So excited about worship today. You need to beat me to Recovery Christian Center today. We are looking forward to an awesome and life changing word from Pastor Anna Grant of Lombard Central Presbyterian Church. We are also welcoming our new Minister of Music, Minister Daniel Jefferson! Be there! 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19104. Dinner at 4pm, Service at 5pm.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 11/15/12 - Maintaining Humility

"When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brot

hers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you." Luke 14:7-14 NLT

It has been said that humility is as important to our ongoing recovery and our walk with Christ as food, water and oxygen are to us staying alive. If this is true then why do so many Christians and folks in recovery allow themselves to get big headed and over inflate their egos? We tend to go through life with an undeserved sense of entitlement because we finally got ourselves together. And don't give us a title, whether its spiritual, professional or academic because then we really think we know something. We begin to forget that everything we have and everything we are comes from God. We begin to ask others, "Don't you know who I am?"

This is dangerous for us. We have to remember where we came from and Who it is that brought us out and got us where we are today. Jesus, in the text, is reminding His disciples to be humble and let God exalt us. If we live an attitude of humility then we don't need to remind others how great we are because they will see the greatness of God in us and will want to be around us. After all no matter where we are in life we are all just servants of and stewards for Him. We don't need others to know who we are because we know Who's we are.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 11/13/12 - God's Wisdom and Not Mine's

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." Colossians 1:9-10

"I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance." Ephesians 1:16-18

"If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere." James 3:13-17

In other words, God's wisdom is always tempered with love, humility, peace, kindness, gentleness, selflessness, patience, mercy, and goodness. It cares more about people than being "right". It operates to draw people to Christ and not push them away. It operates in acceptance and not judgement and rejection. It celebrates you and is not jealous of you. It helps you and doesn't step over you.

Simply put, you can't claim God's spiritual wisdom if you can't use it to demonstrate His love.

Looking forward to Saturday's Worship at Recovery Christian Center. In addition to praying for the folk affected by Hurricane Sandy and raising an offering to benefit relief work we are also beginning a new sermon series called "The 12 Steps and the Word: Myths and Facts on Their Biblical Relationship". The first Word in the series is "Step 1:Finding Power in Powerlessness". Don't miss it. It will change your life! 4110 Haverford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Saturdays at 5pm.