for this to make any difference in your outcome, you must appropriate it through faith and receive Jesus as your lifeline. You are either in Christ (under mercy), or under judgment. And if you are really in Christ, you stay in Christ and obey Him as Lord.

Hebrews 2:3,4 How shall we escape [appropriate retribution] if we neglect and refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation [as is now offered to us, letting it drift past us forever]? For it was declared at first by the Lord [Himself], and it was confirmed to us and proved to be real and genuine by those who personally heard [Him speak]. [Besides this evidence] it was also established and plainly endorsed by God, Who showed His approval of it by signs and wonders and various miraculous manifestations of [His] power and by imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit [to the believers] according to His own will.

Dear God,

Every man thinks he wants ‘justice’ until he understands the implications and the consequences of his own sin. Justice terrifies me! I have no defense apart from my Lord Jesus Christ. The evidence is stacked against me, I have no alibi, the jury calls for my blood. When I am on trial for murder, You are the attorney I crave. You are in fact Judge, Jury and Defense Attorney; unless I am foolish enough to represent my self; then I’m doomed! I rest my case in Your hands.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

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Recovery Devotional 323 When Does Sin Begin?

JMD Devotional 323 2 Samuel 11:1-6 When Does Sin Begin?

IN THE spring, when kings go forth to battle, David sent Joab with his servants and all Israel, and they ravaged the Ammonites [country] and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, when from there he saw a woman bathing; and she was very lovely to behold. David sent and inquired about the woman. One said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers and took her. And she came in to him, and he lay with her--for she was purified from her uncleanness. Then she returned to her house. And the woman became pregnant and sent and told David, I am with child. David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. So Joab sent [him] Uriah.

When did sin begin in this story? You cannot say when he saw Bathsheba naked; because in Hebrews 4:15 is says concerning Jesus Christ that He has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet without sin. The Apostle James probes the process of temptation maturing to sin:

James 1:12-15 Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.

The reason that temptation in and of itself is not sin for the one being tempted, is that it is a purely external phenomenon. What makes temptation perilous to us is that we carry something within that was foreign to Christ, that is, evil desires. Due to the sin curse, they are ever present, though generally suppressed. Temptation in harmony with our evil desires defeats us as easily as a master key in a lock. God is all about righteousness. He wants us to succeed. He tempts no one; but He does test His workmanship in our lives by permitting us to be tempted and tried. It is so important to resolve your moral commitments ahead of time when your mind is lucid, rather than waiting until a temptation comes and your reasoning is eroding like a breach in a levy. David was at his best when he struggled against the odds, when he was pursued by Saul, when his life was full of troubles because those troubles motivated him to depend on God and to earnestly seek Him and to spend much time in prayer. David failed the test that most people fail; to be godly in good times, in easy days, in idleness. It is when we are alone and without pressure or accountability that some of our worst character flaws become apparent.

Dear God,

Could it be that my way is hard, and I am often pressed to the limit because You know how unrighteous I would be if life were easy? The thought puts me to shame! If my ‘righteousness’ depends upon being made too busy to have the time and energy to err then how shallow my purity is indeed. Apart from You I am an unfaithful man, a wretched sinner. But please help me to never again be defined in isolation from You; it is You in me that makes all of the difference, Your Holy Spirit makes me better than I am. May I resolve to do what is right from the start, to not contemplate any alternatives, to even act unworthily in my imagination. When idle moments linger, may I initiate constructive activity that promotes my holiness and Your kingdom’s growth.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 322 Play the Man

JMD Devotional 322 2 Samuel 10:9-13 Play the Man

When Joab saw that the battlefront was against him before and behind, he picked some of all the choice men of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians. The rest of the men Joab gave over to Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the Ammonites. Joab said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. Be of good courage; let us play the man for our people and the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what seems good to Him. And Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.

Perhaps Joab’s brother Abishai was younger, less experienced and more fearful than Joab; or perhaps, being brothers, they knew each other well, that much of their bravado was hot air, a bluff. They were up against a union of two enemy nations, out gunned and out numbered, the situation was desperate. Were Rambo for real, he would have been afraid. But look at what Joab says to rally himself and his brother, “Let us play the man.” Many times a man does not feel like a man, that he measures up, that he has got what it takes to face a hostile world. Many women similarly do not feel feminine, and new mothers sometimes do not feel paternal, inclining them to disavow those roles. But the answer to not feeling your God-given role is not rebellion but faith. The first step in achieving the mantle of your role is to play the role, in spite of your feelings, trusting God to overcome your deficiencies with His sufficiency. Acting the role is an expression of faith. Through the travail of pressing through the challenges to your person God mysteriously solidifies your identity. Men who do not feel like men do not have the option of becoming women; and women who do not feel like women do not have the option of becoming men. We are told to resist even the most formidable enemy of our souls, Satan. In James 4:7 it says to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” You may not feel like a spiritual warrior; but feeling is not the prerequisite. Just prior to the admonition in James to resist the devil is the true prerequisite of success, “Submit yourselves then to God…” God has called us to specific roles; let us play the role that we are called to and let the feelings come in time.

Dear God,

Sometimes I need to play the mature adult when I engage my children; to play the disciplined student when the outdoors look so inviting; to play the dedicated husband when I’d rather be served. Help me to accept the role and script that You have called me to. For a long time I thought ‘playing the role’ was false, it troubled me; but I did not realize that playing roles is a part of learning proper behavior, a part of growing into them, the pathway to maturity. By Your power and presence in my life, I wont always be playing, no, the role will become reality as I become fully committed to doing things Your way and being the person You created me to be. Help me to ‘play the man’, the faithful man of God, and to master the part.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

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Recovery Devotional 321 Unfailing, Unsought, Unlimited Mercy!

JMD Devotional 321 2 Samuel 9:1-11 Unfailing, Unsought, Unlimited Mercy!

AND DAVID said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake? And of the house of Saul there was a servant whose name was Ziba. When they had called him to David, he said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, I, your servant, am he.

The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy and kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet. And the king said, Where is he? Ziba replied, He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, Behold your servant! David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father [grandfather], and you shall eat at my table always. And [the cripple] bowed himself and said, What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am?

The lameness of some is readily apparent to all. Wheel chairs, ramps, lifts, handicapped toilets make it clear that our population has people who cannot walk. An enlightened society does its best to respect the dignity of the disadvantaged, to protect their ego. But in the spiritual dimension, we all are lame in some way. None of us can walk upright before a Holy God. We need charity, a helping hand, the mercy of others. The psychology of human nature is wired to deny this reality; and to protect our own ego; we deceive ourselves and others pretending to be whole. But for a few blessed individuals, God breaks through the façade and makes us come to grips with our spiritual immobility. I have cried out to God in anguish just like Mephibosheth, “I am a dead dog, Lord!”

9-11 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given your master's son [grandson] all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. And you shall till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants, and you shall bring in the produce, that your master's heir may have food to eat; but Mephibosheth, your master's son [grandson], shall eat always at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, Your servant will do according to all my lord the king commands. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons.

In order to receive true life you have to give up the false ‘life’ and consider it dead (to see it as God sees it). We have nothing to give God but our retched, needy selves. But our Heavenly Father receives us as sons and daughters, as princes of His Kingdom, we become royalty! Is a little dignity and pride too much to give up to receive eternal blessedness?

Dear God,

I am astounded and all so grateful for Your unfailing, unsought and unlimited mercy! As good as King David was to Jonathan’s son, Your mercy surpasses that of any man: no one can out grace You! It was so hard to face the reality of my own miserable estate, my helplessness and my depravity; I hid from You, ashamed that I needed so much and had nothing to give but the wreck of my life. Good and holy and merciful is the Lord God Almighty! You sought me out, and brought me into Your presence and pronounced healing and eternal blessedness upon this man. You are worthy of all praise. My life is Your’s. May my expressions of thanks and gratitude carry into all eternity.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 320 Your Word is Law

JMD Devotional 320 2 Samuel 7:18-20 Your Word is Law

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? Then as if this were a little thing in Your eyes, O Lord God, You have spoken also of Your servant's house in the far distant future. And this is the law for man, O Lord God! What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God.

God’s Word is Law for man. If you could take everything mankind has spoken, composed and written one could not distil one atom of original substance from it all. God is spirit, and He spoke the material universe into existence. How keenly we should listen when God speaks! How highly we should treasure His promises to us. As a man, I have learned to be very sparing and extremely reserved in what I promise due to my limited ability to deliver; in spite of my best intentions my ‘promises’ almost always make a liar out of me. But God is not a man. And God knows who and what we are, and has committed words of grace to us anyhow.

Dear God,

I do not live by bread alone (by mere material things); but by EVERY word that proceeds from Your mouth. Your Word is life to me. From Your lips I hear FORGIVENESS, REDEMPTION, REGENERATION and SALVATION. Your Word has the power to transform me. Please call me FAITHFUL, TRUE, HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, PRECIOUS, FRIEND. You have spoken of the life we will share forever; keep speaking, Lord, Your servant listens intently. May not one word from You fall to the ground; may my heart ponder and treasure them all as apples of gold.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 319 Astounding Reciprocated Love

JMD Devotional 319 2 Samuel 7 Astounding Reciprocated Love

1-13 WHEN KING David dwelt in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, go and tell My servant David, Thus says the Lord: Shall you build Me a house in which to dwell? For I have not dwelt in a house since I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this day, but have moved about with a tent for My dwelling. In all the places where I have moved with all the Israelites, did I speak a word to any from the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to be shepherd of My people Israel, asking, Why do you not build Me a house of cedar? So now say this to My servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over My people Israel. And I was with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like [that] of the great men of the earth. And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and be moved no more. And wicked men shall afflict them no more, as formerly and as from the time that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord declares to you that He will make for you a house: And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My Name [and My Presence], and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

David loved God, and wanted better for his God than he had for himself. But as David expressed his love and commitment for God to build Him a house; God reciprocated that love and promised David an eternal home. This world so well knows the pain of unreciprocated love that we instinctively hold back. But God is nothing like those of this world! He will not leave our love for Him unanswered! When we esteem Him, He esteems us more. When we bless Him, He heaps more blessings upon us. We cannot out give or out grace or out love God. We have so little to give; but when we sacrifice our ‘widows mite’; God gives us the deed to the planet! Distorted Health and Wealth teachings would have us give to get; God can easily see through impure motives. But loving God for God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, for His divine attributes, for giving us life, and a hope and a an eternal promise of divine intimacy will open wide the windows of Heaven because of His great love for us. God Himself is our inheritance; being united to Him is our great reward.

Dear God,

My love is the key to Your heart. Pure love does not manipulate, coerce, or diminish the object of its affections. Please continue to transform this man to be willing and able to love You purely. There is a fountain of living water bound up within me; un-dam it. There is a burning passion that no firewall can resist; kindle that unrestrainable love in me for You. I will sacrifice my world for You, just to be with You. I will live a life of sacrifice before You in this one, so others will see my love and wonder about its object. Be jealous for my affection; demand my fidelity; answer my heart oh Lord my God.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 318 The Idolatry of 'Respectability'

JMD Devotional 318 2 Samuel 6:14-16,20-23 The Idolatry of ‘Respectability’

14-16 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, clad in a linen ephod [a priest's upper garment]. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. As the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter [David's wife], looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

20-23 Then David returned to bless his household. And [his wife] Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who stripped himself of his kingly robes and uncovered himself in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the worthless fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! David said to Michal, It was before the Lord, Who chose me above your father and all his house to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord. Therefore will I make merry [in pure enjoyment] before the Lord. I will be still more lightly esteemed than this, and will humble and lower myself in my own sight [and yours]. But by the maids you mentioned, I will be held in honor. And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

For years I sang praises to God with my hands in my pockets; though in my heart I wanted to raise them above my head. What held me back? The fear of man, conformity, idolatry. It is idolatry to esteem the opinion of mere men above worshipping God, to hold back to maintain one’s ‘respectability’. Holding back to preserve one’s ‘image’ is grasping a graven image indeed! It is foul! Reprehensible! Abdominal reasoning. We quench the Holy Spirit and then wonder why we lack joy.

Dear God,

Who am I trying to impress, who am I striving to please? Are white-washed tombs and dead men standing worthy of my subservience? Forgive my idolatry and iniquity; may nothing rival my love and dedication for You. Let me be an utter fool in their eyes for Christ’s sake. Unclog the fountain of joy. Holy Spirit, take control, have free reign, express Yourself in me. May my body as well as my mind engage in worship and praise; to the glory of God.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 317 Scattered Sheep

JMD Devotional 317 Zechariah 13:7-9 Scattered Sheep

Awake, O sword, against My shepherd and against the man who is My associate, says the Lord of hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep [of the flock] shall be scattered, and I will turn back My hand and stretch it out again upon the little ones [of the flock]. And in all the land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, but one-third shall be left alive. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will hear and answer them. I will say, It is My people; and they will say, The Lord is my God.

Why would God strike His own ‘associate’, the Shepherd of His people? His striking the Shepherd ushered in a time of trial and testing, a season of suffering, chaos and turmoil. It had to be necessary for their purification, to rid them of idolatry, and for their maturity. During difficult times the weak and the false are weeded out; people show what they are really made of. Is our commitment to Christ strong enough to stay faithful to His teachings even when it seems that His representatives (our pastors) are struck down? Are we so used to being fed and led that we go astray and starve without a shepherd? Do we have lazy faith?

Matthew 26:31-35 Then Jesus said to them, You will all be offended and stumble and fall away because of Me this night [distrusting and deserting Me], for it is written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised up [to life again], I will go ahead of you to Galilee. Peter declared to Him, Though they all are offended and stumble and fall away because of You [and distrust and desert You], I will never do so. Jesus said to him, Solemnly I declare to you, this very night, before a single rooster crows, you will deny and disown Me three times. Peter said to Him, Even if I must die with You, I will not deny or disown You! And all the disciples said the same thing.

We all say the same thing the Disciples said; but will our actions deny the reality of Christ in us? The truth comes out only when our status quo is turned upside down and the smooth road becomes rocky and the work of the Kingdom falls into our hands, because the Shepherd has been struck. He warned us of trials, tribulations and persecutions; He trained us to carry on His ministry; but we become so dependent upon others carrying the load that we do not know what to do when our time has come and our shepherd is struck down.

Dear God,

How I crave the easy way, the broad road, a smooth path: but broad is the way that leads to destruction! How uncomfortable is controversy, confrontation, and fighting for righteous causes…but Your Kingdom is not enlarged by ‘barrack rats’. The war is in the world; Your soldiers need to engage that world. I am beginning to understand that Satan would have us comfortable and isolated in the barracks; but You are a God of War, and we have a mission and an enemy and souls to rescue. If it takes shaking up our world to wake us up from our passive slumber, so be it, Lord. But fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and empower us for the challenge that we might pass the test and glorify Your name. Help us to see past the present pain to our glorious future with You in Paradise. Give us vision…

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

http://jamesdinsmoreblogs.blogspot.com/

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Recovery Devotional 316 Follow My Example *(Asterisk)

JMD Devotional 316 1 Corinthians 11:1-3 Follow My Example *(Asterisk)

PATTERN YOURSELVES after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah). I appreciate and commend you because you always remember me in everything and keep firm possession of the traditions (the substance of my instructions), just as I have [verbally] passed them on to you. But I want you to know and realize that Christ is the Head of every man, the head of a woman is her husband, and the Head of Christ is God.

As the early Church gained definition and structure, a hierarchy of leadership emerged by necessity to govern the body of believers and maintain the ‘flock’. But some would seek positions of Church leadership solely out of their lust for power. Others strived to make a name for themselves, and competed for the affection of congregations, even to the point of sabotaging the work of the Apostles. Some were sincere but misguided; a few were deliberate wolves in sheep’s clothing entering the Church with a covert agenda. One major characteristic of these wayward ‘leaders’ is that they inverted the Christ-centered focus and made it all about them instead. Such people forget where they came from, and their own propensity for folly, and have departed from dependence on God and carry out their works fueled solely from their own flesh and reasoning. Paul rightly acknowledged that even as an Apostle, he was a man under authority, and just a man. He gave a disclaimer: “follow my example AS I FOLLOW CHRIST.”

I would echo that and go so far as to say, “Don’t follow my example”:

-when I am out of step with the Holy Spirit

-when I get too full of myself

-when I act as my own authority

-when I am trying to please men rather than God

-when I am not ‘in Christ’ (in harmony, in sync, under authority, filled with the Spirit).

Only follow me as I follow Jesus Christ.

Dear God,

May I not be so arrogant as to be trying to compete with my Lord Jesus Christ! I have to be reminded that it is not all about me; You rightly share Your glory with no man. I so want to live a consistent witness; but this ‘work in progress’ stumbles a lot. If I pursue calling disciples to myself then I rob Christ---may God forbid such blind ambition! Help me to genuinely work to promote Your kingdom and glory rather than my own. Help me to accept being a man under authority, and to soberly respect the influence I have over others. I am depending on You to cultivate and empower godly conduct in my life as I seek to be Your good and faithful servant. The Universe is a safer place with You in charge.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 315 Passion for a Friend

JMD Devotional 315 2 Samuel 1:25-27 Passion for a Friend

How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me. Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

King David was not ‘gay’, (as our culture likes to call it), he was God-fearing, a devout Jew, heterosexual. He was confident enough in his masculinity to express his passionate love for Saul’s son Jonathan. They loved each other in a way that the Bible honors. The Bible makes no apologies for the many times it condemns sexual activity between ‘friends’. The strongest word in the scriptures is used for that: “abomination!” But this love has nothing in common with what the world calls ‘love’ (lust, infatuation, sex, perversion). The Holy love of one brother to another, or one sister to another is to be highly praised and treasured! Rightly expressed love requires a solid foundation.

Storge: The Love of Parents (Family affection, touch, eye-contact, soothing voices, hugs. What you long for when you are homesick. This is what we should receive from our parents through out conception to adulthood. A sense of being valued, important, of belonging.)

Philia: The Love of Friends (Friendship, commaradery, acceptance by peers, a sense of belonging within a group of people that you are often with. School mates, chums, associates, co-workers.)

Eros: The Love of Pleasure (Romantic love, the love of the beautiful. {When broken, the desire to control and own; to possess the beautiful object.})

Agape: The Love of God (God's love. God does think I'm beautiful {I am His workmanship, after all.} God does desire to possess me.{He made me, all creation was and is His very own. But humanity is 'lost sheep.'})

We are supposed to experience all four of these in their fullness; and in the order that they are listed.

The key truth here is, if in our development we lacked one of these, particularly Storge (family love) we tend to overcompensate striving to fill that void with other love that was not intended to meet that need. We end up totally out of balance. I know that I lacked the family affection I needed; so I attempted to get more out of my (Philia) friendships than they could give--simple friendships broke under sexual pressures. This escalated to a pursuit of (Eros) just sexual gratification to fill both voids--a lack of friends and a lack of the sense of value and belonging I missed growing up. I had trouble believing in (Agape) God's love because I was so wounded and needy from my experiences with family and friends and sexual partners. Reparative therapy is a form of counseling that attempts to bring wholeness by repairing and replacing what was missing from our formative years.

“Sex is like the Kudzu Vine. Out of its proper place, it will grow and fill and choke out our whole garden.

As a parent, this is a striking point:

>If you touch your children right, they'll know when touch is not right.

>If you don't touch them, then any touch will do.

“If the culture makes no room for impure sexual activity it also creates ample room for wholesome displays of friendship and love between men” (and between women) (Quote-Clayton McLean).

Dear God,

For so much of my life I have recklessly gone about as a lonely, rabid, hungry beast starving for love. My neediness resulted in so much shame; I was too much for most people. There are still tender spots from all of the bruises I incurred from being pushed away with ten-foot poles. I have experienced so much abandonment, isolation and loneliness that I could not even love myself. Many took advantage of me. Even my early church experiences amplified my sense of being unloved; the human institution is as dysfunctional as any family. I praise and thank You, God, for giving me a new family in the Church that transcends buildings and denominations and geographic congregations, the one true universal family of God that I see by faith. We may be scattered in time and space; but we are united in You. And I thank You for my special friend (besides the duck) that demonstrated unconditional love and passionate friendship to me. He rescued me from the pit of Hell as I wallowed in my own wretchedness. No one else believed in me; all had written me off as lost. No one else had time for me. Lord Jesus, I see You clearly in my best friend, Bruce. I am so blessed. I am so loved.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

http://jamesdinsmoreblogs.blogspot.com/

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Recovery Devotional 314 Share and Share Alike

JMD Devotional 314 1 Samuel 30:18-25 Share and Share Alike

David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken and rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David recovered all. Also David captured all the flocks and herds [which the enemy had], and the people drove those animals before him and said, This is David's spoil. And David came to the 200 men who were so exhausted and faint that they could not follow [him] and had been left at the brook Besor [with the baggage]. They came to meet David and those with him, and when he came near to the men, he saluted them. Then all the wicked and base men who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the spoil we have recovered, except that every man may lead away his wife and children and depart. David said, You shall not do so, my brethren, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and has delivered into our hands the troop that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as is the share of him who goes into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike. And from that day to this he made it a statute and ordinance for Israel.

We often fail the test of grace. We perceive ourselves as being kind and generous; but when inconvenienced by someone else’s needs, resentment wells up. We may have on a polite mask, but inwardly we judge and condemn the other person for not living with more wisdom, for not making provision, for not being as ‘strong’ as we are, for not carrying their own load. In those situations we fail the see the gift that God is setting before us: a chance to be like Him and extend grace, love and mercy that will adorn our brow for all eternity like golden crowns. We forget that everything we have is a gift from God. David extended grace because he knew that the battle was the Lord’s, and he appreciated the fact that these 200 men wore themselves out fighting an earlier battle for him. Someone had to watch the baggage and hold down the fort. Share and share alike will multiply God’s grace and blessings; there is more than enough to go around!

Dear God,

My first impulse is always pharisaical---please rewire me to be kind and loving; apt to serve without judgment. Only in Christ Jesus can I be that kind of person. In those situations may I put my ledger and accounting tools away; even turn off my teaching propensity for a moment and help me just demonstrate Your love for the individual as Your representative.

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

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Recovery Devotional 313 Don’t Reason with the Grieving

JMD Devotional 313 1 Samuel 30:1-6 Don’t Reason with the Grieving

NOW WHEN David and his men came home to Ziklag on the third day, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid on the South (the Negeb) and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken the women and all who were there, both great and small, captive. They killed no one, but carried them off and went on their way. So David and his men came to the town, and behold, it was burned, and their wives and sons and daughters were taken captive. Then David and the men with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Tragedy and crisis bring out primal, unreasoned responses from people. The shock of a sudden loss can provoke a person to utter awful things, to lash out at anyone close, even to blaspheme God: some experiences are just too much for the brain to handle in real time. I have seen a lot of loss and have been to too many funerals; one thing it has taught me is that reason has to take a vacation so people can fully express their grief and reel about in the flood of emotion to slowly reconcile themselves to an altered reality. We grew up thinking a loved one would always be there, that professions, homes and status were stable, that life was predictable: but none of those are true. David did the right thing; he did not confront the people saying he ought to be stoned, he withdrew and let them grieve, he did not defend himself or try to reason with grieving souls; he drew close to the one unchanging entity in the Universe and found his solace there. He entrusted himself to God.

Dear God,

I laugh at the thought of being the captain of my own soul, the master of my own destiny; yet I find that my reflexes take me to self-reliance when I really need to lean on You. I am better at choosing a course of action after the fact than in real time; my brain gets flustered in the face of a crisis. Help me navigate through the unexpected. Plot complications remind me that I am not in charge. Jesus promised us temporary trouble in John 16:33, but gave us eternal hope. Help me to be compassionate with others who grieve, and to be sensitive to their loss and understanding of the grieving process.

Amen

John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

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)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to my daily devotional, please forward.

jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com

Short, concise, thought-provoking.

More features:

http://jamesdinsmoreblogs.blogspot.com/

Christian, devotional, recovery, addiction, purity, faithfulness, integrity