Steps and Standards

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.        2 Corinthians 7:1

Perceptions, motives, goals and actions must all change if we are to achieve and maintain any level of purity in our lives. Amazingly, as purity grows, these changes come about more rapidly and naturally, since our thoughts become focused on what is good and right.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.       James 1:21

Having discovered the errors in our perception of reality and the world about us, we also see the painful results of turning from God, painful to both us and those around us. As we strive for purity we also see the need for forgiveness and amends to others.

 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.        Matthew 5:8

Our problem here is the unrelenting desire to do that which is right.  It is flawless quality. Knowing what is right means little until we DO what is right.  Were we to contemplate the peace and contentment that a pure conscience would bring to us, and the joy and help that it would bring to others, we would be more determined about our spiritual progress.  Giving our all in its constant pursuit will make us free even though we never quite perfect it. Our self-examination and confessions to God and another have found the flaws of our past actions, and we discover that our willingness to release this flawed behavior allows us to make today and every day a new day. Nowhere is this truer than in the rightness and decency of our life. If we have turned our will and our life over to God, purity will come to us in due course because God is good.

Consider these questions:

• Are my motives pure in all of my affairs?
• Do I take good care of my body?
• Am I entertaining sexual lusts in act or in thought?
• Do we have a problem with pornography?
• We may not be in the gutter but is the gutter in us?

Our life is a diary in which we mean to write one story, and usually write quite another. It is when we compare the two that we have our humblest hour. But let’s compare through our self-inventory and make today a new day. Men who know themselves, have at least ceased to be fools. The art of living in truth and right is the finest of fine arts, and like any fine art, must be learned slowly and practiced with incessant care.

Let us examine ourselves and repent and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and our hands to Him in heaven        Lamentations 3:40-41

Definitions:

Surrendered to the fact that we cannot manage our own lives in our present state, we face our fears of the future, changes, and our past. We pray for guidance from God and ask for suggestions from others. We honestly rely on our new-found hope that we can change, bolstered by our faith that this is what God would have us do. We find the courage to reach out to God and others for help and to look at our past. Courage is not acting without fear but rather acting in spite of our fears. We list our resentments-who and what we don’t like, and why. We look for our part in the resentment and see where we were selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened. We list our faults, our fears and harms done others. We come to rely on God to guide us, to show us how to see things with faith in His absolute control, and fear and shame begin to leave us.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.        Psalm 139:23

Paul Writes the Corinthians

 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.         2 Cor. 7:8-11

Our inventory, if thorough, is to be fearless but often, unfortunately, not painless. Much of the pain we may experience is the same pain we tried to hide or avoid through our past destructive behaviors, especially sorrow. Through acceptance of our sorrow as a positive part of recovery we can change and heal. Sorrow, and other pain, can be constructive.

For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.        Lamentations 3:31-33

Purity is a quality of both the mind and the heart, or perhaps we should say the soul of a man. As far as the mind is concerned, it is a simple case of answering the question, “Is it right, or is it wrong?” That should be easy for us. There is no twilight zone between right and wrong. Even in our drinking days we knew the difference. With most of us, knowing the difference was the cause or part of the cause of our drinking. We did not want to face the reality of doing wrong. It isn’t in the realm of the mental aspects of purity that our problem lies. We can all answer the question quoted above to the best of our ability and get the correct answer.

Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.         James 5:16

Definitions:

With God’s help we have discovered a lot about ourselves, especially where we had been selfish and self-centered. Being honest about ourselves with another person will confirm that we have been honest with ourselves and God, while also allowing us to become more willing to take advice and direction from others. Our own perception of reality can be a little “blurry” if we don’t share our inventory with someone we trust. Establishing accountability in this way, we determine factually the kind of unjust or injurious treatment we have inflicted on others. The actions we should avoid in the future and the direction we should take to improve our behavior become apparent. Our total and complete honesty with another will strengthen our faith, and therefore build up our courage to be free of all of our secrets, fears and egoism.

 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.         Romans 10:10

We resolve to do what God would have us do to best serve Him and our brothers and sisters alike, so we carefully choose who we share with, being mindful to not cause undue pain or discomfort to that individual. We hold nothing back and get everything out into the light and discover that the past begins to lose power over us, that our burdens are lifted and we can walk into a new freedom and know new happiness. We begin to feel the nearness of God in new ways, and our faith grows even more.

Hezekiah’s Illness

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.         2 Kings 20:1-6

Shame, guilt, and fear of being publicly exposed kept us in hiding far too long. We choose carefully whom we are to admit our faults to, but we must choose, for the causes of these feelings must be brought out, and sharing with another is how we do this.

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.         1 Cor. 4:5

It’s in the realm of the heart and spirit that we face difficulty. We know which is right, but do we have the dedicated will to do it? We must have a determined desire to do that which we know is right, if we are to achieve any measurable degree of purity. It has been well said that intelligence is discipline. In other words knowledge means little until it goes into action. Until we translate our knowledge into the action of our own lives, the value of it is non-existent. We are not intelligent under such circumstances. So it is with the decency of our lives. We know what is right, but unless we do it, the knowledge is a haunting vacuum.

So give yourselves humbly to God… then, when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord, He will lift you up, encourage and help you.         James 4:7-10

Definitions:

We started on this path willing to have our circumstances change and have discovered along the way that what needs to change is us. We admitted that we cannot change ourselves but came to believe that God can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  Drawing on our new-found courage, we become ready to “let go” of our old ways. Our inventory disclosed much of what brought us to our bottom and we have discovered the cause of our behaviors as well as their effect on others. Through confession to another we find the flaws which have developed into our lack of moral or ethical strength in the various areas of our life. We also see that these very flaws have become a big part of our being, and to give them up completely and absolutely is a very uncomfortable proposition. We must rely all the more on God to not only remove our defects but also provide His grace to replace them. And we are not disappointed. Our new found hope, faith and courage continue to strengthen. The very fruit He blesses us with is increased before our eyes, as we become willing to participate in His miracles. Five key points which lead to readiness are:

• Admit He knows best (honesty)
• Anticipate it will be better (hope)
• Accept these changes as needed (faith)
• Acknowledge He will change you (courage)
• Act on these principles (integrity)

First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.         Matthew 23:26

 Invitation to the Thirsty

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
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.
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.        Isaiah 55:1-6

True wisdom is thinking with the end in mind; it’s the perfect combination of knowledge and love.  A clean mind in a clean body that embraces clean conduct in business, in work and play, our use of our possessions, our attitudes toward relations with those we’re sexually attracted to, friends and o acquaintances, as well as in my habits.  Purity means we do not manipulate, or seduce, or pre-program, or project hidden agenda’s onto anyone or anything-Purity of mind, of body and of purpose.

“Always measure your life solely by the standards of Jesus. Submit yourself to His yoke, and His alone; and always be careful never to place a yoke on others that is not of Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us to stop thinking that unless everyone sees things exactly as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one true liberty— the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.”        Oswald Chambers

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.         1 John 4:7-8

But the joy of receiving can never match the real thrill of giving. Love is a poor man’s beginning toward God. We receive understanding and love from strangers and we make progress as we in turn give it to new acquaintances. It’s as simple as that. We receive love from God and give it away so that we can receive more to give even more.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.         Galatians 5:22-23

As His love flows through us, we bear the fruit of the Spirit as a witness to His Glory. We continue to set right past wrongs wherever possible to allow His love to work through us. It is through giving that we receive.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.         John 3:16-17

We seek to amend our wrongs toward others out of both love and justice. By loving our neighbors as we love ourselves we obey God’s command and come to know His love for us even more. Our relationships with others grow as well.

We often learn more by questions, than by answers. Did you ever hear a question that caused you to think for days or even weeks? The questions which have no easy answer are often the key to the truth. However, in studying the four Absolutes, we are concerned with the questions we should be asking ourselves over and over again in life. The integrity of our answers to these questions will determine the quality of our life, and may even determine the continuance of our sobriety.

Consider these questions:

• Is it based in faith or fear?
• Am I easily offended or am I loving?
• Do I lose my temper?
• Am I quick to sense slights?
• Am I taking the attitude of love which refuses to be offended?

Remember if you follow the Golden Rule, it’s always your move too. To love what is true and right and not to do it, is in reality not to love it, and we are trying to face reality, remember? Ask yourself, “Is this ugly or is it beautiful?” If it’s truly beautiful then it is the way of love and it is the will of God.

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”        1 John 1:9

Definitions:

Our inventory disclosed much about our flaws in character and how those defects harmed both us and others near to us. The first part of this process of restoration has to be with God. It is our relationship with Him that is the key to our new way of living. Our former path led away from God and we now wish to draw near. We begin by coming to Him in prayer, asking for His cleansing of us. We do this as we assume a position of humility-complete submission to God’s authority. When we seek to follow Him we acknowledge that we need His power and strength to do His bidding as replacement for our own meager attempts at control. As we offer our flaws for removal He will replace them with His fruit to carry out His will for us. Our relationship with Him is based on our humble offering of our flaws and deficiencies for removal so that we may better serve Him. In essence, we ask and wait; secure in the knowledge that He will grow us for His purpose. Our pride is reduced as soon as we begin this step, and in asking to be made useful to others our self-centeredness begins to fade. As our humility grows we start to become unselfish and we put the welfare of others ahead of our own, and restore our relationship to Him.

 Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.        Mark 10:46-52

A good question to ask ourselves on love might be, “Is it ugly or is it beautiful?”  We are experts on ugliness. We have really been there. We are not experts on beauty but we have tasted a little, and we are hungry for more. Love is beauty. Coming from the depths of fear, physical agony, mental torture and spiritual starvation, we feel completely unloved, impregnated with self- pity, poisoned by resentment, and devoured by a prideful ego which has brought complete blindness.

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.       Proverbs 16:6

When we humble ourselves and ask God to rid us of our flaws of character, we begin to clear a channel for His love to flow through us. His mercy and forgiveness flows as well, and we find we can forgive ourselves as well as others.

“If you are standing before the altar…and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice there and go and be reconciled…and then come and offer your sacrifice to God. “        Matthew5:23-24

Definitions:

We may wish to start this step with our list of “harms done others” from our 4^th step inventory and add to it those individuals we injured even though we held no resentment toward them. Even if we felt they “deserved it” we still add them. We need to list everyone we are aware of. We demonstrate our willingness to make amends through forgiveness of others as well as ourselves. We consider each individual and what we can and should do to repair or at least improve the position of the relationship from where we left it. If we do not want to set things right with another, we ask God for the willingness and pray for that individual to have everything we could want for ourselves. We are releasing our own selfishness to grow in our relationship with God, which means we learn to want others to prosper. As we put others well-being ahead of our own, we grow in humility, unselfishness, and brotherly love for others. Our old relationships will be reconciled and new and healthy ones will form. We become willing, without reservation or expectations, to do what is right-to show our love for others.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.- John 15:13

 Sin, Faith, Duty

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”         Luke 17:1-4

We receive understanding and love from strangers and we make progress as we in turn give it to new strangers. It’s as simple as that. Fortunately for us love is inspiring from the very beginning.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.        Galatians 6:7-10

The gates of wisdom and truth are closed to those wise in their conceit, but ever open to the humble and the teachable. To discover what is true and to practice what is good are the two highest aims in life. If we would be humble, we should not stoop, but rather we should stand to our fullest height, close to our Higher Power that shows us what the smallness of our greatness is. A man too proud to know he is poor, has turned away from God with or without alcohol.

“You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.”        Mark 11:24-25

Definitions:

We have our list of names and what we are willing to do to repair the injuries we have caused by our old behavior. Just as we sought to share our 5^th step with another human being, it is important that we review our intentions with someone else before proceeding. Is our motive for the benefit of the other party? We want to make amends, not to cause more harm. In some cases it may be that the best course of action is to not reopen “old wounds” by bringing back painful memories of the past. The insight provided by others that have worked this step themselves is invaluable. Restitution should be made for all debts, and any apology offered should be accompanied with positive action and sincere effort to “clean our side of the street”. We only present our own faults and make whatever reparation we can. We ask for the strength and guidance we need to do the right thing regardless of the personal consequences we may face.

Response to our attempts may range from being held fully accountable to being excused, but we must be ready for the full consequences of our past acts and take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time. Forgiving others releases us from resentment toward them and making amends may release them from their resentment toward us.

Our amends are to be direct. We may find it necessary to travel, but we trust God to put the individual before us when the time is right. We may write letters or make phone calls to initiate the process, but we try to be as direct as we can. The most important amends we make is that we are no longer the person who would treat others so poorly.

 Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”        Luke 19:1-8

 As we continue to make our amends we grow in our love for God, for others and for ourselves as His servants. We continue to release the shame and guilt of our past by offering to set past wrongs right. Even when our offers are refused, we have planted a seed of love and forgiveness which still may blossom and bring healing later. The result of our action is a new freedom from the past for us and we see how our experience can help others. We begin to know peace and happiness as never before. The realization comes that God is changing us. Indeed, He is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.        Galatians 5:13

And God commands us to love one another as He has loved us.

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.        2 Corinthians 5:20

We are helped on our long journey to unselfishness by our great mission of understanding, which includes more than just doing for others. We must be unselfish even in our pursuits of self-preservation. This includes all that we do, since much of our help to others comes through our own example.

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”        Revelation 21:5

Consider that this great mission of love which is ours is seldom experienced by the non-alcoholic, and you have a new reason for gratitude. Few are privileged to save lives. Fewer have the rich experience of being God’s helper in the gift of a second life.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.        2 Corinthians 9:12

We should ask ourselves “How will this affect the other fellow?” when considering what we are about to do, say, think or decide. Our motive should be to serve God by serving others.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.        Philippians 2:3-4

 When we strive for unselfishness, we are removed from our fears of what others might think of us, our reputations, or our feelings by thinking of others instead of ourselves. In freely giving of ourselves we walk in the truth of God’s pure love for all of us. We are blessed in ever growing measure by His grace.

Consider these questions:

• “What am I living for – myself, my own position, money, place, power?
• Or are my powers at the disposal of another’s need?
• At the disposal of our Creator’s Work? This test comes to the root of the matter.
• In the final analysis, what controls my actions – self-interest or God-interest?
• In the depths of my spirit, who gives the final word?
• Am I self-directed or God- directed?
• Also, are there any laws or rules that I think don’t apply to me?
• Is there anyone in my life or anything about life in general that I think needs to change?

We practice this new way of living every day in our obedience and gratitude. We meet with others to share our greatest gifts – God’s love for us and our love for Him – and to be there to offer our experience, strength and hope to others who may be suffering. We give freely of ourselves and that which has been given us, so we may serve as channels of His peace.

“But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be set free of guilt.”        Psalm 19:12

Definitions:

Having begun making our amends, we discover that we are developing a whole new attitude toward life. Our initial problem is losing its power in our lives without any thought or effort on our part. We have come to rely upon God for our needs and they are met before we are even aware of them. We begin to laugh again, maybe even sing out loud just for the feel of it and it feels great! Ours is a path of action, though, and with each action comes results or consequences, depending upon whether we choose wisely or poorly. We can and do make mistakes, but our 10^th step inventory allows us opportunity to identify, rectify, and accept our mistakes. We set things right without delay and learn from our mistakes how to better serve God and our fellows in the future. We see that though we do not approve of the actions or remarks of others, we now have the tools of forgiveness, tolerance, love, and acceptance to help us avoid judgment or retaliation. We are learning to help others as we grow in our new freedom. Neither our past defeats nor victories define us any longer. We have placed our lives under the care of God.

Faith and Deeds

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.        James 1:14-26

At first blush, unselfishness would seem to be the simplest of all to understand, define and accomplish. But we have a long road to travel because ours was a real mastery of the exact opposite during our drinking days. A little careful thought will show that unselfishness in its finest sense, the kind for which we must strive in our way of life, is not easy to reach or describe in detail. In the final analysis, it must gain for us the selflessness which is our spiritual cornerstone, the real significance of our anonymity. Proceeding with the question method of digesting the absolute, we suggest you ask yourself over and over again in judging what you are about to do, say, think or decide, “How will this affect the other fellow?”

How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. … Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”        Isaiah 30:19-21

Definitions:

Now we try to be in closer contact with God by regularly talking to Him (praying) and listening to Him (meditation). We seek what God desires us to be and what He desires to be for us. As our relationship with God improves, we understand His will for us and come to rely on His direction and guidance.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.        Proverbs 9:10

At first we approach in awe and wonderment, and as we gain knowledge through study of the Word and daily reflection upon it we apply this teaching in our daily walk, with wonderful results. We begin to “understand” God as to how His will manifests in our lives. This is the result of our personal relationship with Jesus – a relationship we strive to expand with frequent quiet time and prayer, and one that is personal to each individual. We don’t ask God to do things “our way” but instead seek to know only what He would have us do, one day at a time, even one moment at a time. We trust He will provide us with the strength necessary to carry out His bidding.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.        Micah 6:8

A Psalm of David.

 The Lord is my light and my salvation—   whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. 

 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.        Psalm 27:1-6

We practice this new way of living every day in our obedience and gratitude. We meet with others to share our greatest gifts – God’s love for us and our love for Him – and to be there to offer our experience, strength and hope to others who may be suffering. We give freely of ourselves and that which has been given us, so we may serve as channels of His peace.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.        John 16:33

Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.        1 Peter 3:15

Definitions:

Those problems that brought us to the beginning of this journey have lost their power over us. We sense a freedom we may never have known before.

 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect  the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.        2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Our eyes and hearts have been opened to some simple yet powerful truths:

• We must forgive
• We are forgiven
• God provides everything we need here and now
• We have a real and personal relationship with Christ
• Through His love for us we learn how to love others

We look back on the pain and fear we have come through and see that having “been there” ourselves now equips us to help others in a way no others could.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”        John 8:32

We are reborn! Every day is a new opportunity to glorify God in all we do.

The Vine and the Branches

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”        John 15:5-12

Our past problems have become strong assets as we reach out to help others suffering as we once did – a true miracle! We think of what we may bring to an occasion rather than what we might get from it, and we focus on helping others, as God has commanded us to do. We are not limited to our own little groups, or church, or our homes. We practice these principles in all our affairs, advancing the Kingdom wherever we go as we are led by His Spirit. We humbly preach the gospel of love by our actions, using words only as necessary or when asked.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.        Luke 9:23-24