Verse of the Day, 3/20/10, Saved Life C2C Launch Day, Luke 4:18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18-19

Since I had become recovered, I have had a vision and longing to take my passion to help alcoholics, addicts, and the chronically homeless to the next level. While serving my 9-month jail sentence, I started helping individuals to study for the exam to acquire their GED. I then started to teach basic literacy to people who could not read and write. I once taught a man who was 60 something years old how to read and write. The local newspaper actually came and did an article about us. I have never seen the article, but I have been told you can find it on the Internet. My heart went out to him; I could not imagine what it must have felt like to go through life not having such skills. But, one thing I did know was how much it hurt, how lonely it was, how desperate I had become, living on the streets. I believed I had found my purpose and meaning for life. The Spirit of the Lord had come upon me!

As I embark on Saved Life:Coast to Coast today, I believe the Spirit of the Lord is upon me…I believe… that He has anointed me to help these lost souls on the streets of America that I will soon encounter…I believe….we will preach the good news to the poor and they will accept it with open arms and open minds…I believe…we will free many souls from their current states of bondage…I believe…the blind will see that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life…I believe…the oppressed will rise….I believe…that together, united as the Body of Christ…we will proclaim this year to bring grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness to the poor and needy of society. I believe this in Jesus’ name…Amen

See ya on the road,

Jason

Verse of the day , Romans 12:2

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

I absolutely love this piece of Scripture. It ha truly had a strong impact on my life and my becoming recovered. I remember as a young boy, my friends and I going into the milkweed fields and collecting this little caterpillars. We would place them in our “lil” red wagon and take them home to be put in an old fish aquarium.   We would watch them “transform” through their various life cycles before turning into beautiful butterflies. Little did I know the effect of those beautiful butterflies would have in my later life. Below is a passage from a book I am working on Titled “Becoming Recovered: An Alcoholics View”:

“Few creatures can rival the beauty of the monarch butterfly. Its stunning oranges and black are an astounding sight, a delight to the eye. But the monarch doesn’t start out that way. Before it reaches maturity it must undergo a series of remarkable transformations. Starting as a half-millimeter egg, the butterfly-to-be grows inside the egg for several days before it reaches the larval stage, when it begins a time as a bright-yellow-green striped caterpillar. In this stage it repeatedly molts, adding a new skin and shedding the old so it can continue to grow. It is then ready for the next stage of its life as a chrysalis, or pupa. In this stage the caterpillar hangs upside down, usually from a twig or branch, and encases itself in a protective cocoon. Here, over about 10 to 14 days, it undergoes yet another amazing transformation. At the end of this stage its protective shell becomes transparent, and a majestic adult monarch butterfly emerges. Its metamorphosis complete, the butterfly starts its new life. The new creature is vastly different from what we saw before. As it matured it changed in many ways. It transformed into something far different. Its end result is far different from its beginning. Scripture tells us that we, too, need a transformation. Simply, a change.”

Which cycle of life are you in? Are you transforming according to the will of our God or are you still living in the patterns of this world? We must continue to “renew” our minds daily. We renew our minds by hearing and reading the Word of God! As we grow and “transform”, we learn to recognize His will for us in our lives. Continually growing in Him, we learn what it means to truly live a “Saved Life”, are you living it?

Verse of the Day, Luke 6: 20-21

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours in the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Luke 6:20-21

I think it’s fair to say that American attitudes toward the poor– and perhaps not just in America– are mostly disdain and fear. They’re dangerous and different. Sometimes there’s a suspicion that their condition is their own fault, that they’re simply lazy or inferior. Other Americans are more kind-hearted, but prefer not to look at the poor too closely; it’s depressing, and they’re surely not fun people to be with.

These attitudes are a world away from God’s attitudes, as described in this verse. Neediness arouses compassion in God– and action.

We may think: “Of course God loves the poor; he loves everybody.” But it’s not so simple as that; God’s character is presented as a model for our own. If God values the poor, we have to think about what that means for us.

Help us to help them! Donate today! Anything helps! Thank you! See ya on the road!