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If you're up late enough - I'm saying really late - you might catch an episode of the old TV series "The Twilight Zone." Rod Serling, the host, wrote some very imaginative and actually sometimes strange stories that ended up on that series. And it's funny after all these years; I still remember one, even though it's been a long time. This bank teller suddenly develops the ability to know what people are thinking, and he thinks he has a great gift. The amusing part was that while people were speaking, he knew what they were really thinking as they said those words. Aren't you glad this was just fiction?
For example, he heard the banker saying to a customer that had a considerable amount of money in the bank, "We certainly enjoyed visiting with you." Meanwhile he's hearing his thoughts say, "I wouldn't even want to be in the same room with you if you didn't have so much money." Well, by the end of the story, as I recall it, he's not so sure he wants this gift anymore. Someone who knows what you're thinking about; aren't you glad that's just fiction? Or is it?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Thought Detector."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 5, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 20, where a young man has just been lowered through a roof by his determined friends. See, they want their paralyzed friend to have a healing touch from Jesus. You may remember the story. The Bible says, "When Jesus saw their faith, He said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.' The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' Jesus knew what they were thinking (oh, here we go!) and asked, 'Why are you thinking these things in your heart?'"
Now, these people didn't say they were doubting Jesus, but Jesus knew they were. See, a passage like this teaches us that if you think it, Jesus knows it. How does that make you feel? I mean, a lot of folks whose outer life is admirably righteous have a moral zoo going on inside. See, Jesus is interested in your thoughts, not just your actions. For example He told us, "If a man commits adultery in his heart; if he lusts after a woman, that's a form of adultery" - mental adultery.
Now, we work pretty hard to get the outside looking good, don't we? But 1 Samuel 16 says, "God looks on the heart." What you think about all day; that's the real you. Jesus knows the bitterness behind those nice words; He knows the jealousy behind the smiles, the lust behind your lectures on sin. He knows the pride behind all that Christian work you do. He knows the thoughts of unfaithfulness that maybe you're covering up with words of love. He wants to be the Lord of what you think about, not just what you do. In fact, the wonderful possibility is given to us in 2 Corinthians 10:5. Here's what it says: "We can bring every thought into the captivity and obedience of Christ."
So, fight the war on the first front, and that's where you think. Sin always lands as a thought first; repentance begins with the things I'm thinking about. That's why David said, "Lord, I want you to know my thoughts." So, let Christ invade the real you, not just the one everybody can see. You need Him in your mind all day. He already knows what's going on there. So talk to Him about it, be honest about it, release His power to change your mind. The Bible says that we can "be transformed by the renewing of our mind." That's the power of a living Christ inside of you if you will open up all the closets in your mind with all the darkness and monsters in it for Him to change.
The greatest strongholds for the kingship of Jesus Christ are in my mind, and they can be, and they must be, surrendered to His will.
Broken No More - #9864
jeudi 31 octobre 2024 • Durée
When I was growing up and when our children were growing up, basically when generations of children were growing up, mommies and daddies read stories to their children. And most of them had a predictable ending: "and they lived happily ever after." Except for this one nursery rhyme - the one about the uncoordinated egg. You know?
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to learn from that one. "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall - all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again." So what? Don't sit on a wall? I don't know. I kept waiting for the happy ending. There isn't one. Humpty's broken, he's in pieces, everybody tries to put him together and nobody can. Humpty is broken and no one can fix him. Well, not necessarily.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Broken No More."
We live in a world of Humpty Dumpty people; people who are broken inside where it's hard to heal. You might be one of them. The pain, the hurt, the disappointment of your life have left you shattered. And though there have been attempts to put the pieces together, nothing has really worked. The brokenness remains. There's no "they lived happily ever after."
Our word for today from the Word of God offers some real hope for what may have seemed hopeless until now - a happy ending. It's in Isaiah 61:1, speaking of Jesus Christ. "The Lord has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted." The Bible says that part of Jesus' mission on earth is to put together broken people.
Maybe all the King's horses and all the King's men can't put you together again. But the King can if you'll give Him all the pieces of your life no matter how hurtful, no matter how shameful, no matter how ugly. Jesus can do what no friend can do for you, no boyfriend, no girlfriend, no therapist, no medication, no family member, no emotional anesthetic. Why? Because He did what only He could do to deal with the root cause of all the brokenness in our world. And that's the spiritual destroyer God calls sin.
Not the breaking of somebody's religious rules. Sin, according to the Bible, is the basic choice all of us have made to do our life our way instead of God's way. That has led us to a lifetime of choices that go against the way God made us to live. God says, "Sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15). Sin always destroys. It always leaves behind the pieces. All of us have been the sinned against, and all of us have been the sinner. And all our brokenness is from one or the other.
Praying, Then Expecting - #9863
mercredi 30 octobre 2024 • Durée
I saw one of those bumper frames for your license plate. It said, "Happiness is being a grandparent." Oh, that's the truth! I mean, I remember when I was a little kid. Happiness was having a grandparent with you, especially my grandmother. Because it always meant surprises; it meant going out to eat, and it almost always meant money! That's what grandparents are for, of course, to spoil kids. Any time I knew that I would be seeing Grandma I was excited to see what surprises she would bring. If we're that way about grandma, we should really be looking forward to what Father has for us today; that's Father with a capital F.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Praying, Then Expecting."
As you know, life is divided into 24-hour chunks. We have this sort of death and resurrection thing that takes place every day. You know, we sort of die about 10:00, 11:00, or 12:00 o'clock at night, and sort of start all over again the next morning. It's like beginning again the next day. So, life isn't this big old blob - life. It just really comes down to these 24-hour things doesn't it: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc.?
There's a very interesting look in the Bible at a day in the life of a child of God, because that's really what it amounts to...have a good day. That's how you live the life of a Christian, you have a good day.
Go back to the book of Psalms, and here's what a day in the life looks like at beginning and end; sunrise and sunset in the life of a child of God. Our word for today from the Word of God, Psalm 5:3 - "In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation."
Okay, that's one end of the day. Let's go to the other end of the day. The sun has gone down now. Psalm 4:8, same page in my Bible, says this; "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Now, it's interesting as you read this morning beginning with the Lord, beginning this 24-hour period of time. It talks about the many moods of praying. There's not just one mood of praying; it's sort of like Baskin Robbins. There are a lot of flavors you can pray in. It says, "Give ear to my words, O Lord." Okay, that's just kind of making a statement. Then it says, "Consider my sighing." This is the kind of praying when you're totally depleted; you don't even know what to say. "O Lord, I can hardly get this out." And then it says, "Listen to my cry..." my cry for help. This is desperation. And then he says, "I lay my requests before the Lord" every morning laying out the concerns of my heart.
Hope for Your Long Night - #9862
mardi 29 octobre 2024 • Durée
It was another one of our marathon drives. It was a 20-hour trip and my wife and I were alternating at the wheel, and I was doing the night shift. And since it was an early winter trip, the night was a long night. I did my behind-the-wheel calisthenics, I sampled different radio stations, I played stimulating music, kept the temperature at a refreshing level - all those fun things you do when it's you against the night.
Frankly, by 6:00 A.M., I was tired of the darkness. Then, in my rear view mirror, I saw a beautiful sight. In the eastern sky, I could see this bright orange ball peeking over the horizon. The long night was over! The sun was coming up! And I could make the rest of the trip!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hope for Your Long Night."
Maybe it's been a long night for you. And, like me on that marathon drive, you're tired of driving in the dark. It's been lonely in your long night. You've gotten hurt in the dark, and sometimes you've gotten lost in the dark. Maybe you're wondering if you can make the rest of the trip like this. You're where I was that long night. You are ready for the sunrise, except you may need to change one letter from s-u-n rise to S-o-n Sonrise - that's Son, as in the Son of God.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 9:25, the story of a man whose whole life had been a ride in the darkness. He was blind from birth. Then Jesus invaded his dark world and the sun came up. Jesus did what no one else could do. He healed that man's lifetime blindness. The religious leaders who had it in for Jesus put the man through this brutal interrogation, trying to nail Jesus for violating the Jewish Sabbath by healing him. They were trying to get the man to agree that the person who healed him was really a sinner.
I love this man's bold answer. "One thing I know. I was blind, but now I see." I was in an endless darkness until Jesus touched my life. And I've come into the light. The sun has come up because of Jesus.
What Jesus did for that man, that's what He's done for me and it's what He's done for millions. Not physically, but emotionally and spiritually, and it's what He wants to do for you. There's a spiritual condition that keeps us all from being able to get out of the long night. It's the cause of the long night. It's called sin. It's the running of our own lives instead of God running them. And only Jesus can bring the long night of sin to an end in your life. Like the world's most famous hymn "Amazing Grace" says, "I once was lost but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see."
Checking With God - #9861
lundi 28 octobre 2024 • Durée
My wife hit her 40th birthday without the trauma you're supposed to have - very well-adjusted lady. No big deal - 40th birthday. And then a couple of months later our oldest son, who was then 12 said, "Hey, Mom, you know you've been alive for 14,662 days?" Well, that's a different matter. Actually, life really isn't years; it is days. All the little choices, experiences, hurts, happiness's of each 24-hour period, isn't that what makes the years?
That's really true when it comes to parenting children. Their lives unfold in these 24-hour episodes. They're shaped by their days. I know our own kids' lives were filled with daily developments as they were growing up. Academic developments, frustrations, changes in friends, it seemed like there were soap operas that were changing daily. Questions, remarks! If I missed many days, well I'll never catch up with what I missed. See, it was tough when I traveled, so I was thankful for well, like phones and emails. When I was away, I would contact home frequently and get those important updates of what happened in that 24-hour period. I got out of step with my wife and children if I didn't stay in frequent contact. You just can't afford to be out of touch for very long in any relationship.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Checking With God."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 5 - I'm going to begin at verse 16. "The news about Jesus spread all the more so that crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Underscore these words, "...the crowds came, but Jesus withdrew." See, when you're besieged, when you're pressured, your only hope of staying on course is regular time out to touch God. Jesus knew that. He made frequent calls home.
There's a lot to learn from these simple few words we just read. First it says often. See, you've got to take many time-outs during the day. Not necessarily going in a room all by yourself; not necessarily stopping everything and saying, "Wait a minute, I've got to take an hour off." Just even a momentary, spiritual time-out many times during the day. You make too many choices in a day - there are too many needs.
And then it says, "He withdrew" and I get the feeling you have to tear yourself away from the urgent demands. He had people all around Him at that point and they all needed Him. But you know, the time out might only be brief, but it's a quick moment in the middle of the battle to focus on your Father; to spiritually and mentally withdraw from every voice but one voice. And then it says He often withdrew "alone." We spend a lot of time listening to God's voice in Bible studies, and church, and group settings. But the key is time alone when there's no other voice. And then it says, "He prayed." He didn't get alone to plan, to listen to the radio, or listen to music. It was time to touch God.
The Spiritual Cure You Can Die From - #9860
vendredi 25 octobre 2024 • Durée
I've really got to think of a better response when people tell me they have a headache and I say, "You know, pain always attacks at the weakest point." They really don't find that helpful. Actually, we all have our favorite headache remedy - one or two of this pill or that and we wait for the relief as those pills race through our system. I know they do. I saw it on a commercial once.
There was this twisted act of individual terrorism that happened back in 1982 when relief was turned into tragedy. Someone managed to put poison in some pain relief capsules and there were a series of sudden deaths. The victims had taken this brand of pain reliever. I remember reading about a flight attendant in particular who arrived home after a trip with a serious headache. She reached for a couple pain relief capsules. I'm sure she thought they would make her feel better soon. Instead, she died from them.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Spiritual Cure You Can Die From."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Proverbs 14:12. It is one of the most sobering, unsettling statements in the Bible. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." God's trying to warn us here that we can be on a spiritual road that feels right, that we really believe will give us what we've been hoping for, but it will lead us to death.
In 1997, just before Good Friday, America was stunned by the mass suicide of 39 members of the "Heaven's Gate" cult. Then we saw some of the video testimonials made by those people just before they took their own lives. They talked about how at peace they were, how happy to be taking this next step - suicide. And we learned that these were not some religious freaks; they were bright, competent people. They believed very sincerely that they were graduating to something better.
But listen to Jesus, the Son of God. He says, "I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved" (John 10:9). And it is Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." If you're counting on anything or anyone other than Jesus to get you to heaven, you're not going to make it. Sincerity doesn't make what you believe in right. That flight attendant sincerely believed that pain reliever would help her. Peaceful feelings don't validate what you're counting on either. The people who died from those poisoned capsules were expecting relief. Instead they died.
The Power of Joy - #9859
jeudi 24 octobre 2024 • Durée
So what do you do when Murphy's Law hits all in one day? You know, Murphy's Law: "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong"? Well, we've all had plenty of those at our house. I remember one right now that hit my family. We were trying to get ready to go on vacation; we were leaving the next morning. The first thing that happened was that the freezer had gone on the blink and all of our food had spoiled. Oh, that was nice.
And then we developed a little car trouble. Well, that was two hits; we could handle that. We had a mountain of laundry that had to be done before we left on vacation. Oh, of course, the dryer then broke that day. And then I was standing in the basement just trying to figure out what to do, and suddenly I noticed it was unusually moist around my feet. Sure enough, some of the sewer system in our house had backed up into a sink, overflowed, and there I was standing in the middle of it. At which point my wife came down the stairs and took a look at this entire falling-apart situation. Mr. Murphy had won!
Now, you know what I needed while I was standing in my own personal swamp? Well, my wife said, "Welcome to Haiti." See, we had just been to Haiti where there's sewage in the street, and it's not funny there. But for some reason it just cracked me up, and that's exactly what I needed to get through it. What I needed in my own personal swamp might be the same thing you need right now.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Power of Joy."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Proverbs 17:22 - "A cheerful heart is good medicine." That's what I needed in the middle of my swamp. In a tense situation, you need God's perspective pill - a merry heart, a good laugh. A sense of humor enables you to not take yourself so seriously. When you get all wrapped up tightly in a problem (or a swamp in the basement) well, you lose your sense of perspective; the ability to laugh at yourself in your situation takes you out of the mess for a moment and sort of takes you up on a hill where you can look down on it a little bit. You get perspective. You'll probably make better choices. Now, maybe you're a perfectionist; you're just driven to get everything right. You need to be able to joke about your weaknesses and your imperfections once in a while rather than just be choked on them.
Nowhere is a sense of humor needed more than in parenting. Parents often come to me with deep concerns about their kids - great fears. And we, of course, try to work on a practical strategy to work with them. But one point of the strategy is usually just two words. Often I'll just say at the end, "By the way, lighten up." See, we want so badly to be effective parents, to get this problem solved. We worry so deeply that our children are going to be seduced by this godless world, and those are serious concerns. But if we think about our performance and their problems all the time, we're going to be paralyzed. We'll over-react. We'll talk a lot and listen little. We'll fear something so much we may actually make it happen.
The Effect You Have - #9858
mercredi 23 octobre 2024 • Durée
I think there was a time when people thought workers were demonstrating loyalty and nobility if they showed up for their job even if they felt sicker than a dog. More and more, people think you're not very smart if you do that! You may be one of those who drags yourself into work no matter how sick you are. You're there, all right, but so are your coughs, your sneezes, and your "cooties." Strangely, over the next few days, one co-worker after another comes down with symptoms that look suspiciously like what you brought to work with you. The poet was right, "no man is an island!" You're contagious!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Effect You Have."
The truth is we're all contagious even when we're healthy. It's not just physical germs we spread; we spread an attitude wherever we are! And while the process of people around you catching your attitude may be as invisible as the transmission of germs, the results are just as real. They can get "sick" from being around you, or they can actually feel better because they've been around you.
General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in World War II, revealed an important understanding of the leadership that we all exercise when he said this: "Optimism and pessimism are infectious and they spread more rapidly from the head downward than in any other direction." A husband infects his wife with whatever attitude he brings home - positive or negative. If you're wondering why she's acting in a way you don't like, maybe you should look in the mirror for the answer. A parent spreads their attitude to their children, a boss to his employees, a worker to his or her co-workers, a Christian leader to those who serve with him. A friend infects other friends with the health or the sickness of their attitude.
In 1 Samuel 30, beginning with verse 6, our word for today from the Word of God, we can see a vivid picture - both positive and negative - of how the attitude contagion works. In this case, the sick attitude almost destroyed David's little band of soldiers. But one healthy attitude saved the day and it turned the tide of the battle. While David and his men have been gone, their bitter enemies, the Amalekites, have invaded their camp, captured their families, and plundered their camp. Verse 6 tells us that "David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters." You've got bitterness here, blaming, despair - those deadly viruses were spreading from one soldier to another because of the way they responded to this tragedy, to this defeat.
How To Be The One God Can Trust - #9857
mardi 22 octobre 2024 • Durée
I always knew that if my teenage son ever did with stocks what he did with baseball cards, he'd be a millionaire someday. And then maybe I could go on a cruise...you know, who knows? Well, a lot of young guys, when they go looking for baseball cards, just look for the card of people who are already famous. But, of course, those cards have already done a lot of their appreciating while he was becoming famous.
Now, oldest son looked for players who very few people had ever heard of. He would go back into college and see who looked promising while they were in college. Then he'd monitor their minor league statistics, and he seemed to know a couple of specific statistics to look for as clues to future greatness. Then, when that man issued a rookie card (of course the rookie card is the only one you want to have; that's the really valuable one), then my son bought the rookie card.
Then he just watched it appreciate, and then he would go and sell it and reinvest in some other surprising prospects. Now a lot of people were surprised by that players' greatness and they said, "Hey, who's he?" My son wasn't. He knew what to look for. Now, when it comes to picking God's future stars, there's one clue to future greatness that God looks for.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How To Be The One God Can Trust."
Simon Peter - not a likely prospect to be a future star. Hey, if you were looking in the minor league to see who would become a major league leader for Jesus Christ, I'm not sure you would have picked Simon Peter. Why would God use him? What did He see in him? I mean, he sleeps when you need him to be awake - he talks big, he doesn't deliver on his promises - he takes matters in his own hands and does ear surgery. He denied Jesus to a 12-year-old girl. That's all true, but he had the one trait that Jesus looks for, and that's what makes a disciple's heart.
Luke 5:4-6, our word for today from the Word of God - here's what it says: "When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon said, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.' And when they had done so they caught such a large number of fish their nets began to break."
Okay, yes Peter's inconsistent, he's proud, he's unpredictable, impulsive, but he had the one trait out of which Jesus can build a disciple. When He can think of no other reason to do what Jesus said, he replies, "Just because You say so, I'll do it." Unquestioning obedience - that's the core of a disciple's heart. Now, he already failed to bring in any harvest. That was a reason not to go out as Jesus told him to. It was going to be inconvenient; he'd have to clean his nets again. Everything in his experience was against it; he knew it shouldn't work. You're not going to catch them in the middle of the day if you didn't catch them in the middle of the night. But he does it because Jesus said so, and that's the thing God looks for in His future stars.
The Storm Your Ship Can't Handle - #9856
lundi 21 octobre 2024 • Durée
I've been in three hurricanes, but always on land. I can't imagine what it would be like to face it out on the water.
The crew of the container ship El Faro were on pace to be well ahead of Hurricane Joaquin, until they suddenly found themselves with no propulsion system directly in the path of a Category 4 Hurricane: 50-foot waves, 140-mile-an-hour winds, zero visibility. The crew's families asked for people to pray for them and for their missing loved ones.
A Coast Guard officer said, "No matter how big the ship is, when you're disabled and you're at sea, and you're in the middle of a storm, the size and strength of that storm is just enough to overcome just about anything."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Storm Your Ship Can't Handle."
I've never been on a ship in a storm. But in a more personal way, I kind of get what he's saying. Because storms - the physical and emotional kind - are part of everyone's story. I've felt the blows of medical crises that threatened the lives of people I cherish. I've experienced the pain of someone I love being here one day, and then suddenly gone. I've had trust betrayed. And there are the consequences of choices that I made and I wish I could have back.
And, like most people, I want to think I'm smart enough and strong enough to navigate the brutal winds and the surging waves. But, truth be told, it's like the Coast Guard captain said, "Sometimes the size and strength of that storm is just enough to overcome just about anything." And that's when people go under. Marriages break apart. Panic drives us to choices that will even sink us more. Fear, despair, and desperation take us down.
I'd like to think I'm pretty strong emotionally, but not strong enough to hold things together when I'm blindsided by a really brutal storm. But, thank God, I belong to Someone who is.
When Jesus was here, the team He built included some seasoned fishermen who had weathered many a storm, until the night that all their experience and strength wasn't enough to keep their boat from starting to go under. That's when Captain Jesus stepped to the stern, raised His hand and shouted a command, "Peace! Be still!" The Bible says, "The wind died down and it was completely calm." Because whatever storm is bigger than we are, Jesus is bigger than it is. After all, He had the power to walk out of His grave three days after He died on a cross to pay for our sin.
But God's one and only Son came as Jesus to pay for all that sin. In God's words, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree." That's the cross where Jesus died. And because He paid for all our sins, He can forgive all the sins you've done and heal the damage done by your sin and the sins of others. It's all summed up in the beautiful word "Savior."
But Jesus isn't your Savior until you ask Him to be by telling Him you're putting your total trust in Him. Has there ever been a time when you've done that? If you've done that, you'll know you have. That's the day the healing begins. How about that being today for you? Tell Him, "Jesus, I want you to be my Savior from my sin. My life is yours. You made me. You paid for me with your life. I am yours."
I want to invite you to go to our website as an action step right now. There's so much good information there that will help you be sure that you know Jesus personally and have begun your relationship with Him. Now, remember this website - ANewStory.com.
No one else has been able to put together all the broken pieces of you. But that's why Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted. He is your wonderful hope of a happy ending.
By the way, did you do that this morning? Do you do that every morning? Talk to Him and say, "Lord, here's what I'm afraid of today; here's what I'm hoping for today; here's what I'm dreaming about; here's what I'm crying about; here are the people I love; here are the needs I'm anticipating." You empty your hands. Now, how can you tell if you've really prayed or if you just went through the motions? Notice that it says, "I lay my request before the Lord and wait in expectation." Hey, that's like Grandma's visit; waiting in expectation for her surprises.
You know you've really prayed when you get off your knees expectantly and you go through your day looking for the fingerprints of God on that day. It may not be like I thought it would be, but there will be His surprises. Expectation is the byproduct of faith. So, are you uh... expecting? You say, "No, I'm a man. How could I be expecting?" No, I mean expecting good things from God. Expecting God's touch on what you've turned over to Him.
No wonder at night we can lie down and sleep in peace. You allow time each morning to turn over the specifics of that day to Jesus, and then you live in an air of expectancy. My grandmother seldom disappointed me, and your Heavenly Father never will.
There's a reason that only Jesus can bring the sunrise. He descended deeper into the darkness of sin than anyone ever has. He went to a cross where, as He died, He absorbed all the guilt of your sin and mine, and all the punishment we deserve in a hell that has no exit. Because of that unspeakable sacrifice, the Bible says, "God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves" (Colossians 1:13). How? It says "He made peace through His blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:20).
God brought you and me together today, I believe, because He wants you to know that your long drive in the darkness is almost over if you will put your trust in His Son, Jesus, to be your Rescuer from the darkness of your sin.
You tired of the night? You ready to begin a personal relationship with Jesus, who is "the light of the world" the Bible says? Tell Him that, "Jesus, beginning right here and beginning right now, with all my heart I'm yours." I hope your next step will be to go to our website so you can find, there, the information that will help you secure that relationship with Jesus. It's ANewStory.com.
The long, lonely night has lasted long enough. It's time for the Sonrise. It's time for Jesus.
Frankly, I've gone too many days where God and I consulted at the beginning and at the end, but not near enough in the heat of the battle. So many times a day we need deployment, or courage, or help with our priorities. We need an answer.
The greater your responsibilities, the more often you need to check with God even when it seems like you have less time than ever to do it. The daily rush? Well, it can quickly push you right out of the mainstream of the will of God. But take it from a Dad who's traveled.
You can't afford to be out of touch for long. So, make frequent calls home.
Our hearts are incurably spiritual. We need a spiritual answer, and we know it. We're looking for something bigger than ourselves, something that can give us significance, that can conquer the darkness inside of us; that can take us to something better someday. Ultimately, we are looking for a savior who can make us what we could never otherwise be and take us to a heaven we could never otherwise go to.
And there is only one Savior. There's only one person who died the death penalty for the sinning you and I have done, and that is Jesus Christ on the cross. And no belief, no religion, even if it's all about Jesus, can get you to heaven when you die. Only the Savior can do that. You may be on a beautiful spiritual road that looks right and feels right. But like pain relievers that contained poison it may lead you to death.
But Jesus is reaching out to you right now, "the way, the truth, and the life" man. He's urging you to put all your faith in Him; to make the Savior your Savior. Shouldn't that be today? Why would you risk another day without Him? Today you can say, "Jesus, I'm Yours."
The information you need to be sure you belong to Him is right at our website. Just go to ANewStory.com.
Jesus died so you don't have to. Don't risk depending on a remedy that cannot cure sin, because only the Savior who died for that sin can do that. He is what your heart's been longing for your whole life.
You know, could it be that your family could use a few laughs, some crazy, impulsive experiences, a parent who can kid himself about his own weaknesses. Laughing gets people to laugh, and relaxed kids communicate more, and relaxed parents make better decisions.
"A merry heart is good medicine." Is that the medicine for the tension in you and maybe in your family? Don't be afraid to ask the Lord, "Lord, help me lighten up a little."
"But," the Bible says, "David found strength in the Lord his God." He spread that strength to his men and he led them in a surprise attack that routed the Amalekites and took back everything the enemy had stolen. When you get your perspective on the situation from God rather than your feelings or the circumstances, you can turn the tide with a winning attitude.
Which leads to the question of the day: "What kind of attitude are you spreading where you are?" Are you spreading joy or discouragement? Are you spreading confidence or fear? Is it encouragement or negativity? Are you leaving a trail of tenderness, or is it harshness? Stress or peace? Do you spread faith or do you spread unbelief? Do you spread prayer or do you spread worry?
You are affecting the people you live with, the people you work with, the people you serve with. You are contagious, whether you realize it or not. Make their hearts lighter, not heavier. Give them reason to hope, reason to believe, not reason to despair. Those in whom the living Christ dwells have no excuse for spreading germs that make people feel sick in their heart and their soul!
So, everything around you might say, "uh... Have sex now." But you're going to keep it pure just because Jesus says so. Everything that seems to make sense says, "Oh, let your marriage go. Get out of it while you can." You might even have people advising you that way. But you're going to fight to keep it together because Jesus says so. You're going to be honest. When it looks like fudging a little bit, a little deceit, a little playing games with the truth might get you where you want to go, but you're going to tell the truth no matter what the cost. You're going to give generously even if the money isn't there. You're going to forgive and restore that relationship you don't feel like restoring because Jesus says so.
Are you someone that Jesus can build into one of His trusted disciples? Oh, maybe you've got a lot of weaknesses, I do. But once you know what Jesus says, you just do it.
See, then in the major leagues of God's usefulness, you may be destined for greatness.
Jesus hasn't always stopped the storm around me. But He's calmed the storm inside me, beginning with the turbulence in my soul from battling with God for the control of my life. But, thanks to Jesus' life-giving love, I have, as it says in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 5:1, "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." That peace is my unshakeable anchor and that anchor has always held. The storm we can't handle finally confronts us with a truth we've never wanted to face. We were never meant to be at the helm in the first place.
This may be the day when you finally surrender your heart and life and the control of your life to the One who gave it to you in the first place. The Bible says, "You were created by Him and for Him." Jesus had to die on a cross to pay for our rebellion against God. But today He's ready to bring you home into that relationship you were made for. And that peace with God that comes through Jesus; you can go to sleep with that in your heart tonight and every night for the rest of your life.
There's some wonderful information I'd love to give you at our website so you can be sure you've begun this relationship with the only One who can rescue you from your sin. It's ANewStory.com.
Maybe the storm that you've been in has been for an ultimately eternal purpose. Because for many of us, the storm that almost sank us was the storm that finally blew us Home.
