Unshackled Moments ~ September 26, 2018 ~ Service Is Mandatory

A lot of my ministry, writing, teaching and working with individuals is recovery oriented. Some is discipleship focused, but then, I basically feel that recovery runs parallel with discipleship. In order to be truly made free and restored we have to find relationship with the Truth that makes us free and surrender to the will and care of God, and in order to be a disciple we must deny self and follow Jesus. The two go hand in hand, because we can't deny self without God's help, and we can't be a disciple without being in recovery from the bondage of self. The alcohol, or drugs or whatever is  your  poison is only a symptom of the deeper spiritual problem.

I have been in the  rooms of recovery for nearly ten years now, and I still go. Not as often as I would like, but I still make meetings. To the question of how long will I be in recovery I answer always. There will never be a time when I am not learning how to surrender more, striving to connect more with Daddy and finding and dealing with areas of self that are yet to be denied. I haven't drank or drugged in over 8 years, but I have done my own thing, there are areas in my life that are still not right or totally healed and restored. I am not yet perfect and won't be on this side of eternity. So I will always be in recovery, in the process of being made free and following Jesus.

And even  if you have never been in bondage to chemicals or anything else that would typically be classified as an addiction, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you too will always be in recovery, always be progressing toward being free and connecting more with God.

And one of the main keys of recovery is service.  Recovery is a process of getting closer and closer to Jesus and learning more and more to let Daddy's will be done so that we walk free from the habitual sin and bondage of life without Him. But it is not only that. It is also service. Service is mandatory. Yes, mandatory. In order to keep what you have been given you have to give it away. In order to stay on the road to freedom, you must share your experience, strength, hope, time and talents with others. You can not follow Jesus without living a life of compassion and service, because that is the road He walked for us and the example He set.

I know some who have stayed in the rooms of recovery for decades, giving back what they have been given. This is so important, because there needs to be someone there for the newcomer, as they were there for us. Others have come in for a season and then moved on to other things. That can be OK too, as long as they are doing what God has for them and serving. In the rooms or out, service seals recovery and leads to deeper healing in ourselves and others. Even if the focus is discipleship, service is essential, laying down our lives for Him, feeding  the sheep, being the good Samaritan, these are all part of both recovery and discipleship, because essentially living free is living in love. And love don't mean a thing until you give it away.


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