Month: October 2017

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. At a weekly bible study in our local jail, I have heard many stories of conflict and fights. Though there are various causes, the most common stories revolve around the remote control. It is not uncommon for…
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Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. My son and I love to rock jump. Few things are as exhilarating as falling through space with heart in throat before plunging into the water below. We have found that in picking a spot from which to jump, perspective matters.…
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Philippians 1:12 I want you to know that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard . . . that my imprisonment is for Christ. As miserable as my addiction and subsequent destruction was for me, it was that much…
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Philippians 1:6 He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Three years ago, a week before life fell apart, I had the opportunity to be involved in a save-a-life kind of event in the emergency room. I remember desperately wanting to be known as…
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Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armor of God . . . that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. When I was a sophomore, playing high school football, I desperately wanted into every varsity game. Each Friday, I thought, Surely, this will be my…
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Ephesians 6:10 Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. In my addiction to both food and drugs, I promised myself again and again that I would quit. Every indulgence was the last time. I’ll quit tomorrow, I swear! I mean it this time. I refuse to fail. Never once did…
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  Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” . . . Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. A few days ago, I was riding with my driver-in-training son when we approached a 40 MPH speed limit sign. As he was going 30,…
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Ephesians 5:25,33 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . . let each one of you love his wife as himself . . . The nature of addiction is to pursue some behavior above those whom I say are important to me. I once took a…
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Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. When under the influence of a pill, my behavior was altered by that which I ingested. I took the pill and it, in turn, took me. As the drug acted on receptors in my brain, my thoughts…
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Ephesians 5:3,4 Sexual immorality . . . must not even be named among you . . . Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking . . . but instead let there be thanksgiving. When I was in my early teens, my father and I knew a man with a particularly foul…
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