Recovery Devotional 361 We Preach Not Ourselves

JMD Devotional 361 2 Corinthians 4:1-5 We Preach Not Ourselves

1-4 THEREFORE, SINCE we do hold and engage in this ministry by the mercy of God [granting us favor, benefits, opportunities, and especially salvation], we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) or become faint with weariness and exhaustion. We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man's conscience. But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only] to those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost.

For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

5For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus' sake.

The Energizer Bunny® doesn’t work without his batteries; and we cannot be godly without being Christ-centered (He in us and we in Him). The Christian Message is not just philosophy; it is divine, supernatural power flowing from God based upon His promise. The Gospel is indeed enlightened logic; but if it were reduced to mere logic; a man-centered sales-pitch; then it is devoid of the power of God to transform lives. The Word of God has power because of who uttered it. Christianity is a religion; however, it is singularly capable of abolishing all other religions (that are nothing other than humanity’s attempts to reach God) by sending one from God Himself to us to show us and lead us on the Way of salvation. God saw our wretched, helpless estate, and sent His Son as the propitiation for our sins. It is all about Jesus Christ.

The problem I have with so many TV celebrity ministers is that it is all about them. In order for them to get and hold onto a following, they must be self-promoting. To attract the world as one’s audience, to entice their tastes, one must be worldly; and compromise is patently unchristian. The friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4). Godliness does not mix with a worldly lifestyle, though many Hollywood celebrities try to add the cross as a fashion statement. It is an attempt to appeal to a wider audience of fellow hypocrites (the cross should represent our corresponding sacrifice for what Christ has done for us, our death to this present world system and its enticements). The self-elevation of personality-based ministries is antithetical to Christian service.

“He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.](John 3:30 AMP)

When people use Jesus Christ to serve their own ends, then who is serving whom? (God is not our genie, nor is He our butler: He is our Lord and Master). A person is most effectively following and serving Jesus Christ when they become invisible to the ones they are ministering to. Discipleship should never foster co-dependence; we are to equip people, and wean them from us so that they can stand tall in Christ without ourselves being in the equation.

Dear God,

Your reputation is tarnished through those falsely claiming to represent You; but who are really just serving themselves. Many seekers have been betrayed by the twisted heresies and manipulation dished out by wolves in sheep’s clothing. I understand the cynicism of people who have been betrayed by counterfeits; but counterfeits could not exist without there having been the real thing also. Expose the frauds and con-artists! Help Your people to refrain from imitating the world’s ways: give us Your soul-winning power instead. May Jesus Christ be elevated. May we righteously handle Your Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Teach us how to do Your work in Your way with Your power and under Your blessing. You are the Message.

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 360 The Day of the Lord

JMD Devotional 360 Amos 5:18-24 The Day of the Lord

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light; It is as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light? Even very dark with no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell a savor or take delight in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer Me your burnt offerings and your cereal offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I look upon the peace or thank offerings of your fatted beasts. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice run down like waters and righteousness as a mighty and ever-flowing stream.

1 Peter 4:17-19 For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey the good news (the Gospel) of God? And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the godless and wicked? Therefore, those who are ill-treated and suffer in accordance with God's will must do right and commit their souls [in charge as a deposit] to the One Who created [them] and will never fail [them].

It is better to take your medicine up front, to fear God and turn from evil voluntarily, to search your soul for hypocrisy, to commit to live deliberately and carefully before God while it is still our day of choice. Many Christians pine away for the ‘Day of the Lord’, and have no idea that judgment begins with the Church. Our Age of Grace is not license for sin, indifference and neglect of spiritual duties. Judgment begins with us because we have been given more and we know more so more is required of us. We have the testimony of history. The pendulum at times needs to swing between comforting the afflicted to afflicting the comfortable. Does God love the Church in China, Indonesia and the Sudan any less than the U.S.? Self-righteousness is still sin. Can anyone take a good inventory of their sins of omission? God is love; but it is still wise to fear Him.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment]. But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.

Dear God,

Everyone wants to believe that they are exempt from judgment; but You have warned that many people who thought they were serving You will be sadly mistaken (Matthew 7:22). Father, chastise and correct me up front: make me aware of my transgressions so I can cooperate with Your Holy Spirit, and change my heart, mind, and way of life. The kind of fear that breeds resentment is distorted, and does not comprehend Your Holiness and man’s utter depravity. Perfect my love for you: perfect love casts out that fear, even of the coming Judgment. Only as I abide in Christ am I truly shielded from the Judgment that will lay waste to this world.

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 358 Outrageous Expectations

JMD Devotional 358 Acts 26:18-29 Outrageous Expectations

To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from their sins and a place and portion among those who are consecrated and purified by faith in Me. Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but made known openly first of all to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the whole land of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works and live lives consistent with and worthy of their repentance. Because of these things the Jews seized me in the temple [enclosure] and tried to do away with me. [But] to this day I have had the help which comes from God [as my ally], and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, asserting nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses declared would come to pass-- that the Christ (the Anointed One) must suffer and that He, by being the first to rise from the dead, would declare and show light both to the [Jewish] people and to the Gentiles.

And as he thus proceeded with his defense, Festus called out loudly, Paul, you are mad! Your great learning is driving you insane! But Paul replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but I am uttering the straight, sound truth. For the king understands about these things well enough, and [therefore] to him I speak with bold frankness and confidence. I am convinced that not one of these things has escaped his notice, for all this did not take place in a corner [in secret].

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? [Do you give credence to God's messengers and their words?] I perceive and know that you do believe. Then Agrippa said to Paul, You think it a small task to make a Christian of me [just offhand to induce me with little ado and persuasion, at very short notice]. And Paul replied, Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who are listening to me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains.

In one sense, it seems outrageous to expect people to make a decision altering the course of their life based on a brief presentation of the Gospel. A reasonable response is to demand evidence, and to critically review the messenger and the message, to give the proposal a full examination. However, many people have already inoculated themselves against the Gospel as something that would interfere with their ‘lifestyle’. They profess that the Truth is unknowable (thanks to godless ‘scholars’, unbelieving ‘theologians’ and other wolves in sheep’s clothing promoting doubt). They claim it is a credibility issue; but it is really a moral issue: they won’t acknowledge a God who would interfere with their choices. The irony is that this same population makes foolish choices and life altering decisions every day based on 30 second commercials they know are designed to separate them from their money through mostly unsupported ‘truths’. If they will invest their life’s savings in worm farming based upon what a stranger in an advertisement says, we might as well be doing some advertising ourselves, and be ready to back up our claims. Cast many seeds, water and weed the minority that sprout, tend the very few that reach maturity.

Dear God,

Help us to faithfully witness to a world that does not want to hear our Message. Our relationship to You and our knowledge of the consequences demand that we be witnesses. Silence is deadly.

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 359 Judgement is Coming

JMD Devotional 359 Amos 3:4-8 Judgment is Coming!

Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he has taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where there is no trap for him? Does a trap spring up from the ground when nothing at all has sprung it? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed and afraid? Shall misfortune or evil occur [as punishment] and the Lord has not caused it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?

Amplified Bible Footnote:

God has always warned the world of coming judgments in order that it may not bring them upon itself. He warned Noah of the coming flood (Gen. 6:13ff.); Abraham and Lot of the future destruction of Sodom (Gen. 18:17; 19:14); Joseph of the seven-year famine (Gen. 41:30); Moses of the ten plagues on Egypt (Exod. 7:1ff.); Jonah of the destruction of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2; 3:4); Amos of the downfall of Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, and Israel (Amos 1 and 2). Various prophets were told in detail about the final events in connection with the captivities of the chosen people, and in every case the warnings were startlingly executed. Jonah announced the destruction of Nineveh, but judgment was postponed following repentance. When later generations of Ninevites backslid and reverted to extreme wickedness, the warning of Nahum was carried out completely against them. Christ's coming was foretold throughout the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi. Equally plain and inevitable of fulfillment are the warnings of Jesus and the prophets concerning the future that each day comes nearer to every nation on earth.

The Bible abundantly declares a coming judgment. Israel’s destruction in 70AD and the persecution the Jews have endured for 2000 years foreshadow our future. If God did not spare His own ‘special’ people, how do you think everyone else will fare? If Israel’s apostasy was met with severe punishment, then what of the Church’s apostasy? The Church is almost silent on coming judgment. Why?

Dear God,

Does the Church think it is exempt from judgment? Have we not read that You chastise everyone that You accept as sons and daughters? The Judgment Seat of Christ will break many hearts as we try to give account of what we did with our lives, how we failed Christ Jesus, how we didn’t warn sinners of damnation. Are we silent because we do not believe, or due to the fear of man? Help me to courageously endure the wrath of man and speak the truth so Your wrath may be averted; help us all to do our duty.

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 357 Supernatural Tools

JMD Devotional 357 1 Corinthians 1:17-24 Supernatural Tools

For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect). For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God. For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing.

Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world's wisdom? For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).

For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom, We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense. But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.

There is a natural tendency to recast the Gospel in a way that will make sense to the secular mind, to not offend 20^th Century sensibilities, to be more palatable for our culture: but this will deprive the Message of its power. The Gospel is not a logic puzzle: it is a moral revelation (God is not recruiting for MENSA). The methodology of Jesus Christ’s propitiation can be made perfectly clear in a flow chart; but the power to convict a person of their own sin is supernatural, and of God. Most people are outright offended by the mention of blood sacrifice, universal depravity, the coming judgment and Israel as God’s chosen people: but if we want God’s power and blessing in our evangelism we need to learn His way of doing it, to present the whole truth.

Dear God,

Are we so prideful to think that we can ‘spin’ Your story, improve Your PR, or change Your methodology through market research? I know what it is like to try to witness in my own ‘wisdom’ and with no power: I have fallen flat many times. Should I not yearn for better results, at least to have a sense of delivering the Message well? Yoke me with Christ Jesus, get me in step, teach me Your way of sharing the Gospel with Your power driving it home, to the heart and soul of lost people. I understand Your withholding Your blessing when it is my way rather than You way: teach me Your Way, and bless me indeed. I know that Jesus echoes this prayer.

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 356 Wall of Anguish

JMD Devotional 356 Exodus 6:5-9 Wall of Anguish

I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians have enslaved; and I have [earnestly] remembered My covenant [with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob]. Accordingly, say to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will free you from their bondage, and I will rescue you with an outstretched arm [with special and vigorous action] and by mighty acts of judgment. And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that it is I, the Lord your God, Who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land concerning which I lifted up My hand and swore that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage. I am the Lord [you have the pledge of My changeless omnipotence and faithfulness].

Moses told this to the Israelites, but they refused to listen to Moses because of their impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage.

Disillusioned people are slow to believe: life’s disappointments have conditioned them to reign in their expectations. The last thing they want to do is to add to their pain, to be set up for another devastating let down by hoping in something false or insufficient. Many would-be deliverers with all kinds of twisted motives have come before you, offering much and delivering little. It takes a lot of faith to keep sharing a message of hope to unresponsive and hardened hearts, but persistence is necessary. Persistence shows you value them, that they matter, and that their lives are important. Continuing to share demonstrates that your message of hope does not depend upon people being responsive to it; that it is true in its own merit even if nobody accepts it. To be faithful in witnessing is to continue to proclaim Christ and leave the results to God.

Dear God,

I have often let the unresponsiveness, indifference and hostility of lost people discourage my witnessing. I based too much on them, on their response, and not enough upon You, on being faithful to my commission. Transform my understanding of just how I am to present the Gospel to a lost world. How far do I go when they wont listen? In faith, I will keep planting the seeds of Your Word, knowing that You must prepare the soil, and provide water, and make it grow. May I not give up on people who can be saved.

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 354 The Springs of Worship

JMD Devotional 354 Exodus 4:28-31 The Springs of Worship

Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs with which He had charged him. Moses and Aaron went and gathered together [in Egypt] all the elders of the Israelites. Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the Israelites, and that He had looked [in compassion] upon their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

The carnal mind cannot comprehend the worship of anything other than self and its lust objects. Suffering hardship, sickness and loss have a sobering effect; and they bring the view of oneself back to reality. Accessing your deficits and neediness brings a posture of humility. The acceptance of one’s limitations moves a person to look outside of themselves for life, help and fulfillment. The world, however, is full of false Messiahs and ill-conceived solutions, imperfect cures and pretend friends: cultivating cynicism and bitter hopelessness. Many people are angry with the God they never really trusted to come through for them. Some pews are filled with professing Christians who secretly resent divine authority, ignorant of their utter depravity and of the blessedness of God’s indwelling presence. Then there are those who cling to a belief in a perfect, powerful and present God: who apprehend salvation. To hear the Gospel, and receive it as a personal message from God, to entrust one’s life completely to Jesus Christ, to believe that He knows your needs and cares deeply about saving you unleashes spontaneous praise. Unbelief blocks our view of God; faith opens the springs of worship.

Dear God,

Knowing that You look upon me with compassion blesses my soul. Believing that Your Word is sure enables me to endure this hostile world. Faith transforms my sorrow to joy. Help me get a head start on worship; stimulate my heart to overflow with sincere appreciation.

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 353 Use Grace NOW

JMD Devotional 353 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 Use Grace NOW

LABORING TOGETHER [as God's fellow workers] with Him then, we beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain [that merciful kindness by which God exerts His holy influence on souls and turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them--do not receive it to no purpose].

For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation!

Today’s a heavy burden-I’ve got to process this-I call on God and all of you. A brother in Christ, a friend of mine, took his life the other day. We served together, shared Communion, took scores of kids camping, met early for men’s breakfasts, held Bible study in each other’s homes, he even took me in when my wife and I were separated to get me into counseling. In the process of time, and through church splits, we went on with our lives and lost contact. From his best friend, I now hear of his battle with clinical depression. His disease amplified the darkness of his world: of pastors resigning, of missions failing, of ministries falling apart, of a hostile and oppressive work place, of a costly and seemingly endless war on terrorism, of the declining health of loved ones, of a society slipping into chaos: when you are sick you can’t absorb the goodness in the world, only the bad. With darkness apparently reigning death seemed better than going on and on and on. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33-34:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

AA has token coins for staying sober for 24 hours, for 1 week, for 1 month, for 6 months and 1 year. They even have minted a coin for really struggling souls celebrating 1 hour of sobriety! When it comes to suicide we need the same thing. There has been many times that I could not face the prospect of living through years of recovery and the financial dept my dysfunction created, of the long slow rebuilding of broken relationships, of facing the my demons daily. I had to take God’s grace in real time: “one day at a time”; and sometimes minute-to-minute. Grace is like the Manna that God fed the Israelites with in the desert. If they bottled it and saved it for another day, it quickly rotted and produced maggots. Manna from Heaven has to be consumed IMMEDIATELY. Tomorrow never comes; do not put off grace. Do not take God’s grace in vain: it is given as it is needed, it will sustain you if you depend on Him.

Dear God,

I am stunned and overwhelmed with grief. Why didn’t he cry out for help? Why are men such lonely islands, so private, so isolated? Please make us aware of each other’s pain, draw us close enough to feel it ourselves, and to share each other’s burdens. It is long past time to discard the masks in Church, to be real and openly profess, “I’m not all-right, it’s not O.K., I’m hurting and broken inside!” No brother or sister in Christ should be alone in his or her misery. There is no God-forsaken place. Darkness will not reign. Come, Daystar, arise in our hearts. The only way I can keep going is to daily depend on Your grace. Bear me, Lord.

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 355 Idolatry too Close to Home

JMD Devotional 355 Exodus 4:19, 24-26 Idolatry too Close to Home

19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, Go back to Egypt; for all the men who were seeking your life [for killing the Egyptian] are dead.

24-26 Along the way at a [resting-] place, the Lord met [Moses] and sought to kill him [made him acutely and almost fatally ill]. [Now apparently he had failed to circumcise one of his sons, his wife being opposed to it; but seeing his life in such danger] Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it to touch [Moses'] feet, and said, Surely a husband of blood you are to me! When He let [Moses] alone [to recover], Zipporah said, A husband of blood are you because of the circumcision.

Footnote: [He who is on his way to liberate the people of the circumcision has in Midian even neglected to circumcise his second son Eliezer (J.P. Lange, A Commentary). It was necessary that at this stage of Moses' experience he should learn that God is in earnest when He speaks, and will assuredly perform all that He has threatened (J.G. Murphy, A Commentary on the Book of Exodus).]

God is so infinitely above anything in this physical realm that putting anything else first is a great evil; even your devotion to your spouse must be subordinate to your devotion to God. A test men often fail is to take the ‘peaceful way’ rather then the ‘righteous way’, or they trade convenience for godliness. The best husband any woman could have is a man who fears God and uncompromisingly puts Him first, a man willing to make unpopular (but righteous) decisions, a man willing to accept her scorn rather than betray his first love.

Dear God,

I thank You that it is not very often that my wife comes between us; but tests do come. Help me to be sold out to You, totally devoted, unwavering, with true fidelity. Only by Your power and presence and godly influence in my life can I be a faithful man: sustain my integrity. You are first in my affections, highest in my esteem, primary in my loyalty; my one true 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.

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Recovery Devotional 352 Ducking the Call

JMD Devotional 352 Exodus 4:10-14a Ducking the Call

And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent or a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue. And the Lord said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall say. And he said, Oh, my Lord, I pray You, send by the hand of [some other] whom You will [send]. Then the anger of the Lord blazed against Moses…

The world reserves its praise and glory for the best, the cream of the crop, the top of the heap: this is where they look for stars, for leadership, for the next ‘American Idol’. However, the Way of God turns the world upside down. With the war on terror going on, there is hardly a televised marathon in which there are not a few contestants with one or more artificial limbs. Cameras are not drawn to them because they are in first place, or even in the front half of the runners. They might come in dead last; but their finish is triumphant! Even the lost world recognizes the glory of the human spirit in overcoming physical impediments and great difficulties. We know that Spirit more perfectly; but when it comes to God’s call upon our own life our tendency is to shrink back, to make excuses, to point out better candidates, to focus on our deficits. God knows exactly who and what He wants to use for His glory. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Dear God,

Make me aware of the times I have been like Moses, resisting Your call in my life. Bring me back to the Burning Bush, and help me to rise to the task, to step out in faith, to trust in You to provide everything service requires. Thank You for concealing potential glory in all of us.

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 351 The Name of God

JMD Devotional 351 Exodus 3:11-15 The Name of God

And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!

God said also to Moses, This shall you say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you! This is My name forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generations.

Footnote: [To know the name of God is to witness the manifestation of those attributes and apprehend that character which the name denotes (Exod. 6:3; I Kings 8:33ff.; Ps. 91:14; Isa. 52:6; 64:2; Jer. 16:21) (John D. Davis, A Dictionary of the Bible). God's name is His self-revelation (Charles Ellicott, A Bible Commentary). The name signifies the active presence of the person in the fullness of the revealed character (J.D. Douglas et al., eds., The New Bible Dictionary).]

People spend their lives pursuing what they think they need. For the convenience of having everything in one place, warehouse stores like ‘Builder-Biggie’ and ‘Meglo-Mart’ have emerged to dominate the market place. But you can’t buy everything you need (even on credit!) Camping is a good exercise because it reduces our need list down to life’s basic necessities: food, clothing and shelter; simplicity is refreshing, though some necessity is always overlooked (like insect repellant, sunscreen, Band-Aids, etc.) Human beings are conspicuous members of the animal kingdom in that we enter this world naked, and cannot generate our own covering; but must go outside of ourselves for insulation, survival, protection, identity and dignity. When reduced to our most vulnerable state (of nakedness) we are not so independent, not so powerful, and definitely not complete. Our list of wants and needs are infinite, our power to overcome our deficits is extremely limited: finiteness is humbling. It is a blessing to be stripped of the false and inadequate things that prop us up in this world when that crisis drives us to seek out our greatest need: God. God is the one to take with you whether you are camping or facing the rat race. He is all you need and will ever need, He is all sufficient.

Dear God,

I know that I am regenerate, because I have lost faith in my own resources and have come to the end of my own self-sufficiency, and will accept no substitutes: I am holding out for You and You alone. You are MY God. As Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!” I have come to realize that my Swiss Army knife will not save me, neither its blade nor my intellect can stay sharp enough to cut through life’s mysteries without Your leading me. Life is a battle ground, the Church is under siege, clothe me in Christ Jesus for combat and ministry. I call upon Your name…

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 350 Land of Plenty

JMD Devotional 350 Exodus 3:6-14 Land of Plenty

Also He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters and oppressors; for I know their sorrows and sufferings and trials. And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand and power of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a land good and large, a land flowing with milk and honey [a land of plenty]--to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Now behold, the cry of the Israelites has come to Me, and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.

Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? God said, I will surely be with you; and this shall be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain [Horeb, or Sinai].

You would think that people who live in bondage, and suffer abuse and poverty would be happy to take the first exit to a good land, under the rule of a good God; but people are baffling. Moses would find himself leading a reluctant people who were still slaves at heart to life in Egypt. Our selective memory recalls the brief trifles like the onions, meat and spices of our old life; forgetting the daily lashings, futile drudgery and hopelessness that was our reality. People cling to the world they know even though it is a kind of hell rather than to trust God and be led into a wholesome place: they fear change. To enter the Promised Land takes faith in the one who made the promise. Spiritual poverty makes us distrustful of God’s generosity; pride inclines us toward continued reliance upon our own shabby resources. We fear the ‘giants’ who stand between us and wholeness; forgetting that God is with us, and will be sufficient to make us victorious as we abide in Him. When we shrink back from God’s call in our live, when we respond by asking, “Who am I?” we reject the power, presence, and blessings of God and remain in the land of misery.

Dear God,

I do not want to remember how many times I wandered in circles, looking back toward Egypt, complaining of Your remedy for my sin, shame and bondage. The path You take Pilgrims through for recovery crosses deserts, rocky ground, high hills and dark valleys. There are no unguarded moments in the realm of spiritual combat. The character you develop through hardship and the discipline You cultivate through testing become priceless treasures. The world scoffs, and thinks we pilgrims are worse off then before, seeing only the dusty path we follow. Those who are really on the path know Your presence, and power, and blessings: our faith has brought Heaven into view, there is no turning back. Help me to get those who still circle Sinai in dysfunction, who are stuck and vacillating between commitment and rebellion, to get firmly on the path, into recovery and wholeness, on the Way of Christ.

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 349 Knowing God Knows

JMD Devotional 349 Exodus 1:13-14 2:24-25 3:7-8 Knowing God Knows

1:13-14 And the Egyptians reduced the Israelites to severe slavery. They made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar, brick, and all kinds of work in the field. All their service was with harshness and severity.

2:24-25 And God heard their sighing and groaning and [earnestly] remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the Israelites and took knowledge of them and concerned Himself about them [knowing all, understanding, remembering all].

3:7-8 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters and oppressors; for I know their sorrows and sufferings and trials. And I have come down to deliver them…

Egypt represents the secular world, and it is still dishing out oppression and misery. We cooperate with our cruel taskmasters to earn a living; some have it better than others do; but life on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder is harsh and difficult. I have known people on the assembly line who could not afford the medicines they needed, who pray their way to work every day in dilapidated cars, who have worked past the age of retirement because they have no pension and little reward for their labor. Workers who have made it to the middle have improved wages and benefits, but often at the cost of incredible demands and pressure. Chronic stress takes its toll on the heart, the body and the mind. There is no job security. I have also seen the masters who dine sumptuously, who live too large, and who show little concern for the many backs that support them. We are economic slaves, and we are partially to blame for the burden we carry to maintain the lifestyle we want: but the workplace is no paradise, either. All of us are rich compared to a child born in a garbage dump in Brazil: but judged from the acceptable norms of our society we are all struggling to keep what we have and not slip down hill economically. Perhaps the physical and emotional and mental stresses add up to make all equal. When the prospect of what I will face Monday makes me sick at my stomach Sunday afternoon, when thoughts of work wont leave me alone at three in the morning, it helps to believe that God knows. God knows because He cares. He cares because I am His child. God will ultimately deliver His children from misery because He is good, and had promised it. Knowing that He knows makes me feel better. Faith in God is the victory that overcomes the world.

Dear God, (Prayer is Psalm 142 verbatum)

I CRY to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord do I make supplication.

I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell before Him my trouble.

When my spirit was overwhelmed and fainted [throwing all its weight] upon me, then You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.

Look on the right hand [the point of attack] and see; for there is no man who knows me [to appear for me]. Refuge has failed me and I have no way to flee; no man cares for my life or my welfare.

I cried to You, O Lord; I said, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.

Attend to my loud cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my life out of prison, that I may confess, praise, and give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me and crown themselves because of me, for You will deal bountifully with me.

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 348 Unfinished Business

JMD Devotional 348 Esther 6:1-3 Unfinished Business

ON THAT night the king could not sleep; and he ordered that the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, be brought, and they were read before the king. And it was found written there how Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's attendants who guarded the door, who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus (to slay him). And the king said, What honor or distinction has been given Mordecai for this? Then the king's servants who ministered to him said, Nothing has been done for him.

Our Twentieth Century lives are so full of demands, activity and distraction that our days can feel like a raging white-water river and we are simply doing all we can to avoid being dashed upon the rocks as we are pushed forward. However, in order to sleep, we need to clear our minds and drift into tranquility for consciousness to disengage. I, like many people today, often find this very difficult: sleep eludes me. As the pandemonium of the day quiets down, issues surface that were important; but were pushed aside by the tyranny of lesser, but *urgent things. Sometimes I do sleep for a while; but unfinished business wakes me up. The big things in life like the spiritual welfare of our family, our witness in the world, neglected souls within our reach, good deeds unrewarded and unacknowledged finally surface: having been held down by mundane business all day. I keep a pad of paper beside my bed; for when my mind is quiet, God speaks to me of unfinished business; and His instruction would be lost without writing it down. To get the important things done, they need to be recorded, a priority should be set upon them, they ought to be planned and you must sacrifice lesser activities to make room for them. Diligence here will not only help you sleep better; but will ensure ending up with much less unfinished business.

Dear God,

Remind me of promises that I have not kept, of duties that I have neglected, of souls within reach that need my help. Empower me to address what is most important; give me a clear vision of what these things are. For Your kingdom and glory.

Amen

*”Tyranny of the Urgent”, a great Intervarsity Press tract.

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 347 Fidelity

JMD Devotional 347 Ezra10:1-12 Fidelity

NOW WHILE Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered to him out of Israel a very great assembly of men, women, and children; for the people wept bitterly. And Shecaniah [II] son of Jehiel [one of the congregation], of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra: We have broken faith and dealt treacherously against our God and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is still hope for Israel in spite of this thing. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God; and let it be done according to the Law. Arise, for it is your duty, and we are with you. Be strong and brave and do it. Then Ezra arose and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

Then Ezra came from before the house of God and went into the lodging place of Jehohanan son of Eliashib [for the night]. There he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned over the returned exiles' faithlessness [and violation of God's law]. And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles, that they should assemble in Jerusalem, And that whoever did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders, all his property should be forfeited and he himself banned from the assembly of the exiles.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month, and all the people sat in the open space before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have acted wickedly and broken faith [with God] and have married foreign (heathen) women, increasing the guilt of Israel. So now make confession and give thanks to the Lord, the God of your fathers [for not consuming you], and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from [your] foreign (heathen) wives. Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, As you have said, so must we do.

Footnotes: (AMP) {I cannot improve on this, here it is verbatim}

Ezra 10:11 The apparently great severity which characterized Ezra's divorce policy, as shown in chapters 9 and 10, becomes thoroughly justified when Israel's tragic experiences because of marriages with heathen women are considered. The consequent idolatry, first of King Solomon, for example, and then of the whole nation, was fatal. God's wrath had been so great that He not only took the kingship from Solomon, but eventually turned the Israelites over to their enemies and left the promised land desolate, while the people bewailed their fate as captives in a heathen country. Ezra, to whom the keeping of God's law was of constant concern, had been born in captivity among exiles who hung their harps on the willow trees and grieved for the country, for the peace and prosperity which their now justly offended God had once given them. Nothing could have been more abhorrent to Ezra than that the Jews should again fall into the snare of idolatry. His action in leading the exiles to give up their foreign wives and their children was the only way out if God's consuming wrath was not again to be incurred. That those still living of the 42,360 men who over eighty years before had made up the congregation (Ezra 2:64) also saw complete separation from the foreign women as the unavoidable solution is obvious from the fact that only four (Ezra 10:15) spoke against it. However, those who were now actually married to native heathen women were only 17 priests, 10 Levites, and 86 laymen--113 in all, according to the records, though the list may be incomplete (Amplified Bible footnote copied in its entirety).

Dear God,

In our Age of Grace, we are not under the Law as Israel was; yet Your standards have not changed, and this scripture has much to teach your people today about how serious You are about righteousness and obedience. Your uncompromising, rigidly just and righteous ways are abhorrent to a pagan world, a secular culture, a depraved society, permissive people. If You were permissive with the physical laws that govern our Universe, everything would become radioactive as the elements dissolved, chemistry would be unpredictable, no life could exist. If You were permissive with righteousness, righteousness itself would cease to exist. Saving retched sinners cost You the ultimate price: help Your people to understand what they were saved from so they separate themselves from a condemned culture.

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 346 Bittersweet Recovery

JMD Devotional 346 Ezra 3:10-13 Bittersweet Recovery

[After 70 years of exile, Cyrus King of Persia decrees that God told him to rebuild His house (temple) in Jerusalem. So a remnant of the exiles were returned to perform the work…]

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their vestments with trumpets, and the Levite sons of Asaph with their cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the order of David king of Israel. They sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid! But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house [Solomon's temple], when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, though many shouted aloud for joy. So the people could not distinguish the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far off.

Once God spoke directly to His people; but while they were being disciplined for their apostasy He spoke to a pagan king (who became the ‘head’, and Israel the ‘tail’). Scholarly notes remark about when the priests returned to Jerusalem, they consulted the Urim and Thummim, articles on the High Priest’s breastplate that once gave indications of God’s will. The lack of mention of a word from God, and no further mention of these articles in the scriptures lead many scholars to believe that Israel’s long-standing disobedience had apparently caused Israel’s priests to forfeit the divine gift of guidance through Urim and Thummim. Imagine that you could once text-message God through your cell phone; and receive personal answers; but due to your spiritual adultery and the damage to that relationship, your cell phone was henceforth dead. God did send prophets to speak to Israel; but this line of direct communication was gone. When you have really blown it, and your life has fallen apart due to long-standing sinful behavior and gross rebellion, the rebuilding of your life is bittersweet. Any new life is worth celebrating; redemption and renewal are a source of great joy; but the wasted years leave you with fewer ones going forward, with less to dedicate to God than you could have. It plays out in scaled-down projects, like the temple’s smaller foundation that moved the older priests, who knew what could have been, to weep. A man who has fallen hard must bear the knowledge that God had to use others to fill in for his dysfunction: others to support his wife, others to raise his children, others to take his place while he has languished. The consequence of sin, the wreckage of relationships, the misdirected energy mixes weeping with recovery’s celebration.

Dear God,

The weight of the consequences of my past sins could sink me into utter despair were it not for the blood of Jesus and the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit. The more I understand what You saved me from, the more astonished I am that You did it! Outrageous grace has ushered me into a position of complete acceptance and forgiveness. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Many fellow Christians have questioned my spirituality because I am not bubbling over with joy: we know my inner rapture, the joy we share privately. You also know my pain as sharply as rusty nail prints can put it: that is also real. The combination of the two helps keep me chaste and sober, my spirit has been tempered, I am thoughtful now, as a disciplined child finally quieted. Glory to You for carrying the load, for filling my voids, for rebuilding this life.

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 345 Carnival Mirrors

JMD Devotional 345 Proverbs 11:2-3 Carnival Mirrors

When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful and godly Wisdom and soundness. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the willful contrariness and crookedness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

I remember polishing silverware as a child, usually near a holiday when we were expecting guests. Polishing spoons was the best part of that chore, because once they were bright and shiny I would look onto one side, and then the other and amuse myself with the distorted image of myself. The convex side would make my nose look much bigger than it was, and the concave side would make my image upside down and shrunk. Carnival mirrors are amusing because they distort reality. They can make an average person appear as skinny as a rail or as fat as a weather balloon. What is not amusing is that in a much more subtle sense our minds do this all of the time to protect our ego. The character flaws we share with others become amplified in them and diminished in us; the stature of others is diminished making us seem more prominent. We also tend to shrink our giftedness to keep our expectations low, which foolishly avoids situations in which we might fail (and just as possibly succeed!) We cannot directly address the unconscious filtering our mind performs to protect our ego; but we can work on our self perception and bring it back to reality so there is not so much ego to protect. Then we will see ourselves and others more clearly.

Proverbs 4:25 (AMP) Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.

Dear God,

It is just as wrong to think too little of myself as to think too much of myself; help me to see right on. My spirit is wounded still, my inner child cries, abandoned and outcast, searching for love and acceptance. Another part of me has taken over for long forgotten bullies, beating myself up for every shortcoming and minor mistake; I am my own cruel oppressor. I unconsciously chase people away so I can avoid the pain of rejection. Why do I have so many masks for my public face, why cannot I just be myself? Thank You for giving me glimpses into my psyche, as uncomfortable as it is, to see my depravity. Tell me again why You love me so I can love myself. I need to love myself more so I can love others as I should. Help me by faith to see myself one day conformed to the character of Jesus Christ. Continue Your healing work and the repairs I so desperately need to be whole and secure in You.

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 342 Key of Promise

JMD Devotional 342 2 Peter 1:3-5 Key of Promise

For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature. For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence)…

We live in a physical world full of spiritual realities. When it comes to spiritual enemies and problems, we do not naturally have the tools to protect ourselves or to deal with them. Pagans try to use symbolic material things and mystical words to gain a metaphysical edge through magic and spells. For a Christian, the pursuit of occult power is forbidden; our power is not our own, it comes from dependence on God. How blundering and helpless we would be anyway; to navigate blindly in the spiritual plane, trying to defend ourselves against enemies that know their turf and can see us clearly. Our power is in God, and He has all the spiritual power we need. However, we are not to be passive in this spiritual civil war: God has given us provision and protection in the form of His promises; and the responsibility to activate those promises with our faith. Faith is the key that unlocks the infinite resources of God’s promises. These promises are not to be exploited in the vain pursuit of our own material prosperity: they were given for living a victorious Christian life and for serving God’s kingdom. The promises enable us to be OBEDIENT. In John Bunyan’s classic, “Pilgrim’s Progress”, the main character named “Christian” had a ‘magic’ key, the Key of Promise, which grew to fit any lock and could open any door. It grew in proportion to its holder’s faith. It freed “Christian” from bondage. Exercising our faith is our responsibility, and it brings glory to God as we acknowledge His faithfulness to His Word.

Dear God,

Your divine power HAS given me EVERYTHING I need for life and godliness. I am hungry for the knowledge that helps me live in accordance with Your will; that helps me know Your heart. Forgive me for the many times I tried to manipulate reality to suit myself: serving You is true liberation from moral decay. Help me to be a man of faith, victorious in Christ as I depend on Your power and presence in my life. Thank You for giving all of us everything we need in Christ.

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/

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