christian

Originally posted at: http://www.theresstillhope.org

Amos 5:21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals.”

Steven Stoffelsen, founder of House of Refuge Street Ministries, writes, “God doesn’t want us to only know about him. He doesn’t want us to think of him as a cruel ruler that we can only come to if we have been really, really good. Rather, the privilege of getting to know him is ours. Consequently, as we get to know him, the more we will understand his goodness. And the more we understand his goodness, the more we will fall in love with him.”

Since the days of Amos, we have often fallen into the trap of worshiping the form instead of the substance. We make a god of the ritual, or religious festival.

Religious activities are not the end; they are the means to the end. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not the ritual.

Recovery Step: Hold no idols. Not even recovery. Set your eyes on the God of the ritual, not on the ritual of the God.

Originally posted at: http://www.theresstillhope.org

Help is on the way – in God’s timing.

He promises, “When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2).

God’s protection is sure, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be battles. 

Will your unhappy marriage become happy in a heartbeat? Not likely. Does God guarantee the absence of struggle? Not in this life. Will your addictive impulses vaporize in a moment? Not gonna happen. But he does pledge to reweave your pain for a higher purpose.

Exhibit A – Joseph. He was 17 years old when his brothers abandoned him; he was 37 when he saw them again. Another year passed before he saw his father.

Sometimes, God takes his time. But remember this: you are a version of Joseph in your generation. His story is in the Bible for this reason: to teach us to trust God to trump evil.

Recovery Step: Be patient. Hang on. It’s gonna get better.