Category: Thought For Today

Our happiness should be measured by our relationship with God

7th October 2022 aeboyle 2022, October, Thought For Today 0 Comments

Living Life Recovery Daily Devotion
Bible Reading: Galatians 5:19-21…
Focus Verse: Galatians 5:19


It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. Galatians 5:19-21

At some stage in the recovery process we all become restless and dissatisfied. We wonder : – I’ve been at this a while now. If I am in God’s will why am I so tired and unfulfilled? What’s the point of me doing this for the rest of my life? When I feel like that the first thing I do is take inventory on my life. and ask myself the questions. Who am I serving? What character flaws am I expressing in my behaviour that separate me from God’s will for my life today? What do I need to do to change my attitudes and my behaviours?

When we take a good long hard look at ourselves in times of restlessness and dissatisfaction, in my experience the problem is always me, not God. If you are feeling down today, take time to stop and to take a searching and fearless moral inventory of your attitudes, actions and the things you are doing you know you shouldn’t be and take appropriate action to change them.

Galatians 5.19

Don’t try and get your own way all the time.

God help me today when I am feeling restless and dissatisfied to look within and change whatever I need to change to bring my thoughts and behaviours back in line with your plan

Keeping Fit

6th October 2022 aeboyle 2022, October, Thought For Today Comments Off on Keeping Fit

Total health, physically, mentally and spiritually depends on the extent of our God-consciousness. When we are unfit inefficiencies and sluggishness appear in our lives. We lack drive, motivation and real effort.

Walking with God daily is part of our fitness routine in the recovery process. It has to be maintained and it has to be consistent. To walk with Him we need to go His Way. When we do He will help us get fit and He will help us to keep fit.

Romans 5:5-8 says:  We can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!  Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice.  But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

In our weakness we have walked in selfish ways that have made us unfit, physically, mentally and spiritually. Now we are in recovery we need to walk on His chosen path for our lives so we can be all He is calling us to be and do all He is calling us to do.

Recovery is not about perfection, it’s about progression.

4th October 2022 aeboyle 2022, October, Thought For Today Comments Off on Recovery is not about perfection, it’s about progression.

 

Blesed

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst–not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” John 4:13-14

For most of us, life has been a thirsty experience. We have thirsted for love, security, self-worth, and peace. Many of us have tried to quench that thirst through excessive control, addictions, and other inappropriate behavior patterns. But finally we have come to know the One who can satisfy the deepest thirst of every human spirit. We have put our trust n Jesus Christ who gives to us, as he did to the woman at the well, the fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. How do we participate in the joy and peace of everlasting life right now?

I thirst for God, the living God. Psalms 42:2 Do you?

 

Matthew 5:6 says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” 

thought_for_todayBlessed are they who want to live right and are willing to put in the effort toc gange their lives.  Jesus came to save sinners and all we nned to do to inherit “gushing fountains of eternal life”is believe He is the Son of God, put our faith and trust in Him as our personal Saviour (higher power) and work at being a better version of the people God ceated us to be ‘one day at a time.’ Recovery is not about perfection, it’s about progression.

There is a chorus we used to sing in The Salvation Army “I want to live right (righteousness_ that God may use me at any time and anywhere.”

Is that your desire today? To be used by God to ‘Be different and make a difference.” Even if it takes you ouside ofyour comfort zone.

 

 

2022 | The Bible

19th September 2022 aeboyle 2022, September, Thought For Today Comments Off on 2022 | The Bible

2 Timothy 3:16-17 The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good.

It’s not a collection of stories, myths or human ideas about God. It’s not a human book. It is a collection of Holy Spirit revelations of God’s plan revealed to those who wrote down His message for His people. It is trustworthy because God was in control of it’s writing. It is truly ‘given to us by inspiration from God.’ In order to learn God’s truth, we need to read it, study it, meditate on it and talk to God about it.

It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good.

2022 | Thought for Today #261

18th September 2022 aeboyle 2022, September, Thought For Today 1 Comment

New_bluIn this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties.
But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.” John 16:33

Spiritual growth occurs from the inside out.God does not hide from us the fact that once we make a decision to continue in recovery we can expect to experience difficulties in resisting the world. When we turn around from the past of disillusionment to attempt a new-lifestyle it is not going to be easy. We must not kid ourselves. Self-confidence will soon be shattered.  The world at large will not pat us on the back for restructuring our lives. We will run into all kinds of disinterest, and few will care about our new found goals. This can distress us. We may be tempted to throw in the towel.

God alone gives us faith, as He call s us to keep moving forward with Him. ‘He has conquered the world.’ and invites us to participate in his victory.

2022 |Thought For Today #257

14th September 2022 aeboyle 2022, September, Thought For Today Comments Off on 2022 |Thought For Today #257

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Realising I needed God and involving Him in my recovery were two different things.

When God invited me to follow Him my immediate response was YES! But then my pride kicked in. I started to justify in my own mind why I didn’t really need to follow Him.

Psalms 31:24 Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.

  • Are you willing to take an honest look at yourself?
  • Are you prepared to change your thinking?

#246 Thought For Today

3rd September 2022 aeboyle 2022, Step 1, Thought For Today Comments Off on #246 Thought For Today

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We should encourage each other “Comfort and encourage each other with this news.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Step Twelve says “I will try to live according to His principles and to lead others to a personal relationship with Him.”

Hosea 12:6 says “Come back to God. Live by the principles of love and justice, and always be expecting much from him, your God.”

2 Peter 1:5 says “You must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do.” Living according to God’s principles requires coming back to Him day by day, seeking His will for our lives and doing what He guides and directs us to do.

Learning much in recovery is of no value unless we learn to live our lives comforting and encouraging one another,

#242-Let go of resentment

30th August 2022 aeboyle 2022, August, Thought For Today Comments Off on #242-Let go of resentment

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Matthew 5:23 “Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother has something against you.”

 This scripture in Matthew goes on to say “If you remember someone has something against you leave your gift and go and make peace, then come back and offer your gift.” That tells me the process of making restitution in continued spiritual growth is a big one.

This is not always an easy step to take. To let go of all resentment. To give it to God and then go and make peace with the people you resent goes against everything we have ever done in life before. But it is necessary because if we don’t resentment will lead us back down that path of despair.

  • Now you are at a turning point in your relationship with God and others how do you feel?

 

Prayer: God give me the strength to let go of resentment. To trust you as I go to those I resent to repair relationships.

2022 | 236 Thought For Today

24th August 2022 aeboyle 2022, August, January, Thought For Today Comments Off on 2022 | 236 Thought For Today

thought_for_today  “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure–‘playactors’ I call them–treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. Matthew 6:2

Balance – Acrostic

23rd August 2022 aeboyle 2022, August, Thought For Today Comments Off on Balance – Acrostic

BUILDING BOUNDARIES

Mortals have a limited life span. You’ve already decided how long we’ll live—
you set the boundary and no one can cross it. Job 14:5

ACKNOWLEDGING NEED

I’m letting you know what I need, calling out for help Psalm 28:2

Don’t turn your back on me just when I need you so desperately. Pay attention!
This is a cry for help! And hurry—this can’t wait! Psalm 102:2

         LEARNING CAPABILITIES

“No one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift
from the Father.” John 6:65

         AFFIRMING LIMITS

I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your
commands! Psalm 119:96

          NEW ROUTINES

If you handle the work this way, you’ll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in theirsettings will flourish also. Exodus 18:23

         CARING

You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. Matthew 5:7

         ESTABLISHING RULES

But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules andways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it. Romans 3:31

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