Month: April 2019

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down . . .” Matthew 4:5 Nerd confession time: We love watching and discussing superhero movies at our house. In fact, it’s not uncommon for…
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Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 There is a condition in which man can exist that isn’t death, but neither is it life. I know. I’ve been there, and so has anyone who’s lived with addiction. In any addiction, whether it’s food,…
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Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Matthew 4:1-2 For the most part, I start out my days with good intentions and good behavior. I exercise early and I eat well through most of the…
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Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. Matthew 3:13 Most of us are pretty good at seeing the mistakes of others. As a physician, it’s no different. I’m quite capable of identifying the destructive behavior of patients. It’s easy to see when someone needs to lose weight, stop smoking,…
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He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. Matthew 3:11 Whenever I’ve accomplished something that required hard work, I’ve looked back with pride at the effort it took to get there. I didn’t get here by accident. I got here by working for this. Whenever I’ve…
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Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10 Recently, I sat across from an addict who blamed everyone except himself for his life’s problems. I listened politely for a while, but after 15 minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. My response was truthful, but in…
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Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 3:8 Some struggle with admitting guilt and feeling remorse. Whenever I’ve engaged in behavior that has been destructive to myself and those around me though, I’ve felt terrible. I’ve cried and apologized, promising to do better next time. My problem isn’t in admitting my problem. My problem is in…
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John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:4 While putting life back together after the disaster of my addiction, I had a decision to make. Was I going to resume my career, rebuild my family, and just keep quiet about…
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Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under . . . Matthew 2:16 Today’s passage provides a horrifying, yet accurate example of what anger does to our brains.…
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An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you . . .” Matthew 2:13 Recently, while speaking at a meeting of recovering addicts, I talked about following my will and contrasted that with following…
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