Do not be like the cat who wanted a fish but was afraid to get his paws wet. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he selected twelve of them to be his regular companions, calling them apostles. He sent them out to preach, and he gave them authority to cast out demons. Mark 3:13-15 NLT
He sent them out. Even Jesus divided the work up and got others to help Him. He did not carry the whole load of His ministry solely on His own shoulders. At this time in His ministry on earth, Jesus was being pressed by multitudes of people that were coming from far and near. You know how word spreads through the grapevine, and that is exactly what happened in the case of Jesus. He had tried to keep his fame at a minimum by telling many whom He healed to show themselves to the priests, but not to tell anyone else. Well you know what happened, they became so joyous over being healed of life long physical, mental, and spiritual problems that they blabbed. In some ways I can understand this. When we become relieved of some bondage that has held us down for long periods of time we share of our experience, strength and hope with others. Not only do others see the changes in us and possibly prompt us to speak about it, we ourselves sometimes can be driven by pride and will brag about changes in our lives. The part of recovery that is most difficult for me is the part about being a humble servant. My alcoholism and addictions were driven by fear and pride that manifested itself in a self that was out of control. My ego and my tongue always seem to be the last to change. Because of the fame that had went out about Jesus by those whom He had healed, the crowds got so big that He told His disciples to have a boat ready on the shore incase the crowds pushed Him out into the water. It was right after this that Jesus decided to call others to him and give them authority to preach and to cast out demons as He was doing. He did this to ease the workload. With the self-centered pride being the main resistance in my program of recovery, I find it difficult at times to ask for help. Through the examples that Jesus gave us I am learning to be graceful enough to realize that when others help me, they receive also. May I learn today to not let my foolish pride get in the way of someone elses blessing. A blessing that they could receive by giving me a hand. This way God can do for me what I could not do for myself .JRE
Faith is more than our greatest gift; its sharing with others is our greatest responsibility. May we of A.A. continually seek the wisdom and the willingness by which we may fulfill that immense trust which the Giver of all perfect gifts has placed in our hands.
BILL W. from an article in the Grapevine dated April 1961
Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he selected twelve of them to be his regular companions, calling them apostles. He sent them out to preach, and he gave them authority to cast out demons. Mark 3:13-15 NLT
He sent them out. Even Jesus divided the work up and got others to help Him. He did not carry the whole load of His ministry solely on His own shoulders. At this time in His ministry on earth, Jesus was being pressed by multitudes of people that were coming from far and near. You know how word spreads through the grapevine, and that is exactly what happened in the case of Jesus. He had tried to keep his fame at a minimum by telling many whom He healed to show themselves to the priests, but not to tell anyone else. Well you know what happened, they became so joyous over being healed of life long physical, mental, and spiritual problems that they blabbed. In some ways I can understand this. When we become relieved of some bondage that has held us down for long periods of time we share of our experience, strength and hope with others. Not only do others see the changes in us and possibly prompt us to speak about it, we ourselves sometimes can be driven by pride and will brag about changes in our lives. The part of recovery that is most difficult for me is the part about being a humble servant. My alcoholism and addictions were driven by fear and pride that manifested itself in a self that was out of control. My ego and my tongue always seem to be the last to change. Because of the fame that had went out about Jesus by those whom He had healed, the crowds got so big that He told His disciples to have a boat ready on the shore incase the crowds pushed Him out into the water. It was right after this that Jesus decided to call others to him and give them authority to preach and to cast out demons as He was doing. He did this to ease the workload. With the self-centered pride being the main resistance in my program of recovery, I find it difficult at times to ask for help. Through the examples that Jesus gave us I am learning to be graceful enough to realize that when others help me, they receive also. May I learn today to not let my foolish pride get in the way of someone elses blessing. A blessing that they could receive by giving me a hand. This way God can do for me what I could not do for myself .JRE
Faith is more than our greatest gift; its sharing with others is our greatest responsibility. May we of A.A. continually seek the wisdom and the willingness by which we may fulfill that immense trust which the Giver of all perfect gifts has placed in our hands.
BILL W. from an article in the Grapevine dated April 1961
