This week at our small group, we began discussing the "passages of thirst." John 6:35 reads, "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." This is one of the many verses we chewed on.
The group is growing closer each time we meet. We've had several conversations where opportunity abounds for differences of opinion - all done in love. This time, it was about addiction. Although there are bad addictions (these come to mind quickly), are there any addictions that might be considered good?
Here's my thought: When Jesus speaks of hunger and thirst, He's obviously speaking of those things that sustain and lead to real life. If one is so passionate about living real life, can we say that person has an addiction (this time, healthy) to something God ordained as good?
We sang a song called Breathe, during our corporate worship. The chorus includes phrases like "I'm desperate for you", "This (desire for God) is my daily bread", and "I'm lost without you." These phrases sound somewhat similar to the "hunger and thirst" verses in the New Testament.
The discussion among the group brought up some good questions. 1) Is there anything remote to a healthy addiction?; 2) How does one become so passionate about God and continue to live with their feet "on the ground"?; 3) Is it possible to share that love, passion, or addiction, with those around or do we leave the change up to God/Holy Spirit? ; and 4)If there is something of a healthy addiction for Christ, how does one get his/her fix?
I'm now off to do a word study. Thoughts?
“Bible reading as struggle”
23 hours ago
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2 comments:
Hi Mike,
I'll take a shot at the questions. :)
1)Addiction implies being out of control. Sometimes we use the word in a good sense, but then what we usually mean is something that we are making a conscious decision to follow through on. A commitment is opposite of an addiction, because it requires self control.
2)That's a hard one. I think that when we're passionate about God we also make better decisions as he leads us. That keeps us grounded. "Where your treasure is, there is your heart also."
3)It's up to God. But he usually accomplishes his will through people. So I guess it's both.
4)Trials give us a fix. Not fun but true. James 1. Trials -> Perseverance -> Maturity
Hlo Kevin!
Thanks for the well thought-out answers.
1) An addiction is simply a habit that will cause "chaos" when stopped. In other words, it may or may not be those things that are harmful to us. I hear what you're saying about "out of control". But would obsession be a better synonymn than addiction?
2) Agree!
3) It's amazing that God uses people like us to affect change. No?
4) Yeah! The James passage makes sense here. But I also see growth happening through recognized blessings. When I recognize God in my life (blessing), I continue to crave a deeper relationship.
Blessings my friend!
Mike
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