Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 60
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reward systems for each are very different. While we may succeed in the world by becoming famous or
wealthy, we will never receive further reward from God for our public success. If we humbly seek to help
others, we will be openly rewarded by our heavenly Father. What seems private and unnoticed by other
people is public, even center stage, before God.
insights INTO
SH A R ING TH E GO O D N E WS
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus described what we should be like. If we have been delivered by God’s power,
we are witnesses to his power to save. We are to carry the light of his good news to people imprisoned
in the darkness of addiction and sin. Dysfunctional behavior and warped relationships abound, in part
due to our lack of healthy, Christian role models. People are desperate for seasoning and light. We can
make a significant impact on individuals, relationships, and even societal structures if we let our spiritual
light shine for others to see. As we experience God’s deliverance, we are called to share our recovery with
others. This will not only extend hope to hurting people, but it will also encourage us as we face new
trials ahead.
Jesus had great compassion for those who had no protection or guidance. So in Matthew 9:36 –10:8 Jesus
began training his closest disciples to help fill the need. They were to go out and use God’s power to heal
and encourage those needing physical or spiritual recovery. They were not expected to reach everyone, but
they were to make a difference in at least one needy group. As we share our stories of recovery with others,
we cannot expect to reach everyone with the good news of recovery. We can, however, share the message
with a few, who will also share their stories with others. As we use our own recovery to encourage the recovery of others, we will start a chain reaction that will touch the lives of many.
Matthew 25:14-30 is about using our gifts wisely, and it provides needed encouragement and sobering
reality to those of us in recovery. Even though this parable is about money, it can, by extension, also refer
to God-given abilities. Everyone has been given various abilities by God; no one is untalented or worthless.
That should encourage us. On the other hand, we are each responsible to use our abilities for God. After
suffering for years as a slave to our destructive addictions, some of us may wonder if we have anything to
offer. Yet even if we have nothing else, we have something to tell others. As we share our experiences of
deliverance, we will give others hope for recovery. Our years of suffering may become the gift of life to
someone in need.
insights A BOU T
PR AYER
In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus gave his disciples a model prayer to follow. This prayer is more than just a model
for our prayers; it is a model for our lives in recovery. We are to acknowledge God in our lives and honor his
name. Our greatest desire should be to see his Kingdom established and his will done on earth, both in our
lives and in the world in general. God’s daily provision for us is another petition important for recovery. We
must ask for forgiveness of our sins and forgive those who have wronged us. Finally, God wants us to ask for
protection from Satan’s temptations we face each day. If we are praying these things and living them in our
walk with God, we are truly on the path of recovery.
insights CO NCER N ING
TRU E FA ITH
In Matthew 7:24-27 we are told that two kinds of life-building foundations are available. One foundation
is as solid as rock—the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. The other foundation is like shifting sand—the
foundation of human pride and selfish endeavor. Our lives might be outwardly impressive, but if built on
the wrong foundations, difficult circumstances will soon level what we have built. Like a fragile house of
cards, our lives will come crashing down. How much better to build our lives on the solid foundation of
faith in Jesus Christ. Then when the inevitable storms of life come, we will not be destroyed.
In Matthew 11:25-30 we are told of the importance of childlike faith. Only when we come to Jesus as
little children can we find recovery and relief for our emotional pain. Many of us think we can work things
out our own way. In doing this, we miss this simple truth: God alone has the power to enable us in recovery. We cannot even begin recovery until we are willing to admit how powerless we are; this is the importance of childlike faith. Children are powerless and are very aware of that fact; they entrust themselves to
their parents each and every day. As we recognize how powerless we are over our dependencies, we can
entrust ourselves to God’s loving care. He has all the power we need for full recovery.
In Matthew 14:25-33 Jesus walked on water and then enabled Peter, through faith, to do the same.
Before we began the process of recovery, our lives were as turbulent as a stormy sea. When we trusted God
for recovery, we, like Peter, stepped out in faith into that storm-tossed sea. As long as we hold on to our faith
and keep our eyes on Jesus, we will succeed over the waves of life. When we focus on the troubled waters
