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But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 1 Corinthians 8:9 When I meet an alcoholic or addict who’s relapsed, ending up back in jail or treatment, I usually ask how it happened. Often, the story involves the addict spending time with using friends who…
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For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist . . . 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 In my addiction I followed the drug above all, spending…
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This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 When I write, I usually avoid telling someone else’s story and I rarely refer to specific news…
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I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 When I went to treatment, I left a disaster…
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For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:22 Recently I’ve found myself asking this question: Are there some people who cannot change or find recovery? I’ve watched others make the same…
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Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. 1 Corinthians 7:17 Years ago, when I was facing a significant career change, I went to a respected Christian elder, asking him this question: Does God have a specific plan for where I live…
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For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? 1 Corinthians 7:16 Several years ago, when my abuse of prescription pain pills came to light – meaning my wife found out – I got sober really quick. I promised I’d…
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To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 In the disastrous consequences of my drug addiction, my…
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Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5 I spend a sizable portion of my week providing medical care at a chemical…
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For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 1 Corinthians 7:4 I’ve often said that my drug addiction hasn’t been my greatest flaw in life. My addiction was only a symptom of my…
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