Dan is a 19-year-old male that was brought to my office by his parents so he could be evaluated for what appeared to be an increasing number of broken bones and tendons throughout his high school athletic career. Dan was very athletic and played almost every sport. He especially enjoyed football, but was sidelined often with a broken bone or tendon. His parents noticed that he had an unusually higher number of broken bones and tendons than his counterparts and wanted this evaluated. My initial physical exam (which included x-rays and blood tests) was completely normal. In the follow-up appointment, I asked if I could see Dan privately. As I met with him alone, I asked him if he had used anabolic steroids in the past to help enhance his performance. He denied the fact at first, but I told him his presentation was classic for steroid use especially in light of a completely normal exam. After some time of discussion, Dan finely admitted to me, and then his parents, that he had been using steroids since Junior High. His parents were happy to finally understand what was going on with their son. After a lengthy conversation, we formulated a treatment program for Dan, which included RU. Now I am happy to report that Dan is free from steroid use and is pursuing the ministry at a Mid-West Bible College.

Steroids are naturally-occurring hormones in the body. When steroids are released in the body, they bind to certain cells, which help fight stress, promote growth, and bring on puberty. Those are the naturally occurring steroids and not the type that Dan was using to enhance his performance. The steroids that Dan was using are the synthetic ones called anabolic androgenic steroids. Anabolic refers to their muscle-building properties, and androgenic refers to their ability to enhance masculine characteristics. The specific steroid that Dan was taking was a synthetic derivative of testosterone, the male sex hormone.

Originally, steroid abuse was most often found on college campuses and in Olympic and professional sports. Today, most steroid abuse continues to occur among athletes, professional and amateur, but is being started at a much younger age. Some athletes are involved in sports that rely on strength and size such as football, wrestling, or baseball and the endurance athletes are those who are involved in track and field, swimming, weight training, or bodybuilding. Junior High and High School students of today feel more pressure to perform at an almost unobtainable level. With this unattainable goal put before them, they look outside of themselves and Jesus Christ for assistance in achieving, or at least coming close to achieving, their goal. All that matters to them is how they feel and look at the moment, and they do not give thought to the long-term consequences of their steroid use.

Athletes are not the only ones taking steroids. Others take steroids to increase their muscle mass and decrease their amount of body fat. Although this may include many athletes, it just as easily includes individuals who simply want to look better, i.e., a guy who wants more muscles so he will be more attractive, and a girl who wants a more toned look. Individuals who abuse steroids, like Dan, have a distorted body image. The reality of how they look is opposite of what is perceived. Others who use steroids to increase muscle mass have experienced some kind of abuse – usually either physically or sexually, often when they were young. Female weight lifters who used steroids or other body-enhancing substances were twice more likely to have been raped than their non-steroid using peer. Most females who abuse steroids do so to reduce body fat and increase muscles. Many of them have a concurrent eating disorder.

Dan told me in front of his parents that he believed he was never big enough, and that is why he continued in his steroid abuse. He also went on to tell his RU group, “I was almost like a heroin addict!” He said it got to the point where he needed the injection to work out and feel good about himself.

Anger is just one of the possible side effects of taking steroids. The following side effects are classified relatively minor:

Acne

Oily Hair

Purple or Red Spots on the Body

Legs and Feet that Swell

Bad Breath

Other more severe side effects include:

Drastic mood swings

Fatigue

Restlessness

Fracture of bones

Rupture of tendons

Loss of appetite

Insomnia

Craving for the steroid

Heart attack

Stroke

Male pattern baldness

Gynecomastia

High blood pressure

Liver tumors

Blood clots

“Roid Rage”

Increased physical violence

Mania, delusions & depression

When Dan finally broke free from his addiction to steroids, he went into a deep depression while withdrawing. He told me, “It was like coming down off a high, and I started getting really depressed.” Dan even had to battle with some suicidal thoughts. Because of the long, lingering affect of steroids on the body, some symptoms like depression can linger for more than a year after the person stops taking the steroids.

REMEMBER: Overcoming steroid addiction is no different than with every other form of addiction.

All that Dan and the other millions of individuals in our society are looking for is help to heal the hurt that lives down deep within them. They want to be accepted and loved for who they are without any enhancements. They want to feel beautiful just as they are. It is so refreshing to know that Jesus loves us just as we are. Jesus will fill that void you have, and he will heal that hurt. All you have to do is humbly kneel before Him. He loves you right now, just as you are. Accept His love and goodness and walk with Him from this day and forevermore.

Dr. George Crabb D.O.

http://www.drgeorgecrabb.com/

Click Here to purchase the New Topical Booklet “Steroids” mentioned in this mornings blog for only $4.00 + S&H

Click Here to purchase a more comprehensive recovery and training program that will motivate and empower you toward complete   recovery ON SALE for only $79.99

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By Dr. George Crabb, D.O.

Pain and stress are a necessary part of life. They are warning signals indicating that something is not right, that something needs to be addressed. This includes emotional pain as well as physical pain. There is nothing more private than an individual’s pain and stress. No one else can truly understand the pain or stress you feel. The American society in which we live is probably the most “pain-conscious” on the face of the earth. Americans have come to believe that they deserve to have total relief from all pain and stress. Because of this cultural belief, the non-medical use of prescription medications (including pain killers and sedative hypnotics) has increased dramatically over the past several years. Individuals take the medication for the feeling the drug gives them, the euphoria or the “high.” An addiction to prescription medication is a real addiction that is increasing daily in the number of those held in its bondage.

Many people, young and old, are turning to prescription medications, including pain killers and sedative hypnotics, because they assume they are safer than street drugs and because they come from a doctor or health care provider. This gives the individual a false sense of security. However, these drugs are just as dangerous as the other street drugs that are out there. Another reason for their increased proliferation is that the individual feels they cannot get addicted to them like the street drugs. This is another lie. Many of the prescription medicines people take non-medically are just as addictive, if not more so, than many of the street drugs. Individuals who use pain killers to initially treat physical pain, at times, find themselves starting to take the drug to satisfy emotional and psychological needs. The person proceeds down the road of addiction to that drug, and they have a compulsive need to use the medication for non-medical purposes. The drug is being taken because of its mood-altering effects and not to relieve the physical pain.

All pain medications have an opiate base. These include Tylenol #3, Vicoden, Lortab, Lorcet, Norco, hydrocodone, OxyContin, oxycodone, Percocet, Percodan, Demerol, Morphine, Darvocet N-100, fentanyl, Duragesic patch, Dilaudid, hydromorphone, Ultram, Ultracet, tramadol, and the like. The most common opiate-based street drug is heroin. All opioids are derived from opium, or they can be synthesized in the laboratory with opiate-like effects. Opiates attach themselves to an opiate receptor in the brain called the “mu” receptor. When an opiate attaches to this receptor, it blocks the perception of pain by increasing the level of a particular neurotransmitter called “endorphin.” The elevated levels of endorphins in the brain tissue not only diminish the perception of pain, but they also stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain thus giving a “good feeling,” a “euphoria,” or a “high.” The latter is that to which an individual can become addicted.

I had a patient in the hospital who was addicted to OxyContin. He told me that he could be happy sitting in a trash can in the dark somewhere as long as he had his pills. He went on to tell me that when he had the pills, he felt like a king. He then explained that when he woke up everyday, he snorted 30 – 40 mg of OxyContin just to feel “normal.” This is a major risk associated with any of the opiates. It is “tolerance.” Tolerance happens very quickly with the opiate-based medications. It takes more drug, more often, to get the same effect as a smaller dose, less frequently taken, originally would give. Individuals who begin taking 1 – 2 pills a day can quickly advance to 20 – 30 pills a day. I have witnessed some individuals who were taking more than 50 Vicoden a day in the short time of just six weeks. This addiction is a gripping one that takes the individual to destruction quickly.

Coming off of prescription pain killers is a difficult and painful task. Many will experience the following: insomnia, anxiety, diarrhea, restlessness, sweating, chills, muscle and joint pain, runny nose, backaches, irritability, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, weight loss, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, low-grade temperature, and many more. Many people, as they go through this withdrawal, describe it to me as their worst nightmare. Individuals can find assistance for their withdrawal through a properly trained physician. By assisting them, it allows them to initiate their walk with God sooner; thus their road to freedom is started sooner.

While I am happy to say that overall drug use among teenagers is down, the non-medical use of prescription medications among their population has increased. This trend has been one of the most significant developments in substance-abuse trends in the recent years. One in five teenagers has abused Vicoden, and one in ten has abused OxyContin. Both are abused for non-medical purposes. Before closing this article, I want to describe a trend that is transpiring amongst our young people. A study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2004 found that teens would gather up prescription medications, get with other teens at “pharming parties,” and trade for other prescription drugs. At some parties, teens bring whatever prescription medications they find in their parents’ or grandparents’ medicine cabinets. They throw all the medications into a bowl, pass it around, and then take whatever they want. This is called the “salad bowl.” Unfortunately, I have pronounced several young people dead because they did not know what they were taking. How tragic!

We here at Reformers Unanimous understand that there is real pain that you may be experiencing inside. This pain is deep and devastating. This pain is crying out to be relieved. But, my friend, this pain cannot be medicated with a chemical or a drug, whether it is obtained on the street or from your trusted physician. This pain that you are debilitated by can only be medicated by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He, alone, can take your pain and give you a peace that will pervade your life. Allow us at Reformers Unanimous to introduce to you your Answer, your Hope, your Pain Reliever, the Redeemer – Jesus Christ.

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All good stories begin that way… “once upon a time.” The now infamous testimony that is known as the “Steve Curington story” happened 14 years ago.  One of my mentors, Dr. Wendell Evans, always said, “Greatness is not measured by years, but by decades.”  Reformers Unanimous is now over 10 years old, but let me, as the International Director, share with you the “greatness of God” through this ministry in the past decade.

Once upon a time, on April 1, 1996, Reformers Unanimous began as a Bible study in the basement of North Love Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois.  The pastor, Dr. Paul Kingsbury, asked Steve Curington to write a tract using his testimony. Six hundred of these tracts were given out following an evening service at this church.  The next day, the phone rang 17 times and has not stopped ringing since then! At that time, no one really knew what God had planned for this man and this ministry.  This small Bible study was growing into what is now the largest faith-based addictions program in the country.  This man with the amazing testimony was growing into the leader that God needed for addicts in America.

One of the greatest benefits of working daily near Bro. Curington is to hear him speak from his heart of the grace of God in developing this program and ministry.  Recently, Bro. Curington spoke of those early memories.  “In the early days of the RU class, I would get the students in a room and would lecture as I taught one of the Ten Principles.  Next I would preach to them, for the remainder of the evening, the truths that God was using to develop me. One day, I was visiting students to come back on Friday night, when I heard a student ask another student ‘isn’t that the place where that red head stands and yells for two hours?  I’m not going back there!’ That weekend I went with my family on a trip and I went into the woods with my Bible and begged God for clear direction for this program.  It was then that I noticed the trees that were around me.  Some were fallen on the ground, others leaning on live ones, some were tall, small, some were growing and others struggling, yet if they could talk what a great story they could tell.  That evening, God clearly gave me the format for Reformers.  If our students could talk – they could say something that would be beneficial to everyone involved, including them. God gave me the Talk, Talk, Talk format.”

Over the past fourteen years, the Reformers Unanimous program has been transformed through Spirit-led promptings just like the one mentioned above. God is growing a great ministry; and He isn’t finished!  Today, over 760 chapters have been started across America and in some foreign countries.  I am honored that God brought me to work in the ministry of Reformers Unanimous in its early stages.  Because of this, I have seen the hand of God in the growth of this ministry.

God has used this tool to reach more people for Christ than any of us could have ever imagined.  And the story is not over! Everyone knows that a good story ends with “and they all lived happily ever after.”  Hebrews 11, the great “hall of faith” in the Bible, ends with “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” The story has not ended for these great men and women of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11, because their story lives on.  Lives are continuing to be influenced by their lives, by their fruit.

So when will we end this great story?  Not until we are “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:17) Until then, Reformers Unanimous will continue to grow, influence more lives, and reach more people with the only Truth that makes free.

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Click on the top image to download the 2010 International Conference Brochure

Click on the image to visit the International Conference Website http://au.reformu.com



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Dear Satan,
I had a lot on my mind and wanted to drop you a line to get some things off of my chest that I have been holding in. I know we don’t hang out anymore, but there is good reason. You were the worst friend I ever had. You lied to me, and you deceived me. You told me we were going to be best friends, and I believed you. I never thought you would have hurt me the way you did. How could I have been so blind?

They tried to warn me about you, but I wouldn’t listen. I heard it almost daily in that Christian school and every Sunday from the pastor. Still, I wouldn’t listen. You told me they didn’t know what they were talking about. You told me they were just trying to keep me from having fun, from living MY life! I believed you.
At first, it seemed as though you might have been telling me the truth. We were having some great times together. We would stay out all night, go to all the parties, do all the drugs, and hit up all the clubs. This had to be the right way, right? I mean all my friends were right there with me, how could this be wrong if so many were doing it? I remember being worried at times that I may become addicted to this lifestyle or to some of the drugs I was casually using. Of course, you were always right there to whisper in my ear your reassurance that I wouldn’t.

You said I was just having my fun while I was young, sowing my wild oats. Again, it seemed as if you might have been telling the truth. I was being blessed by the world’s standards. I grew older, I had a good job, was married, had bought a nice house, and thought I had left my past of partying behind. You told me I should be happy with all this, but I wasn’t. Something was missing. You started reminding me of the good times we used to have back in “the good ole days.” “Remember how good those pain pills used to make you feel, and how they just took all your worries away?” Again, I bought into your lies. This time there was no stopping us.

We ran hard; and before I knew what had happened, I was addicted. The thing you promised would free me had given me complete bondage. I had shackles on my feet and wrists. Instead of being friends, I had become a slave and you were the slave master. You beat me all day, everyday. I thought the only way out was death, and you were fine with that. I didn’t die though, but was so far gone that I had to go away to get help. You still came too. Everyday, you were right there trying to get me to leave that safe haven, pointing out every flaw in the place.

Guess what? I found a new best friend while I was there. His name is Jesus. The funny thing is, He was the one I was searching for all along. He filled that void instantly that you had promised to fill for all those years. Following him doesn’t come with consequences, it comes with blessings. You stole everything from me. He gives me more than I deserve. I don’t know how I could have been so blinded to all your lies while the truth was right there in front of me the whole time. He had His nail pierced hands extended, just waiting. He has promised that He will never leave my side or forsake me. And guess what? He hasn’t.

When life gets tough, and I can’t deal with it anymore, He’s right there to take the burdens from me. You know what else? I don’t have to spend eternity burning in a lake of fire!  Too bad you can’t say the same. Yeah, He already told me how your story ends. Wish I could say I was sorry, but I’m not. I gave you a lot of my life with nothing but regret to show for it, and now I’m giving Christ the rest. I know that I was nothing more than a notch on your belt, and there are plenty more out there who fall victim to your lies daily. I pray for them, I pray that their eyes will be opened, and they will see you for what you are, a liar.

You may, at times, win battles, but Christ has already won the war. You may still be here, but you have already been defeated. Just thought I’d tell you a little bit about how I felt about you. Can’t wait to see you burning in Hell.

Sincerely, 

Stacy Putnam

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Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of they tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:1, 2 & 7

Last Monday, we discussed the “cleaning agent” that is better than Tide.  But, the best laundry detergent in the world cannot remove the stain of sin. It takes the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son.  That is the process David describes in Psalm 51.

The idea of purging appears again in Isaiah 1:25 where God says, “And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:” Purging was not only used by the person who did the laundry; it was referred to as a process used by refiners as well. Malachi 3:3 says, “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” When the Bible talks about purging something that is unnecessary or something that is impure out of our lives, it illustrates it with the process by which gold, silver, and other precious metals are purified.  Ore, dug out of the earth, has impurities and less valuable metals mingling with the gold or silver.  That must be removed before it is valuable and useful.  Because God is filled with mercy and truth, He places us in the crucible of affliction and turns the heat up on our lives.

When God turns up the heat on your life and puts you under pressure, the dross comes to the surface.  Have you responded to something and been surprised by what you said or did?  Put in the right situation, you will say things that you never though you would say.  Where does that come from?  It comes from the inside heart of man having been brought to the surface by pressure.  We tend to think that if God loved us, He would not allow us to experience so much pressure; but in reality, God’s love is why He puts us in those situations.  God, in His mercy and in His truth, is so committed to seeing us be pure and clean and white that He brings the pressure.  God wants to bring the dross to the surface so that we will deal with it and remove it from our life.

We see the concept of purging again in an agricultural setting.  Matthew 3:12 says, “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Wheat is a wonderful and useful grain, but it comes encased in chaff which is completely worthless.   The process of purging the wheat removes that which is unnecessary and unproductive so that only the good remains.  In Bible times, wheat was threshed—literally beaten with sticks to knock the chaff loose.  I am sure that if a grain of wheat could talk, it would have said something like, “Whoa! I don’t like this winnowing.  It hurts when those sticks hit me.  Somebody make this stop!”

Purging is the result of God’s mercy and truth.  I am convinced that much of our praying is spent asking God to take away things He has sent into our lives to make us more like His Son.  The next time you endure painful circumstances or difficult situations, instead of trying to get out, look for something God is trying to purge from your life to make you more valuable and useful to Him.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury

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By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6

Mercy and truth produce the power to purge us from our sins. I have no doubt that everybody has a sin problem.  We may have tried to get rid of our sin on our own, but it is impossible apart from the mercy and truth of God that we could ever give up that sin which doth so easily beset us.   When the Bible talks about purging, the word means “to clean out, or to remove, or to take away.” If you are old enough, you probably remember the Fuller Brush man.  A fuller was a man or woman who washed clothes for a living.  The process of cleaning clothes was called purging. The bottom line of purging was the removal of the dirt. What the Bible is saying here is that mercy and truth together is like a fantastic detergent. It removes the dirt out of our lives and makes us clean and white in our garments for God.

When Solomon was inspired to write this verse of Scripture, I wonder if he thought of his father.  In his confession in Psalm 51, David talked about God’s mercy and truth and about being purged from his sins.  In 1946, Proctor and Gamble introduced a new laundry detergent.  They had perfected a combination of ingredients that would get almost any stain out of clothing.  Within three months, Tide was outselling every other brand on the market, and today it remains the best-selling laundry product in the world.  But, the best laundry detergent in the world cannot remove the stain of sin. It takes the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son.  That is the process David describes in Psalm 51.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of they tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:1, 2 & 7

If you have iniquity in your heart–unconfessed sin before God–then God sees you as dirty.  Your life is sullied by the sin. How can it be purged from your iniquity? The Bible says that purging from iniquity comes through the blood, but it comes as God dispenses it in mercy and in truth.

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Good morning to all!  I want to continue to share with you some of the privileges of being a child of God.  When we’re born for the first time, it is not with divinity in us.  We are sinners and a part of a family with the devil as our father.  The devil is the spirit of bondage.  He wants to make a slave of you as well as wreck and ruin your life.  He uses fleshly pleasures which are fleeting.  With our new adopted family, we have a new Father.  We are no longer in bondage and fear, left to wonder if our needs will be met.  For many people with adult salvation coming out of a troubled background, whether it’s the absence of a father or abusive parents, there is a lingering skepticism.  Last week, we discussed the importance of being adopted into the family of God and the first privilege of being a child of God; personal leadership of the Spirit of God in your life.  In this blog, we will evaluate two more privileges of being God’s child; consistent undying love, compassion, and protection of God; as well as the assurance we belong to the Lord.

It is a great privilege to have a compassionate Father Who loves and protects His children.  The word “father” for some people has a negative connotation.  When you became saved, you were placed into a family with an absolutely perfect Father.   Through the Spirit of adoption, we are not taken in as slaves, but as sons and daughters.  I like how the Scriptures demonstrate how wonderful and personal this relationship is.  For example, in Romans 8:15, “Whereby we cry, Abba Father”; the Bible refers to the cry of a child.  The cry of your children even amongst a large group is easily identified.  This is how it is for our heavenly Father.  He is so close, personal, and loves you so deeply that He hears your cry regardless of any situation or circumstance.  Why should we linger on serving the devil and sin when we’ve been adopted into a new family?  We don’t have to work there any longer.  Nor do we have to be a slave to the devil anymore.

Another privilege of being a child of God is the assurance that we belong to the Lord.  Romans 8:16 says that the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit which reveals that we are the children of God.  He’s the Spirit of communication.  However, He does much more.   Our relationship and the knowledge of Him comes froma desired revelation through the Spirit of God.  In John 14:7, Jesus declared to His disciples that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would be the Spirit of truth.  He also said that the world would not receive Him, but you are going to know Him and He’s going to be in you.  How do we know Him?  How is His word illuminated to us?  That is a ministry of the One who bears witness.  He carries a testimony.  The Spirit of God is the One Who internally explains how God the Father and the word of God operate.

As we read the word of God, the Spirit guides and directs us.  As we learn more about spiritual things through the ministry of the Spirit of God, He bears witness.  He’ll guide us into all truth and alert us to danger ahead.  God knows what’s waiting in the future. This exemplification lies in 1 John 4:6:

The privileges of being a child of God are designed to lead us to a life of fulfillment in Christ.  Next week, in the last selection in this series on privileges of being a child of God, we’ll discuss the last two privileges:  ultimate gain through Christ and the glorification of God. Let’s appropriate our adoption into God’s family and appreciate all its benefits, that we may live victorious Christian lives.  Spend some time today to bask in God’s mercy and undying love for you!

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Everyone check out the new RU Homes informational video send to anyone who needs residential addiction treatment.

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Often I read stories in the Bible and meditate on them before I drift off into sleep for the night.  I love to “re-live” these stories as I close my eyes. Often, I become the “hero” of the story in my mind…

On one such night, I read the story of the Good Samaritan.  In my mind, I became the “Good Samaritan.”  Most sermons I have heard about this text makes the main application be that “we shouldn’t be like the Levite or the priest who passed by the wounded man without helping him. We should be like the Good Samaritan.”  However, God showed me that this is not the meaning of the story. Jesus was teaching us about Himself. The main lesson isn’t that we are to help the pitiful, helpless man – it’s that we are the pitiful, helpless man! Jesus is the Good Samaritan who found us after legalism and religion didn’t lift a finger to help us.

Another time, I read the passage in Matthew 13:4, where the Bible says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field”.

As I began to meditate on this passage, and become the “hero” as the man who finds the hidden treasure.  I have heard it preached as a soulwinning sermon.  We are to go out searching for hidden treasure.  But God, again, gave me insight.  In this parable, Jesus told the man sold everything he had to buy the field so that he could have the treasure. We certainly can’t pay anything to receive Jesus Christ, or to help someone else receive Jesus Christ.  Quite the opposite is happening here!  He, Jesus Christ, paid everything so that He could have us. Again, it is Jesus who is the hero in the story. He did not just see a waste land, a deserted, left for ruin fallen human race.  No!  He saw, amidst the snakes, and spiders, weeds, thorns, thistles, and ruin, a people he wanted to redeem.  Praise God he saw us worthy enough to die for!  I cannot think of better news for the alcoholic, the drug addict, and even self-righteous church member!  God looked on us as sinners, and thought it a worthy cause to “buy” or “redeem” us back to Him.  I love that old song even more, “Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb…

Most recently, I read about the pearl of great price described in Matthew 13:45-46,“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

How many times have you heard Jesus described as the Pearl of great price? But, no, He’s not the pearl in this story – you are! The Hero here is the One who paid everything so that He could “purchase [us] with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). He is the One Who gave everything.  He is the Hero!

It’s not about you and me. It never has been and it never will be. It’s all about Him. However, since we always look for the “hero” in the story, let’s consider this – may the resurrected power of Christ enable us to stop making ourselves the main character in the “divine drama”! Babies think everything is all about them, but with maturity comes a true understanding. The story is “His” story and He has the leading role. We are simply the recipients or beneficiaries of His wonderful love and grace.  Is He your Hero??  Have you told Him so?? Jesus….did You ever know that You’re my Hero??

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Benjamin R. Burks

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