Addiction Or Grace (2)
Tuesday January 24, 2017
The principle is simple: If we desire to live in a more loving way towards others we need to know that we ourselves are loved. Love is the very essence of God. Living in a loving, caring relationship with God and others is God’s plan for everyone.
Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him. (1 John 4:7-9 ERV)
Our behaviour often reflects what we believe about God. When we don’t get what we want, we believe God doesn’t care for us. When we don’t feel loved, we believe we’re just not good enough to be loved by God or anyone else. Operating on beliefs like these drives us to seek love in harmful relationships, practices and ultimately substances. Whatever we substitute for God’s best is a counterfeit and sooner or later we will come to know it doesn’t satisfy.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:2 NLT)
How do we prevent relapse into addictive behaviour and destructive lifestyles and finally live in love and grace? We choose to believe God has given us unique gifts and talents to serve Him and others well. We reject negative thoughts and focus instead on finding ways to recognize the gifts God is generously giving us each day and then share them with others. In this way we grow strong in God’s unending love for us.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV)
Prayer – Heavenly Father, I confess my weakness in keeping my eyes fixed on You. I ask You to work in me, giving me the desire and the power to do what pleases You. AMEN
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