Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/27/12 - Stand for Something or Fall for Anything

"Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.” Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept." Mark 14:66-72 NLT

There will come a time for each of us in our recovery and our relationship with Christ where we must stand up for what we believe and who we are regardless of what others think. Whether its our non recovering friends who can't understand why we can't engage in just a little bit of our old behavior that had us in bondage, or why we still go to meetings and church after years of being free. While it maybe tempting especially in situations where we want to fit in or be accepted, we will find out that operating in integrity when it comes to how we live is always better.

While some folk may not like us for who we are, they will respect us more if we actually live what we profess, and even if they don't they didn't bring us out of the darkness we were stuck in anyhow. Sometimes being totally sold out for God and our recovery will make us unpopular but the alternative of being back in bondage is much worse.