4 Minute Devotions: Overcoming Addiction

One of the saddest things about addiction is that the consequences of feeding a habit can destroy our dreams and annihilate our ambitions. When I left High School, I could have gone to Stirling University to study history. I met with the leading professor of the History department, and he interviewed me, along with a few other candidates, early in the spring of 1975. I was guaranteed a place and looked forward to becoming a student in the heart of historical Scotland.

Podcast version here

But my addiction got the better of me and I gave up my dreams. When the acceptance form came in, I ripped it up and went out to look for a job. In my heart, I wanted to go to Stirling, but I didn’t want to give up my boozing friends or the pubs I frequented. Regrettably, I set aside something special, in order to feed and maintain my alcoholism.

Bible Verse of the Day
Job 6:13 Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?

I’ve known people to do the same and I’ve watched them destroy themselves, year after year. I want to reach out to them and tell them that God has the power to wrench them away from their addiction, to transform their lives. I want to protect them from giving up on their dreams, nursing their fears, and embracing their disease. I want to tell them that life with God is much, much, much better than life with a bottle, a drug, or porn.

I am truly thankful to God that despite my selfishness and stupidity, He took a hold of me and turned my life around. I may not be the historian that I once desired to be, but I am happy with where God has led me. It took a lot of hard work, prayer, self-examination, and revelation to get me to this place. Anyone who is addicted can also do that, but only if they first surrender themselves to God. What I discovered was this: if you want God to change your life, you can’t hold back anything from Him.

I know that there are some of you who are reading this who have similar problems. If I can help you find God, then please email me. There are also some of you who are carrying the burden of an addicted love one. My prayers are with you. Get help. Find a church that cares. Let God carry you for a while. There’s nothing that is too big for Him. There is no problem that He cannot help us overcome.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today we need You to live up to that Divine Title of ‘Savior.’ We need You to save us from ourselves, our addictions, our fears, and our burdens. We are tired of trying to do it on our own. We are weary and exhausted, stressed out and alone. Come to us and save us. Free us from our fears and help us to hold on to You, so that our lives, dreams, and hopes can be renewed. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

If you enjoyed this devotion, you can read more in John's devotional e-books like "The Light of Love" which has forty-two devotions inspired by the Gospel of John. You can find the book at this link: 

"The Light of Love."

Thanksgiving Challenge

How driving through the Western Heights Projects yesterday has challenged my celebration of Thanksgiving today.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Evelyn and I went to Waffle House for breakfast this morning. It’s about the only place that’s open on Thanksgiving. As usual, the cooks and waitresses were bright and cheerful and we were served without any delay. It was a good way to start the holiday.

I sometimes wonder what it’s like for someone who has to serve others on a family holiday. There have been holidays in the past when I have been called out on an emergency, so I guess I know part of it. But what’s it like to have to work on holidays, in order to make payments on the rent or put food on the table?

Yesterday, I delivered a Thanksgiving basket to a family that our wee church supports. Instead of coming back the usual route via the interstate, I traveled through the Western Heights area. It was another world. It felt like a shadow of hopelessness, poverty, and fear had covered the whole area. I wanted to do something more to help, but I didn’t know what to do. I grew up in a deprived area of Glasgow, Scotland, so I know something of the poverty and despair, but this felt different. People looked as though they were trapped by some kind of evil force that just wouldn’t let them escape or go somewhere better.

This has made me more aware of the blessings that my family and I share, but it also challenges me to somehow bring the Gospel into these broken lives. I don’t know what I can possibly do, but there are a few churches in the area that probably need support and help. I need to think and pray about this. I need to ask Christ what does He want done?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are truly thankful for who we are and what we have. Help us not take life’s blessings for granted. Challenge us to change our ways so that we may help others escape the fear, poverty, and despair that they experience each day, and especially on this day of Thanksgiving. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

An Old Friend

Audio version here ... or here.

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NIV)

I visited an old friend this morning. I shared some happy memories with him and even shed a few tears. I talked quietly with him and fondly remembered some of the things that we did in church. I thanked him for the years of friendship and support that had helped me become a better person and, hopefully, a better pastor.

It was such a lovely morning. The sky was a wee bit grey and overcast, but there was a beautiful breeze wafting over the hill where I stood. A woodpecker was busily hammering away at an old tree, trying to get its breakfast. In the distance I could hear some traffic, but none that was too intrusive to the sacred quietness that my friend and I were experiencing.

After sharing some happy thoughts and few silly jokes, it was time to say farewell. That’s when the memories flooded over me and took me back, six years ago to the very day. Whilst the entire world was going to hell and the Twin Towers came crashing down to the ground, I was tearfully holding the hand of David Thompson with his wife Linda. We both felt paralyzed and powerless as we watched his life ebb gently away. All the machines in the hospital ward were slowing down and flat lining. The time in between each monitor beep told us that everything was shutting down. David was dying and there was nothing that we could do.

So, this morning, I went to talk to David at the cemetery. It’s how I cope with 9-11. Instead of remaining vindictive and angry, vengeful and enraged at what the terrorists did to us all of those years ago, I remember and esteem the life and death of one of my best friends. I don’t dwell on the evil and let it roast my heart; I think of the friendship that I once knew, and hold on to the hope that through our shared faith, David and I will one day meet each other in heaven.

“So long, David,” I prayerfully whispered. “I’ll see you again, someday.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I choose to remember life and not death. I choose friendship over foes, happiness over hostility, and faith over fanaticism. Thank You for these blessings and gifts. In Your Holy Name, I cheerfully pray. Amen.

Do Not Lose Heart

Scottish audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. NIV

At this time last year, our church underwent some serious trouble. One of our staff members had terrible personal problems, which in turn affected the whole congregation and created a small division. It took a great deal of focus, energy, and determination to endure and overcome the fall out. A lot of prayer was said and eventually the tide turned. We lost eight members, but by the end of the year, we still managed to have an overall gain of eighteen people. God’s mercy enabled us to carry on our ministry and mission at Erin Presbyterian. Through His grace, we did not lose heart.

Since then, we’ve undergone recovery. We’re still picking up the pieces and are only beginning to restart some projects that fell by the wayside. For the first time in a long time, we’ve let God carry us, as well as lead us. It’s been a humbling experience, but in the end it will prove to be a worthwhile one.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians so long ago, he was addressing them as someone who had been through a lot of trouble, grief, and pain. He had been beaten up for his faith, cast out of different cities, shipwrecked, and almost lynched on several occasions. He had also been arrested, thrown into jail, and was now awaiting trial. If anyone had a right to lose heart, it was Paul, but he also relied upon God’s mercy to get him through the bad times, as well as the good ones.

He was also writing to a church that had its share of problems. The Christians at Corinth were going through a cultural war, where members of the congregation were struggling with adhering to Christ’s demands, as opposed to accepting the world’s ways. They wanted to be holy, but not different; they aspired to be faithful, but not unfashionable. Paul reminded them of their special calling in order to help them get back on the right track. And even though he was hundreds of miles away from them, Paul embraced them in his heart and loved them back to the Gospel.

Today, you may be doubting yourself, your faith, your church, your purpose, your personal ministry and mission. Remember that God is merciful and that through Christ, He will sustain you. Do not lose heart, for remember, He who called you to do His will is patient, gracious, faithful, and forgiving.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we feel so unworthy, so unprepared, and so faithless at times to fulfill the ministries that You ask us to undertake and accomplish. We get frustrated and impatient, bedeviled and beguiled by our fears, our doubts, and our problems. Grant us Your grace to sustain us through our worst experiences and most troublesome of times. Lead us by Your love, so that we will not lose heart, nor let go of our calling. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

The School Bully

John 12:27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. (NIV)

I was bullied at elementary school by an ugly looking kid who just loved to terrorize me. I hated going to school because I knew that at some point in the day, he was going to get in my face and scare the living daylights out of me. What made matters worse was that he was in a grade below me and his friends really got a kick out of watching me squirm.

It got so bad that I came up with different ways of going to school. I volunteered to help put milk in crates early in the morning, so that I could come in by the teachers’ entrance and avoid the playground bully. I stayed late in school helping my teacher clear up the classroom, so that I could avoid meeting the bully at the school gates. I even started to remain in class during breaks to get away from any confrontation or trouble. I was isolating myself because of my fear. I was making myself ill with worry, too.

One day my teacher noticed that I was in the classroom during a break when the sun was shining outside. She told me to get out and play with the other kids. I reluctantly headed to the playground, but before I could meet up with my friends, I bumped into the bully. He started his usual name calling and pushing, and his friends were laughing all around me. And then something flipped inside of me and I shouted out those dreaded words of challenge, “Your fight’s on at four!” Everyone was silent and then the bully sniggered as he walked away.

I was sick for the rest of the day. I knew that at 4.00pm my life was over as I knew it. Hardly anyone in the class would talk to me and I felt a bit like Gary Cooper in High Noon. When the final bell rang, I headed out to the playground, feeling as though I was doomed for my execution. And then something wonderful happened.

The bully was nowhere to be seen. He was gone. Someone said that he had run out of school as fast as he could when the four o’clock bell rang. No one had ever challenged him before, so I guess I had called him out and discovered he was a coward, just like me. After that day, he never bothered me again. I had faced my fear and overcame my trouble.

When Jesus faces His troubles, He has all the power in the universe at His disposal. He could easily have defeated His enemies and overcome His troubles with His almighty strength. But instead, He chooses to confront His affliction by remaining obedient to God. It was not the easy way out. It was the hardest test of His character that He had experienced up till that point.

We all have different ways of dealing with our troubles. If we avoid them, then we will probably undergo more misery. However, if we confront those hard issues and events in our lives by relying upon our faith in Jesus, He will give us the ability to endure all things and the strength to overcome our fears.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, our lives are complicated by the troubles we experience and the hardships we endure. We are hurt by other people and we fear confrontation. Grant us the will to be assertive without being aggressive, and the power to be righteous without becoming self-righteous. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.