Sober living with Jesus

For since we have become one with him in dying as he did, in the same way we shall be one with him by being raised to life as he was. -Romans 6:5 (GNT) When I first starting getting serious about changing in a twelve step fellowship I belong to, I read that it had to begin with the destruction of the awful self-centered nature that was the root of my trouble and causing me the most grief . That part of me (the human 'flesh nature') had to go. Running the show, thinking of myself as the center of the universe-- it all had to cease being my mode of operating. I had to die in my Higher Power, Jesus, and be raised to life in Him afterward. Every time I confess my sin and repent of it, I die once again to the "self of the flesh" and rise in Christ to seize the day, be glad in it and serve Him with joy.

Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope. The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him, So it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us— And it is best to learn this patience in our youth. -Lamentations 3:21-27 (GNT) It's easy to praise God and spout all sorts of nice Christian platitudes when things are going our way; yet, it is quite another to patiently wait on the LORD when things aren't so wonderful. I have found that I grow the most in His grace when I am able to find the faith to wait patiently. His thoughts and ways are so much higher than mine are (as the Prophet Isaiah says) that it is imperative I strive to keep that in mind-- at all times. Oh how I wish I had learned patience in my youth!

Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife. -Proverbs 17:1 (HCSB) How true that simple proverb is! I have wasted countless amounts of energy in my life striving to win arguments, and at what cost? For me, strife almost always eventually leads to losing my temper and saying or doing things I will come to regret--often instantly. Unkind words are not soon forgotten. My wife and I (like most or all other couples) have had our share of arguments. I know that both of us have said things to each other that are not quickly forgotten. Some of them I have hung onto for years. When there is discord, not much else really matters. It becomes the all-consuming thing in our house until it is resolved. The same can be said for wherever I am: home, work--or even Church. Discord is often a very unhealthy distraction that takes me away from my primary purpose in this life. Knowing that strife inevitably brings anger, it is best to be avoided at all cost.