Do not be enslaved to anything

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NLT)

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

In this verse the apostle is reminding believers not to become a slave to anything, especially those things that are not good for them. For in Christ we have been freed from sin, but that freedom should not allow one to become entrapped to vices which they find themselves enslaved to.

My wife and I attended a taping of a new format for a Dr. Drew show here in Atlanta. Some of you may know Dr. Drew from TV shows such as his nightly HLN broadcast, Celebrity Rehab and Rehab with Dr. Drew. [Dr. Drew Pinsky is a practicing physician, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Board Certified in Addiction Medicine and a member of the staff at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Pinsky is also Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Keck USC School of Medicine. [About Dr. Drew, drdrew.com]]

During the taping of the show Dr. Drew gave audience members a chance to ask questions. An attractive young woman stood up and said she had a question about the relationship with her boyfriend. The woman went on to say her boyfriend had been known as a lady’s man through the years. Dr. Drew asked her if that was still true, to which she responded she didn’t believe so.

Then as Dr. Drew asked her some questions at which point she admitted that her boyfriend had been addicted to having physical relations with the women of his past. She also said he had never been to therapy. Dr. Drew was very compassionate and concerned for her, especially when she said, “I just wonder if I will be good enough for him?”

Ladies, if the question has to asked, “I just wonder if I will be good enough for him”, there is a problem. The problem is you are wondering what it will take for him to be satisfied with you. In this case we are talking about a man who potentially has an addiction to women. If in face he does have an addiction, the cravings of an addiction make a person want more, and more, and more.

This man is enslaved and without help, without freedom for the sin, this man will want more until it consumes their relationship. Will she be enough for him? In his current state, she will never be enough.  He will look for and also ask for riskier behaviors. Without treatment he will continue to do so until he finds himself bored and desires more than he has.  So yes, she will never be enough, not because of who she is, but because of his problem. She may even find herself entrapped in his sin until she decides she can’t take it any longer at which point the relationship can no longer be sustained.

Her story is a good reminder to not become a slave to anything. The man should never have become a slave to the sin he has participated in and the woman needs to take care she does not become a slave to her boyfriend. 

Return to God

Psalm 149:4 (NLT)

4 For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

The Israelites are defined to God as “his people”. Yet God has called others to join with “His people” to gather close to God and receive the riches of His blessings. Those who humble themselves before God will find victory in this life.

From Romans 15:1-13, the apostle tells us the following: We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:

“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”

And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.” And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”

And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.” I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So there are questions, have we humbled ourselves before God as the Israelites were asked to do? Have we placed our faith in Jesus Christ so that we would receive God’s gift of salvation? Are we helping others and building them up and teaching them what is right? Do we even consider ourselves a Christian nation or are we a nation that has turned their face against God? Do we even pray as we should?

As you read through The Bible you will find God was not always with “His People”. As they turned from God, God left them to their own devices. God waited for their return and then blessed them just as the father who welcomed the prodigal son. Return to God and receive His love, grace and mercy.

Good business

Psalm 112:5 (NLT)

Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly.

This is a verse that reminds us that those who conduct their business fairly and use their profits to help others will find that good comes into their lives. It is part of the character of a good man that he will use his discretion in managing his affairs, in getting and saving, that he may have enough to share.

According to Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, the person who has had the single greatest impact on addressing global poverty in the past twenty-five years is a largely-unknown World Vision staffer named Steve Reynolds. In 1985, a young Steve Reynolds was working in Ethiopia, during what was the worst famine of a generation. Steve spent many dreary days in the relief camps as an eyewitness to the horrors of massive starvation and death, gathering information that he hoped would provoke people to notice and respond.

One day he got a call from headquarters asking if he would host a young European couple, Ali and Paul Hewson, who wanted to visit and learn firsthand what was happening. Steve was willing to help. Ali and Paul stayed almost a month, rolling up their sleeves to help and showing tireless compassion. Paul was a musician, so he entertained the kids by writing little songs. Paul and Ali finally went home but not before they had committed to do whatever they could to help. You may know Paul better by his nickname, Bono.

Since that trip in 1985, Bono, the lead singer of the phenomenal Irish rock group U2, has traveled the globe as an advocate for the poorest of the poor. He has met with kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers, and the pope. He has lobbied members of parliaments and congresses. He has persuaded governments to appropriate billions of dollars of aid to the poor.

But in a later interview with Christianity Today, Bono specifically mentioned the key influence of Steve Reynolds. Bono said, "All of this started for me in Ethiopia in the mid-'80s, when my darling wife and I went out there as children, really, to see and to work in Africa."

Twenty-seven years later Steve Reynolds still works for World Vision. He has served in numerous jobs, working behind the scenes on behalf of the world's poorest people. Steve has been willing and available to be used however God wanted to use him. [Condensed from Richard Stearns, Unfinished (Thomas Nelson, 2013), pp. 152-154]     

God puts people in places where He can use them to benefit others. He will take the good deeds of a business person and wisely put them to use. 

God our protector and healer

Psalm 91:1-3 (NLT)

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

Unknown is the author of this Psalm. Some believe it to have been written by Moses while others think it may have been penned by David. Whomever the author they gave an account of their trust in God. For they knew the safety God provided; whether it be a trap of temptation or a real threat from a deadly disease.

Dr Kent Brantly, one of two Americans stricken with the Ebola virus in the West Africa nation of Liberia, was delivered Saturday morning to an Atlanta hospital for treatment and is showing signs of improvement, experts say.

Brantly "seems to be improved from the reports we got earlier," Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

After transport from Liberia on a specially outfitted plane Brantly, 33, climbed out of an ambulance with the aid of another person and then walked the short distance to the entrance of Emory University Hospital. Both Brantly and the person who helped him were wearing special biocontainment suits and similar protective gear, NBC News reported.

Experts said that the fact that Brantly could walk on his own was an encouraging sign.

Brantly's wife Amber, as well as his mother and father, had traveled to the hospital to meet him but his two small children did not make the trip. [Healthday, August 3, 2014, Ebola Patient Dr Kent Brantly Arrives in U.S., May Be Improving, By Dennis Thompson and E.J. Mundell]

There are many who fear the Ebola virus and the two American’s who contracted the virus that was transported to Atlanta. It is after all a deadly virus that is severe and often fatal. Transmission of the virus from humans is usually due to contact with blood or secretions of an affected person.

The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs (outside of human to human exposure), remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States. [CDC)

For those who might be fearful of those who are being treated in the United States, we need to trust in The Lord. The Lord is watching over us because we are trying to do what is right out of love and concern for fellow citizens who risked their life to help others. The Lord will protect us from the deadly disease as He imparts wisdom to the doctors who are dealing with the disease. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, strength and a sound mind. Let use our sound minds to work through the dangers of this virus so that others may be healed in the future.

God's light to your life

Psalm 119:130 (NLT)

130 The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.

God’s word is the instruction book to our life that illuminates and guides the directions we should take in life. God has used others to demonstrate life, the joys, the fears, the consequences and the contentment. God’s word is for all so they may understand life and how to live it well.

All of us have based our lives upon something we have learned. Some of what we have learned came through our parents. I was listening to a group of adults talking about parenting skills. Many said they had always told themselves they would not turn out like their father or their mother in the way they handled their children. Later they found themselves doing exactly what their parents had done before.

We learn from others around us. There are those around us who often give good counsel and advice. Often we learn just by listening to how others solved a problem. For instance some of my coworkers are handy at working on home projects, so we each end us sharing how the other can fix a problem with their home.

Then there is learning about how we should really live life. People seem to pick up their ideas from many places. There are both religious and non-religious groups from which people will seek out answers. There are those who offer self-help advice and since they seem to have answers people will often follow them. And yet some who offer good advice, even great advice have faced failures in their own lives. They are not perfect so we should be careful of all life advice.

Above King David was telling us that The Bible shines a light for us to see how to live life. It has simple concepts that anyone can understand. There are examples of failures and triumphs. We just need to take the time, spend it in God’s word, and spend time getting to know God and His will for our lives.

I always thinking of Jeremiah 29:11 that has these words, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This is God’s desire for those who love Him and who He loves. Look to God’s word for the light to your life.

God is listening

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NLT)

2 “This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: 3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

This message comes from The Lord, the one who made, formed and established the earth. It is comforting to know that the one who has created everything is willing to entertain our questions and respond. We must seek out God in prayer and humbly ask that we may receive the answers we are looking for.

In the movie Gravity, veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (played by George Clooney) is in charge of the Shuttle Explorer's STS-157 mission to repair the Hubble Telescope by the rookie specialist Dr. Ryan Stone (played by Sandra Bullock). Out of the blue, Houston control aborts the mission warning that a Russian missile hit a satellite, causing a chain reaction and now there is a storm of debris coming upon the pair of astronauts. Soon they lose communication with the Mission Control in Houston. As a result of the debris strike, both Stone and Kowalski must now make their way to the International Space Station.

Isolated and coming to grips with her mortality, Dr. Stone has the following conversation/prayer with God:

I'm gonna die, aren't I God? I know we're all gonna die...we're all gonna die. But I'm gonna die today! Funny that you ought to know. But the thing is I'm still scared … I'm really scared. Nobody will mourn for me; no one will pray for my soul. Will you mourn for me? Will you pray for me? Or is it too late? I mean, I'd pray for myself but I've never prayed in my life. Nobody ever taught me how. Nobody ever taught me how. [Gravity, DVD, Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, 2014; Warner Brothers; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky]

Dr. Stone says nobody ever taught her how to pray, but out of necessity she finds herself doing what she had never been taught to do, pray. You see Dr. Stone was seeking out answers from God. She was faced with a life of death situation and in what seemed to be her final moments she was calling out to God trying to understand if it was too late to reconcile herself with Him.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” 

God's word

Psalm 119:114 (NLT)

114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.

David comforted himself with the thoughts of God’s protection. David knew God was his shield against his enemies and also a shield against sin. David depended upon God’s promises for safety, comfort, love, protection and everything else he would need. These promises were the source of his hope.

In an interview about his book The Folly of Prayer (IVP, 2009), author and pastor Matt Woodley shared a story about his friend Theresa. Theresa was experiencing what St. John of the Cross calls a dark night of the soul—a period of spiritual loneliness and despair. Over the course of describing her story, listen to how Woodley discovered that what seemed most helpless in his ministry was actually the most helpful:

After marrying the man of her dreams, [Theresa] dropped into the abyss of a deep depression. Everything went dark in her mind and body. She even started writing her obituary. Three years ago I would have had plenty of answers and solutions for her. I would have been so clever and powerful. But now I could only sit with her in her pain. We prayed. I didn't know what to do, didn't have any answers, so I said, "Theresa, I have no idea what to say, so could we just read the Psalms?" Then I read Psalm 77, an agonizing psalm of lament, and I went home. I left feeling utterly powerless, and I sure didn't think that I made her feel better.

The next week another leader of our church visited Theresa. She was still suffering intensely, but when the leader asked if he could pray for her, Theresa said, "Yes, but before you pray, please read Psalm 77. I've been clinging to it all week. It's my lifeline to God." Apparently when we read Psalm 77 in utter powerlessness, God showed up in her life with power.

Woodley adds: "At times the best, most powerful and most useful way to love someone is to get to the end of myself. I admit that I can't fix or change you. My words and my advice won't heal your brokenness. But I can be with you, and we can go together to the Father." [IVP Books, "Are You There, God? An Interview with The Folly of Prayer Author Matt Woodley"]

God’s word is powerful and can change the thoughts and hearts of people. The scriptures remind us of God’s promises and His love for us. Proverbs 30:5 tells us, “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.”