God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence. Romans 3: 22-23 (GNB)
I had a great time at CR last Friday night as we completed lessons on Principle 6 (Steps 8 and 9): “Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when doing so would harm them or others.”
I walked away from the evening with three questions to think about:
- Have I accepted God’s forgiveness?
- Have I forgiven others who have hurt me?
- Have I forgiven myself?
Personally, if I had not accepted God’s forgiveness for my sins through the blood of Christ on the Cross, I would not be able to forgive others or myself. What did it take for me to truly accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior
—a mess, a calamity and self-will that was destroying my life. When I had nowhere else to go and nowhere else to run I finally surrendered to God. That may not be true of everybody, but for a self-willed guy like me it was vital that I accept my brokenness to truly start to rely on Jesus.
Forgiving others is hard, especially if you are a survivor of abuse. There is a human tendency to think if I forgive those who have hurt me then I am letting them off the hook. No, you are releasing them to God and in doing so you are no longer imprisoned by the resentment and bitterness of the past. Holding onto resentment is like swimming with your hands tied together. You can tread water for a while, but it’s not enough to keep you afloat. God will loosen the chains that bind you so you can be free.
Forgiving yourself was my toughest battle. Early in my recovery I had a counselor who required me to look in the mirror every day and list five things I liked about myself. In the beginning my list was empty, forgiving myself was nonexistent. But the good news is the “Good News”. Jesus changed all that un-forgiveness and replaced it with love. That doesn’t happen overnight, it takes a lot prayer and work; amends and forgiveness takes time
—I’m still working at it. The Lord knows how undeserving I am, but then God’s grace seems to cover that; Jesus will you help me extend your grace to others and offer forgiveness as you have forgiven me.
Love God, Love people, Jesus first!
Dana Cramer
Celebrate Recovery/Crossroads Church Calendar
May 23 – May 29, 2016
Friday, May 27: Celebration Night
- 6 pm: Our Hospitality Team is preparing a wonderful meal for you this Friday. Please join us for dinner and fellowship.
- 7 pm: Join us for an hour of worship and celebration. If you have a CR Birthday please share it with us.
- 8 pm: Open Share Groups.
- 9 pm: Solid Rock Café
Tuesday Nights: We have an open share group meeting for men from
6:30-7:30 pm in room 140.
Notice: A new Men’s Mixed Issue 12-Step Group is forming now. Please sign up on Friday nights or contact
[email protected].
Questions? For more information, contact
[email protected], or call the church office at 970-203-9201.
