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Who would abandon a baby on the side of the road?
Alcoholics Anonymous (aka, Al-Anon or AA) recognizes that having a mentor is integral to success in their program. Al-Anon mentors are called sponsors—who are typically people that have successfully abstained from alcohol for an extended amount of time. They come alongside new members to advise and help them navigate through the challenges of being sober and the struggles encountered during recovery. What does this look like in practice? Sponsors will make themselves available or get someone who can be when desires for alcohol come up. They should also be an inspiration so that others would want to be more like them. Finally, they should be a pillar of strength for…
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Not all love is created equal
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 ESV YouVersion Bible link Love is a choice. It is a decision that one consciously makes. It is acting for one option to the exclusion of another. Love is associated with desire in a way that illustrates this choice. Though the two concepts are closely intertwined (as these verses highlight) desire and…
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God’s good pleasure
“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”Philippians 2:13, YouVersion Bible Link ESV Paul is talking about the Church in Philippi, but I should be able to read it more personally. As I was trying to wrap my head around this verse, I began to reorder the words in another way and swapped the pronouns from “you” to “me”, so the verse looked like this: God works in me for his good pleasure—both to will and to work. So God works in me to will? What does that mean? Also, God works in me to work? Isn’t that repetitive? Since…
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Good conduct reflects wisdom
“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” YouVersion Bible App ESV James 3:13 ESV This is an incredible verse. Opening with a question like this seems to be a trap. Anyone who answers, “I am,” could probably be seen as lacking in humility or meekness. No one can truly answer this question and be the one whom the question seeks to find. This draws a line in the sand between those who serve with a trumpet’s horn versus those who serve with stealth. Conduct can be done in private, but cannot be kept private. A person’s…
