God's Hands

Hebrews 10:26-31

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (NIV)

“Of course he couldn't drink, but why not sit hopefully at a table, a bottle of ginger ale before him? After all, had he not been sober six months now? Perhaps he could handle, say, three drinks - no more! Fear gripped him. He was on thin ice. Again it was the old, insidious insanity - that first drink.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 154)

Dreadful to fall into God’s hands?
Isn’t a word missing – a not?
Dreadful to fall, not into the hands
of the living God —
anywhere but into his
will, into his hands.
If he doesn’t hold me,
catch me,
I glide
down the slide,
collapse
into relapse,
blaze into malaise.

Hold me, God,
let me rest in your cupped
comfortable
hands.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

The Hope We Possess

Hebrews 10:19-23

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (NIV)

“Our hope is that when this chip of a book is launched on the world tide of alcoholism, defeated drinkers will seize upon it, to follow its suggestions. Many, we are sure, will rise to their feet and march on. They will approach still other sick ones and fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous may spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who must find a way out.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 153)

Our hope,
the hope we possess,
our expectation,
our desire,
a person or thing
that may save us.
Hope, for he who
promised is faithful;
hope for a book,
an idea,
a truth.
Hope for others to march on,
hope for a path
through the curtain,
through our uncertainty.
Hope. Eternal hope,
hope proven
by that which others
hoped for before.

Oh, God, our hope
in ages past,
our hope for years to come —
thank you.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Sixteen Tons

Hebrews 10:15-18

And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,
“This is the new covenant I will make

with my people on that day, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he says,
“I will never again remember

their sins and lawless deeds.”
And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. (NLT)

“Our former enemies sometimes praise what we are doing and wish us well. Occasionally, they will offer assistance. It should not matter, however, if someone does throw us out of his office. We have made our demonstration, done our part. It’s water over the dam.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 70)

Gonna lay down my heavy load
down by the riverside,
amends made —
upfront and honest,
water over the dam.
Guilt has to have a greater density
than osmium, much less lead.
Heavier than a heavy heart,
weight piled on weight with heavy hand,
guilt crushes.
How delightful,
lighter than air,
to walk away from guilt,
leaving it with
lighthearted
heartfelt
amends.

For new life,
for release,
for lightness,
thank you, God.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Presently Progressing

Hebrews 10:11-14

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. (NLT)

“No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 60)

“Made perfect.”
Past tense.
“Being made holy.”
Present progressive.
The first 100 in AA
said they had recovered,
but claim spiritual progress,
not perfection.
I want to be made perfect.
But I resent the continuing efforts
to be made holy.
Can’t I have recovery on a silver platter?
Nope. Not if I want progress.
Not if I want to be made holy.

God, I disdain people
who don’t try to see to their needs,
to grow. In this,
I seek your help, your will,
to walk your path, not theirs.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

God's Will.

Hebrews 10:5-10

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: 

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, 

but a body you prepared for me; 

with burnt offerings and sin offerings 

you were not pleased.
Then I said, 'Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll —
I have come to do your will, O God.'
"First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (NIV)

“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 59)

God’s will.
God’s will, God’s will,
God’s will!
Te Deum.
Tedium.
Okay. But why the “only” —
I’ve a perfectly good will,
worked just fine for
most everything,
all but the compulsion.
God’s will for that,
mine for the rest!
Why NOT!?
Mine works.
It got me where I am.
Or where I was
when I stumbled into
the rooms of recovery.
Oops. Okay.
God’s will.

God, I’m here to help.
But I need help
to remember I’m here to help,
not to lead.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Special of the Day

Hebrews 10:1-4

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (NIV)

“It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 85)

Wake praying,
turning life and
living it over to God,
Move through the day
surrendering again then again.
Yesterday’s piety
counts for nothing,
commitments coming
tomorrow, next year,
fifty years out
count for nothing.
Today matters, just this day,
just this surrender,
just today’s willingness
and peace.

God, I’m an errant toddler
straying from safety,
forgetting the
peace of compliance,
of surrender. Show me.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Second Chance!

Hebrews 9:27-28

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (KJV)

“He begged the doctor to tell him the whole truth, and he got it. In the doctor's judgment he was utterly hopeless; he could never regain his position in society and he would have to place himself under lock and key or hire a bodyguard if he expected to live long. That was a great physician's opinion.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 26)

Hopelessly doomed.
Appointed to die,
physically maybe – preferably?
Socially certainly.
Loss of freedom, of self-respect,
of life worth living.
Sentenced to nullity
to nothingness.
Suddenly, sentence negated,
nunc pro tunc,
quashed.
Phoenix rising,
regeneration.
Hope survives,
soars,
exulting.

I was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.
My life is past, Lord.
This one’s all yours.