Recover Me WebLog

First Solo Flight

I had a really great Sunday today! Not just because my daughter is celebrating her 31st birthday (Maybe it was 29, I had better check...). I flew my first solo flight!

Here are the details, and I know that those who know me realize that there will be life lessons contained within.

Today, July 27, 2008 was forecasted to be yet another hot and stormy July day here in the Washington DC area. I had not been able to perform my first solo on Saturday because there was too much wind coming across the runway for a rookie like me to handle. So, we scheduled the first solo for a nice calm Sunday morning starting at 6AM. I know this sounds early for most of you, but I have firmly settled into a routine of walking every morning at that time anyways.

Early in the morning you get your best shot at having calm winds and no thunderstorms to rain on your parade. So I rose up before the light and drove to the airport where I prepared the plane for its first flight of the day.

The airport I have been using is called Bay Bridge Airport and although it is small, it's a nice place to stay out of the big jets at BWI. There is also a lot of beauty being right on the Chesapeake Bay at the base of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Kent Island.

My flight instructor called and said he was running a bit late and asked me to taxi the plane from the hanger to the fuel pit where he would meet me. After doing a thorough pre-flight check on the plane I hopped in and started it up. The only detail I missed being a rookie is that is not good practice to start an airplane while still in the hangar. The only damage done was to the glass on a picture frame the tipped over from the wind created by the propeller.

While I was moving the plane down the taxiway, I glanced again at the plane that was flipped over at the end of the runway in the grass. The previous day, a student and his instructor took a wild ride when the plane bounced off the runway and the student overcorrected while trying to continue the landing. Luckily nobody was hurt at all, just shaken up quite a bit. This was a danger I wanted to avoid.

The lesson and the solo went without a hitch. My first landing was arguably my best. On my third try I came down a bit faster than I wanted to, and my plane bounced. I could see the crashed plane out of the corner of my eye, and I quickly made the decision to go around. I finished a few more landings without a hitch, and my instructor granted me my certificate along with a "well done".

I looked at my watch and decided that I still had time to make it to the 9:15 service at church, so I hit the road. About halfway, I remember that I still had the key to the hanger in my pocket! I turned around and also remembered the glass I left on the floor of the hanger. I decided that the wise thing to do would be to return to the hanger and clean up the mess I made. This would be much more important in the long run to the Kingdom of God than sitting in church.

As it turned out, I still had time to make it to the 11:15 service at the church. Mark's topic was Proverbs 22:3:

"A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."

This made me think of my 3rd landing where I saw the danger and took refuge. I aborted the landing attempt. If I had kept going, I may have suffered for it. I believe the other wise decision was to take the key back promptly and clean up the broken glass in the hangar.

All of this made for a truly blessed worship experience this morning.

-Ron

To a very special mother

As I was preparing for our Friday Night Solutions meeting this week, I felt prompted to share something this week about Mothers.

I searched the scriptures for references about mothers. I found many pointing toward a strong and tenacious love that mothers have. This Sunday Mark Norman spoke from Romans 16:13 where in a middle of a list Paul says the following:

“Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.” (NIV)

Mark’s message was about the tenacity of a mother’s love which we certainly cannot deny. However in the sinful world in which we live, we realize that there is no such thing as the perfect mom. Many children are raised without a mom (truly a bad thing), or a mom who is not always there or not as loving as the children always need. Depression, drug abuse, anxiety, or just the “cares of this world” too often get in the way of raising children.

These children of human mothers may grow up and feel damaged by their lack of the loving security of a mom who is always there, but I would like to say that they are NOT damaged, simply that they have not yet developed all of their emotional tools. God sends in people to fill in the gaps, and we must do the work to see where we are emotionally deficient and ask God to help us to finish our development in those areas. This should become part of our 12 step process.

I had a wonderful mom as I was growing up. She always made sure that all of my physical needs were met. I do however remember many times when I just felt like I needed a hug, and so I would just cry and cry. My crying was usually met with a statement like “stop feeling sorry for yourself”, or my dad would say “stop crying or I will give you something to cry about.” I had an emotional need that went unmet for many years in my life.

More recently in my life I have discovered a psychological term called ‘object constancy.’ This is where a child feels loved even though the parent may be temporarily absent. I feel like this object constancy was something I never developed until later in my life.

One person that God brought into my life as an adult was Sheri Meeker. Sheri is a wife to her husband Steve, and mother to her kids Randy and Holly. As a young married person my wife and I would go to their house to play cards and enjoy each other’s company. I was not a very assertive person, and many times my comments would simply go unsaid because somebody else would speak first and I would always back off and let them speak. While playing cards, Sheri noticed that I had things to say and so in those times that I would hesitate to speak out she started by asking me ‘Ron, what were you about to say?’. For the first time in my life, I felt like somebody cared to hear what I had to say. This did much to boost my self esteem.

Sheri is a trained and Spirit Filled counselor. To date she has touched countless lives by simply being there to listen and impart Godly wisdom to the people who came to her. She would often say that the wisdom she shared during her counseling sessions was not from her, but were words and concepts delivered to her heart from God. I believe this to be very true.

I want to celebrate Sheri’s life today because she is truly like Rufus’ mother mentioned in Romans 16. I have no doubt that if the Apostle Paul knew Sheri there would be a similar greeting to her.

We have been praying for the Meeker family for the past many years. When Carole was diagnosed with cancer Sheri was once again a source of strength and comfort to us. It was someplace she had been and her struggle filled us with hope. We did not feel so alone knowing that she had been in the same battle.

Steve and Sheri have been battling cancer for many years now, and it looks like that battle may be coming to an end. This end is far from the end that we have hoped and prayed for. We are not giving up, but simply letting God decide what is best. This world we live in is full of sin and evil. The life we are going to, where Sheri may be soon, is far beyond this sin and evil. Sheri’s battle will be over, and she will be able to say that she has won the battle because although the cancer may have taken her body, her soul and spirit belong to God. Steve and the rest of the family will need our prayers and support as they grieve the loss of a great wife and mother. For them, we pray the serenity prayer.

My prayer for you is that you will honor your mother today. Also since remembering that mom isn’t absolutely perfect, you may need to use step 4 to help identify those areas where you have room to grow. Once identified may God send a Sheri into your life to help you grow.

For more information, visit my website at http://www.recoverme.org You may read this post again in the blog (weblog) there.

God’s grace and peace to you all!

-Ron

Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change
The COURAGE to change the things I can
And the WISDOM to know the difference.

Excerpt from the 12 steps:

Step 4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Step 5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Our Healing Through Christ

Being raised by a Christian Minister, and attending church my whole life, I have heard the Christian message of Salvation many times. Many people have heard that "Jesus Saves", but just what does that really mean?
The basic problem is that we live in a sinful world. But just what is sin? Is it stealing, killing, coveting, and adultry? Yes, and more. We live in a world that is racked by sin. Sin is more than just the things we do, but it is the state of things in the world we live.
You can live a "good" life, but sin does not stop at the door just because you are following all of the rules. The Bible says that "The rain falls on the just and the unjust". Really bad things do happen to good people.
The law of Moses does not much more than show us the situation we live in. There has been no person except Jesus who could live their life and keep the law. We still comit sin, and we are still the victoms of sin.
So what is the solution? Is there any way we can undo our situation by doing good? Can we somehow stem the tide of badness that exists in our world? Many have been called to help where they can. Mother Theresa has done much good to help some of the most unfortunate people in the world. Does this give her a special place wth God? God loves us all the same, and there is nothing we can do to negotiate any special treatment fom God. God's salvation through Christ is a free gift for all.
The fact is all we can do is accept God's gift. Stop thinking that somehow we have some kind of power of our own and admit that we are powerless over the effects of sin in our lives. This means that we are poweress over the adictions and habits that drive us to bad behavior, and we are also powerless over the results of living in a sinful world. There will always be fatal accidents, cancers, and other bad experiences along the way.
Once we have recieved God's grace by accepting the free gift of Christ's redemption, we are compelled by love and gratitude to change our lives. We can finally break free from the chains of addictions and habits that seem to rule our lives. We give back to the world not to gain anything more for ourselves, but to share the gift of new life given to us by God.

I hurt! Who do I blame?

We all like to play the blame game. We routinely like to find something or somebody to blame for our troubles. I suppose that we may find some comfort in this, and it may shift the focus of others away from whatever responsibility we take upon ourselves.

Recently New Orleans has been hit by a category 5 tragedy. A storm has caused enough destruction there to literally remove the city from the map. There are great life lessons to be learned there that we can apply to our own lives.

Storms happen. Our lives are routinely impacted by storms of every size. Children are impacted by gross abuse from caretakers and others that are no less devastating to them than Hurricane Katrina was to New Orleans. What is left of these children as they grow into broken adults is very tragic. As children they know no coping stragedy other than to hide this ugly shame and indignity under layers of self-denial and perhaps abuse of others.

We run across many such people in our ministry. People who as adults are discovering the reason for their inability to deal with life's issues goes back to how in their childhood they had to deal with what were Category 5 storms to them. There are parts of these people that are afraid to come out of the shelter they have built to protect them from further abuse. The most tragic of these cases are where the abusers were those in whom they relied upon the most.

The solution is safe relationships. The healing process can be long and hard. God has designed us to love and feel loved by others. When this love is betrayed by abuse, is when the hiding begins. The hiding can only end when we find unconditional acceptance where we can bring our hurts and hang-ups into the light of ralationship.

HELP BEAR UP THE WEAK

Romans 15
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." 10Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." 11And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." 12And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s plan is to treat others as God has treated us. God in his infinite power, does not bully us into doing his bidding, but instead acts more like a gentle coach speaking to our hearts each day as we go about our business. It becomes our choice to either listen or not.

God accepts us in our weakness just as we are. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves “good enough” for his acceptance. This is how we should accept others.

God loves us even when we hurt him. His gift of grace through Christ is never taken away from us. It is always there, and free just for the taking.

The best praise we can give to God is to treat others just as we wish God to treat us. In this, we bring honor to His name.

How have you treated another person this week in a way that reflected God’s grace?

Do you feel fully accepted by God?

Is there another person that makes you feel accepted always?

What can you do this week to show acceptance to another person?

The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14
1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

In my many years as a Christian, I have met a great many religious people. These are the people who want to impress their standards on others, or ridicule the convictions of others. I have always strived to respect others who worship and respect God is different ways. I was raised to wear my “Sunday Best” clothes to church, and show great respect for the “House of God”. Now the place we meet is more like a barn, and it really doesn’t matter at all what you wear when you go to worship God together with others on Sunday. I suppose all that matters is that we worship God “in spirit and in truth”.

Having respect for other’s points of view is a very peaceful way to live. If others think it is wrong for you to do a certain thing, don’t show off how you different you may feel by doing that thing in front of them.

How do you feel when visiting a church where the customs may differ from your own?

How do others feel around you when you are living life?

Are there things you do that don’t reflect God’s grace to others?

LIVE IN THE LIGHT

Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Love, for the Day is Near
8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”[a] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Many times we choose to live our lives in the darkness of a sole centered existence. There are many reasons for this. We are usually under the impression that it is a safer way of life. We hide because we don’t want others to really see us as we are. The problem is that our souls need the acceptance and approval from God and others to really feel fulfilled in our lives. This fulfillment is then impossible to obtain as long as we remain in the darkness. Guilt and shame are powerful enemies. If we are guilty, God already knows about it before we confess it, and He accepts us anyway. He only asks that we confess it to him. If we feel shame, God looks past it, and accepts as we are. If God has forgiven you of your guilt and shame, who am I to condemn you for them? I can have the same acceptance for you as God has. This is what grace is all about.

Find a grace filled place where you can feel safe to “live in the light”.

Do you see authority as from God?

Why do we owe a continuing debt to love one another?

How do you feel when the light is shed on your deeds?

Do you feel like you are in a slumber?

How can you clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ?

A LIVING SACRIFICE

Romans 12
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Most sin (if not all) is based in selfishness. When we offer our bodies as living sacrifices we stop living to ourselves, and begin to serve God and others. This world is full of products and services that are targeted to our selfish desires and offer to give us an easier life. Sometimes we get caught in the opposite trap. We wrap our lives totally around another person, and ignore our own self. This is usually a codependent tendency. To love others as we love ourselves implies that we already love ourselves.

As we change our focus on the world, and see ourselves and others as God sees us, life takes on a fully different meaning. When we realize that we all suffer from the same selfish tendencies, the same insecurities, and life hits us all in ways we have never been prepared for, perhaps we can show more grace toward those who stumble even when it hurts us.

Leaving things for God to handle when we are not equipped with omnipotence is a very healing thing to do.

How do you feel when you are around people rejoicing? Can you join them?

How do you feel when around those mourning?

Can you associate with people who do not share your “place” in life?

Can you easily leave the vengeance to God?

What does it mean to overcome evil with good? How can we do this?

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE GRAFTED

Romans 11
The Remnant of Israel
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah–how he appealed to God against Israel: 3“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4And what was God's answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.” 9And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
Ingrafted Branches
11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out! 34“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

One of the steps to recovery asks that we take a searching and fearless inventory of our life, and in the following steps to deal with the results accordingly. In this process we “Cut off” that which is causing us harm, and we “Graft in” that which will make our lives better.
One of the things God wants to do is to graft you into his Life-Giving body (the body of Christ). Isn’t is a wonderful thought that we become part of God’s recovery plan by allowing ourselves to be grafted in?


What things have you needed to cut off from your life in order to be healthy?

What things do you need to “graft in” to your life to become more healthy?

How can our group help?

We appreciate you being a “grafted in” part of our “group tree”!!

CLOSER THAN YOU REALIZE

Romans 10
1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.” 6But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7“or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” 19Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” 20And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

We humans truly believe the old saying that laws are made to be broken. If we can be honest about this one thing about ourselves, we will make great progress toward recovery. There are many “religious” people in this world who believe one thing or another about who God is, and how people should live, but Jesus points out that in a true religion, the orphans and widows are taken care of. Recovery starts with the step that acknowledges that we are not god, and that we cannot on our own power ascend, or descend to where God may be. We can only humbly repent and ask for him to come to where we are and help us. We must say that he is Lord, and stop fooling ourselves and thinking that somehow we are the lord. This also is backed up by some action. By taking our own inventory, and sharing that inventory with God and others, we show that we mean business, and the power of those hurts habits and hang-ups is broken.

Lastly, we become God’s representatives here by sharing our experience, strength and hope with others. How else would this life changing message be spread to all who are in need?

What “laws” make you feel the most guilt or shame?

Do feel the need to chase God?

Do you feel God chasing you?

Have you felt the power of guilt and shame disappear through confession?

Have you shared with other your experience, strength and hope?

What do the following phrases mean to you?

“I was found by those who did not seek me.”

“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people”