Smoke and Mirrors

My devotion from today: 

A Raging Fire

Since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him.

- Romans 12:1

Resentment is the cocaine of the emotions. It causes our blood to pump and our energy level to rise. But, also like cocaine, it demands increasingly large and more frequent dosages. There is a dangerous point at which anger ceases to be an emotion and becomes a driving force. A person bent on revenge moves unknowingly further and further away from being able to forgive, for to be without the anger is to be without a source of energy.

Hatred is the rabid dog that turns on its owner.

Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist.

Bitterness is the trap that snares the hunter.

And mercy is the choice that can set them all free.

The Applause of Heaven

If you are a Christian and you have the belief that you are safe from addictions, then you are wrong. Dead wrong. A Christian can be just as susceptible to an addiction as a non-Christian if they aren't careful about letting the world influence them. And unlike the addict, that almost always knows that their addiction is wrong, the Christian will inevitably hide behind their "religion" to deny or justify their addiction, thus, the "dead wrong" comment. 

There are all types of addictions. The obvious; drugs, sex, alcohol and smoking to name a few of the traditionalist views. Then there are the less conspicuous; resentment, control, self-indulgence, gossip, codependency. 

Every single one of these have consequences. Every single one of these cause pain and destruction. Every single one of these lead to death. Every single one of these are a sin and have no greater degree of sin than the other. 

For every person that has one or more of these addictions, and that is almost all of us at some point in our lives, we will exhibit the same behaviors. We will assume we have it under control. We will tell ourselves that we don't really have the problem at all. We will justify our actions. We will hide it from our loved ones. We will assume that no one knows because we think we have it all under control. We will spin out of control until something eventually lands in our path that causes us to crash! 

My prayer for me and for you is this: that we will take a real long look at ourselves. We will ask ourselves the hard questions. Have my actions hurt someone? Have my actions built someone up or torn them down. Am I able to take an honest look at myself and my actions? Have my actions strengthened my relationship with God or have they caused me to hide from Him in shame? Are my actions pleasing to Him?

These questions are not a one time pop quiz. They should be asked every day, sometimes every minute if need be. Will you have the courage to face the answers you might get? Will you make amends where need be? Will you love yourself enough to slay your own self-will? Will you chose to give up hypocrisy?

Will you chose to live? I hope so, because you are important!