Title: Not Because of Us

 Dear Reader, 

This morning I found myself reflecting on a passage from Deuteronomy 9:4-6. 

Quote:  

When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. 

 

It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. 

End Quote 

 

The message is direct.  It is also not easy to accept. 

 

Don’t say in your heart, “I got here because I was righteous.”  

 

The hard truth is that as our life starts to come together—especially in recovery—Grace has more to do with it than we openly admit.  

 

When humbly looking back we can see Grace at work: 

• Things begin to settle. 

• We make better choices. 

• We start to feel some peace. 

• Opportunities show up. 

• We stop living a life of self-will while moving closer to one based on His will. 

 

A life not because of our doing or because we have figured it out, but because our Higher Power (God / Christ / Jehova) has formed a partnership with us and met us there, based on living sober one day at a time. 

 

To the Israelites, this was the daily mana.  

To us a "Daily Reprieve." 

 

Let us remember the strength we needed; we didn’t create it. 

Even the willingness to change showed up before we fully understood it. 

Grace Makes Sense of It 

The words in Ephesians 2 confirm this as well.  

"you are no longer foreigners and outsiders but citizens together with God's people and members of God's family. You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone." 

Maybe the point is this: We’re not building something from nothing. We’re walking into something that’s already been prepared. When we admit that "GOD is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves" we form a partnership that is unbreakable.   And that’s enough. 

Amen 

Trusting the One Who Saves

Dear Reader, 

 

There are times when we accept the wording of a message without fully understanding what is being 

offered. 

 

It is a good thing that our life experiences allow us to shift from words on a page to a living revelation of  what those words truly mean. 

 

For example, I was raised with a belief in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. For much of my life, prayer 

allowed me to believe I could be saved someday—in the eternities. Yet it was not until I found recovery 

and a “God of my understanding” that I began to experience a way of living that offered salvation here 

and now. 

 

For many years, I simply accepted that Jesus Christ lived, was crucified, died for us, and ascended into 

heaven. The words were in my head with little meaning in my heart. 

 

It is beautiful how a small shift at the center of a circle creates a profound change at the outer edge. 

 

As I reflect today, my understanding has deepened: 

“The first principle isn’t just faith that Christ exists—it is faith that He is our Savior and Redeemer. That 

He can save us from ourselves and our sins, and redeem and exalt us.” 

 

Old Understanding: 

• I believed He lived. 

• I believed He taught. 

• I believed He was important. 

New Understanding: 

• I believed He lived. 

• I believed He taught. 

• I believed He saves. 

 

My journey in recovery, and now my life as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 

Saints, has sharpened my focus. 

 

As much as I would like to rely on my own thinking and will, I now see differently. I have found new 

strength through Jesus Christ. This is a faith that Christ is an active companion—one who walks with 

me and guides me. 

 

I still recognize our Heavenly Father as the one and only God—and now I understand that I have an 

Advocate with the Father on my behalf. This is a place of humility, coupled with joy. 

 

Jesus Christ is not simply present—but powerful. 

• Not just a teacher—but a Savior. 

• Not just a guide—but a Redeemer. 

 

In truth, the message of recovery and the message of the gospel began to sound very much the same. 

• You are not beyond help. 

• You are not meant to carry this alone. 

• There is a power greater than yourself that can restore you. 

 

 

Here is the deeper understanding: that power greater than myself is not abstract—it has a living 

presence in Jesus Christ. 

“There is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ.” 

That word—saved—has taken on new meaning. Not just someday—but today: 

Saved 

• From my fears. 

• From my patterns. 

• From the parts of myself I could not change alone. 

 

We do not come to Him after we are fixed. 

• We come to Him to be fixed. 

• We do not come because we are strong. 

• We come because we are willing. 

I 

If there is one truth to hold onto, it is this: 

The first principle of the gospel is not just that Christ exists. 

It is that He is able. 

• Able to lift what feels too heavy. 

• Able to heal what feels too broken. 

• Able to redeem what feels too far gone. 

 

So today, the question is not simply: Do I believe in Him? 

But rather: Do I trust Him enough to let Him help me? 

 

The door does not open when we understand everything. 

It opens when we are willing to step forward. 

And in that step—however small—we begin to discover something life-changing: 

We are not just believing in a Savior. 

We are being saved by Him. 

Amen.