The Law and the Promise

 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.

For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. ~ Galatians 3:15-18

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. ~ A.A. World Services Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. A.A. World Services, Inc. Kindle Edition.

Promises made, promises kept.
The Big Book continues, 
"Are these extravagant promises?
We think not.
They are being fulfilled among us—
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
They will always materialize if we work for them."
There is order in the universe
when we take the needed steps,
when we respond to the Good News
inherent in both big books!
We have promises laid out
that seem too good to be true.
But they're not!
If we accept the offer made,
if we do our part,
we find life
better than than we could have imagined! 

 

God, give us the courage to do it your way,
to accept the life you have made available to us!