Month: October 2018

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength . . . Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord . . . Jeremiah 17:5-8 The problem with the addict or alcoholic is that he follows his diseased appetite above all. Enslaved to his flawed desires, his addiction makes the decisions,…
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Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy . . . Jeremiah 15:16 Every day, when I step on the scale, it measures the sum of dietary choices, for my entire life, leading up to that point. What I weigh today is a product of what I’ve eaten…
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Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? . . . They are both stupid and foolish . . . Jeremiah 10:7-8 As an addict living in recovery, it’s easy to become frustrated with those who are still addicted. Believing that I’ve dealt with all my problems, I tend to look down on those…
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Let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me . . . Jeremiah 9:23-24 Four years ago yesterday, I left chemical dependency treatment with questions about who I was. Was I a doctor…
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Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Jeremiah 6:15 When you talk about attempting to eat right as much as I do, people notice what you eat. At work, when I lose control and eat a donut, I hear about it from everyone…
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They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us’ . . . Jeremiah 5:12 None of us starts out searching for the painful consequences that follow our destructive addictions to drugs, porn, food, anger, or money. In the beginning, we indulge just a little, knowing…
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Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God . . . Jeremiah 3:12-13 I can’t read today’s passage without remembering my own childhood experience…
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You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord. Jeremiah 3:1 As a Christian and physician, I feel that I should speak the truth in love, always being professional and kind. There are times though that loving, kind words just don’t get through. In my addiction, polite did…
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For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, I will not serve. Jeremiah 2:20 Nearly 20 years ago, though I didn’t feel sick, I was diagnosed with an illness, which if left untreated, would have taken my life. The treatment was fairly simple – a surgeon removed my thyroid…
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For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13 It is not uncommon to meet a suffering patient, who wants to feel better, while hanging on to that which is making him sick. The…
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