Sometimes it is the strangest things that remind me I am living a *different* life…
Like the other day, I was struck how it is an amazing feeling to walk into a shop and NOT steal something… Or even want to.
That might sound like a crazy statement to some people (maybe even most!), but for some, like me, you understand.
At around the age of 11 or 12 I started to steal. First from my step dad, then at 13 from my first employer, then occasionally from certain shops or businesses.
By the time I was 18, I found it hard not to steal – in fact I would steal things I didn’t even want & then put them in the bin outside. I wouldn’t call myself a career criminal or anything close – but I was addicted to stealing (among many other things).
Sure I would jump the occasional fence of a business at night and did attempt a home burglary once (total fail thankfully), but when I walked in to a shop, I felt compelled.
Underlying this stupid behaviour was an entitled attitude…besides ‘they had insurance’ – right? I had an “I deserve this” attitude that I could not control – because I didn’t want to.
It was normal to do our shopping twice: but only pay once, using the same receipt the second time around. Food shopping was more like food lifting – going as far as swapping the outer packets of more expensive foods with cheaper ones and of course having a meal on the way around. Terrible.
But now, that is a (very) distant memory. I remember what it was like, but there is no draw to it at all. In fact, it seems like a different lifetime. In one way it was…
It’s a similar story with drugs / alcohol. As someone who was heavily addicted, determined to be completely off-my-head for a long as possible, to pass out each night, (despite the doctors warnings) – the inner drive was impossible to control.
It was simple really – I couldn’t handle reality / pain / ‘boredom’ – the mundane life – that seemed so pointless and difficult.
But now, 20 years later, I *hate* even the slight feeling of being drug affected. With the best part of 20 years with no substances (even coffee 😱) my physical condition has now forced me to relent and use pain relief at times. And I *HATE* it.
Reminds me of a Bible verse:
The old life has gone. The new has begun!
The reality of this scripture seems easy to see when we look at drugs / alcohol / addiction / stealing.
But I find the true meaning of this verse FAR harder to stomach. Here it is in a little more detail:
Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:14-17 (NLT)
This verse isn’t just about stealing or drugs. Sure if there are things in your old life that are sin – God wants us to turn away from them, but that is not the full weight of this verse.
Here is the central point:
He (Jesus) died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
Are you living for Jesus? Or are you living for yourself?
One shows that you have His life. The other shows that you are heading for hell.
Ouch! Harsh but true – the Bible is clear.
It’s not that ‘living for others’ or doing anything earns you a place in heaven – quite the opposite. It is that when you have Jesus’ life, an outworking of that life is living for others instead of yourself.
For myself, many say “well done for getting off drugs” and it can be a temptation for me to think ‘well done Adam – you’re a better person now”. But before I pat myself on the back – I need to look carefully.
Am i living for others – or am I doing what I want when I want because….you guessed it I WANT!
Jesus – the One who Created everything, the One who was perfect, the One who DESERVED a great life – He gave it all up and lived for others. His death means that you CAN have eternal life.
How? By turning away from ‘your’ life and turning to Him. Living His life, trusting Him, what He did, not what you do, have done or will do.
That, my friends is the way to life. True life. Eternal life.
And it is hard – we need each others help & prayers. I started with stealing, and God has taken that desire from me 100%. But there are other areas, health, wrong desires, pride, treating my wife & children selflessly – all sorts of things – that I still need to work at and allow Him to change me / make difficult decisions to live the life He paid so much for.
Please don’t think that if you still struggle in an area you are no good / He doesn’t love you. ALL people grapple with issues. That’s why God gave us the amazing reality of other true believers (the Church -with a capital C ( not the religious church with a small c)). So we can walk together and encourage each other and challenge each other.
It starts with what Jesus paid on the cross. And our response must be true repentance – a change of heart & mind AND our own action away from sin. It’s the start of a journey – a new life. A life for Him and others.
With that said… “Happy Sonday!”
Conclusion: Our life is NOT OURS!
Prayer: Lord please help us to hand over the life You have given us to You. You are the only One worth living for, so give us the strength and excitement to do that.
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