| Ron Hutchcraft's Blogs |
 This time it was knives.A student rampaged through the halls of Franklin Regional High School, slashing with two long knives. Leaving a trail of blood and 22 wounded victims. So Murrysville, Pa. joins the list no one wants to be on. Like Newtown, Fort Hood - places where one angry person changes lives and families forever. It's too soon to know what triggered this bloodshed. But it's a good bet that anger was once again a big part of it. In fact, anger's at the root of most of the explosions we hear about in the headlines. And lots more that never make it to the headlines. Rage that detonates every day - at home...at work...at school...at sporting events...in traffic. Often the trigger turns out to be something relatively small. The final drop that made a glassful of anger overflow. And there are always victims. Occasionally bleeding outside. Almost always bleeding on the inside. As the world's best-seller, the Bible, says: "Reckless words pierce like a sword." And "the tongue has the power of life and death." But behind the guns and the knives, the verbal sword is the deeper issue. The ticking time bomb of seething anger inside. Which seems more widespread than ever. Making once "safe" places increasingly more dangerous. We need some ways to defuse the bomb inside. 1. Unload your pain before you explode your pain. Behind our anger is almost always hurt. Over mistreatment. Failure. Frustration over a relationship. Feeling attacked or excluded. Crushed dreams. Circumstances beyond our control. And stored-up hurt morphs into the ticking time bomb of rage. Unless you unload it. Not in a blast of anger that scars often innocent victims. But by facing your deepest hurts with someone you can trust. A family member or friend. A counselor or pastor. But say it. Don't stuff it. Where it feeds the ugly anger monster. 2. Reach out to the people in the shadows. The shy ones. The people who seem to be saying, "Leave me alone." That person who's negative...mean...or left out. It is the people who feel isolated - sometimes by their own actions - who need us the most. It's the most unloveable who need our love the most. 3. Let God into the darkness. There's only so much people can do to heal our wounds and defuse the ticking bomb. I met a man recently whose anger from what's happening in every part of his life had brought him, as he said, to "the end of my rope." That day he poured it all out. First to me. Then to God. I could listen. God could heal. And the healing has begun. Yes, it's risky to let someone into the room in our soul where the hurt and anger are stored. But it's a whole lot more risky not to. I need - I think everyone needs - a place to go with the wounds and feelings that have no words. I found that place...in the God who "gets" me. Because He's been here. As a victim of the worst of human injustice and brutality. On that first Good Friday. Jesus is the God who understands. Who loves me enough to die for every wrong thing, every hurting thing I've ever done. He is my one safe place. |
Monday, April 14, 2014
Pray for the victims in Murrysville, Pa.
Matthew 7 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: It is Finished
Picture if you will, a blank check. The amount of the check is "sufficient grace." The signer of the check is Jesus. The only blank line is for the payee. That part is for you! May I urge you to spend a few moments with your Savior receiving this check? Reflect on the work of God's grace. The nails that once held a Savior to the cross. His sacrifice was for you. Express your thanks for His grace. Whether for the first time or the thousandth, let Him hear you whisper, "Forgive us our debts." And let Him answer your prayer as you imagine writing your name on the check.
No more deposits are necessary. So complete was the payment that Jesus used a banking term to proclaim your salvation. "It is finished" (John 19:30)! Perhaps I best slip out now and leave the two of you to talk.
from The Great House of God
Matthew 7
Judging Others
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Matthew 16:13-20
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Footnotes:
Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Insight
The place where Jesus asked His disciples the question about His identity was significant, for it was at Caesarea Philippi (v.13), a center of worship for Baal, the Greek god Pan, and the emperor. Jesus first asked what others were saying about His identity (vv.13-14). He then made it personal, directing the question to His own disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (v.15). To the world, Jesus was merely a great man, such as John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah (v.14). But Peter got it right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v.16).
Mistaken Identity
By Bill Crowder
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” —Matthew 16:15
My youngest brother, Scott, was born when I was a senior in high school. This age difference made for an interesting situation when he grew to college age. On his first trip to his college campus, I went along with him and our mom. When we arrived, people thought we were Scott Crowder and his dad and his grandmom. Eventually, we gave up correcting them. No matter what we said or did, our actual relationships were overridden by this humorous case of mistaken identity.
Jesus questioned the Pharisees about His identity: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They replied, “The Son of David” (Matt. 22:42). The identity of Messiah was critical, and their answer was correct but incomplete. The Scriptures had affirmed that Messiah would come and reign on the throne of His father David. But Jesus reminded them that though David would be Christ’s ancestor, He would also be more—David referred to Him as “Lord.”
Faced with a similar question, Peter rightly answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Still today, the question of Jesus’ identity rises above the rest in significance—and it is eternally important that we make no mistake in understanding who He is.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. —Grant
No mistake is more dangerous than mistaking the identity of Jesus.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, April 14, 2014
Inner Invincibility
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me . . . —Matthew 11:29
Whom the Lord loves He chastens . . .” (Hebrews 12:6). How petty our complaining is! Our Lord begins to bring us to the point where we can have fellowship with Him, only to hear us moan and groan, saying, “Oh Lord, just let me be like other people!” Jesus is asking us to get beside Him and take one end of the yoke, so that we can pull together. That’s why Jesus says to us, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Are you closely identified with the Lord Jesus like that? If so, you will thank God when you feel the pressure of His hand upon you.
“. . . to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). God comes and takes us out of our emotionalism, and then our complaining turns into a hymn of praise. The only way to know the strength of God is to take the yoke of Jesus upon us and to learn from Him.
“. . . the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Where do the saints get their joy? If we did not know some Christians well, we might think from just observing them that they have no burdens at all to bear. But we must lift the veil from our eyes. The fact that the peace, light, and joy of God is in them is proof that a burden is there as well. The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden. No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility.
If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out. It is definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in God’s strength.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Eating, Then Lying Down - #7111
Monday, April 14, 2014
It was one of the classic commercials of all time. It was the Alka Seltzer commercial: two tablets dropping into a glass of water to the tune of "plop, plop, fizz, fizz"? Usually, they showed someone eating something disagreeable just before bedtime; someone who could only be rescued from terminal indigestion with "plop, plop, fizz, fizz". Several years ago, I met someone who knew that agony; the agony of late night stomach revolt.
Terry works in the theater district on Broadway in New York, and he told me how many show people just can't eat before they go on, they're too nervous. So by the time the show's over they're starved. So they get all cleaned up about midnight, and Terry said they'd go out to get a big dinner, and shortly afterwards they would head home for their night's sleep, and their night's wrestling match with what they had just eaten. See, eating's nice if it's followed by digestion.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Eating, Then Lying Down."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Joshua 1:8. And it ends by saying, "Then you will be prosperous and successful." Interested? Here's what it says, "Do not let this Book of the law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Meditate here is a Hebrew word and it actually suggests a cow chewing its cud. You know, chewing over what the Bible is saying until you've gotten out of it what you need. It's obviously more than just a mental exercise where you just sort of quickly ingest some biblical facts and move on. In fact, the purpose of spiritual eating isn't just to get the Bible into your brain; it's to get it into your life.
A lot of people are suffering from spiritual indigestion, either a discomfort about their relationship with the Lord or just this hollow lethargy toward the things of God. And it may be because they're doing what those midnight munchers on Broadway are doing: eating and then lying down instead of eating and putting it to work.
The ability to read something God says in His Book and then immediately convert that into action is probably the single most important key there is to having a living relationship with Jesus Christ. If you're tired of spiritual blahs and spiritual mediocrity, spiritual boredom, and spiritual failure, consider God's one-word prescription for biblical indigestion or non-digestion. "Meditate so you may be careful to do everything written in it." Key word: do.
So many of us settle for meditating to know what's written in those verses, or to analyze what's written, or even to just understand what's written. None of those are bad, but they're not enough any more than just eating your dinner is enough. You've got to digest it. Maybe digesting God's Word has been the missing ingredient in growing your relationship with Jesus.
Spiritual digestion takes place something like this: First, you read over a verse two or three times, you chew on those verses until you can put them into words of your own. Then you answer the question, "What's God saying here?" A lot of us stop right there. Now you've got to ask the next question, "What should I do differently today because God says this?"
If you're reading a verse let's say about trials, you take out the word trials and you put in there the trial you're going through right now. If you're reading about sin, you put in there a specific sin of yours where it says sin. If it's about loving people, you put in there the name of somebody you have a hard time loving. Then you ask the Lord to help you carry this word from Him in your heart and in your mouth all day, applying it to the specific life change that that word from God calls for.
When you do that, you're digesting God's life-changing spiritual nutrition. Turn eating into doing right away and you'll get stronger every day. Remember, you weren't meant to eat and then just lie down. That's spiritual indigestion and ultimately it's spiritual malnutrition.
Picture if you will, a blank check. The amount of the check is "sufficient grace." The signer of the check is Jesus. The only blank line is for the payee. That part is for you! May I urge you to spend a few moments with your Savior receiving this check? Reflect on the work of God's grace. The nails that once held a Savior to the cross. His sacrifice was for you. Express your thanks for His grace. Whether for the first time or the thousandth, let Him hear you whisper, "Forgive us our debts." And let Him answer your prayer as you imagine writing your name on the check.
No more deposits are necessary. So complete was the payment that Jesus used a banking term to proclaim your salvation. "It is finished" (John 19:30)! Perhaps I best slip out now and leave the two of you to talk.
from The Great House of God
Matthew 7
Judging Others
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Matthew 16:13-20
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Footnotes:
Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Insight
The place where Jesus asked His disciples the question about His identity was significant, for it was at Caesarea Philippi (v.13), a center of worship for Baal, the Greek god Pan, and the emperor. Jesus first asked what others were saying about His identity (vv.13-14). He then made it personal, directing the question to His own disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (v.15). To the world, Jesus was merely a great man, such as John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah (v.14). But Peter got it right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v.16).
Mistaken Identity
By Bill Crowder
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” —Matthew 16:15
My youngest brother, Scott, was born when I was a senior in high school. This age difference made for an interesting situation when he grew to college age. On his first trip to his college campus, I went along with him and our mom. When we arrived, people thought we were Scott Crowder and his dad and his grandmom. Eventually, we gave up correcting them. No matter what we said or did, our actual relationships were overridden by this humorous case of mistaken identity.
Jesus questioned the Pharisees about His identity: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They replied, “The Son of David” (Matt. 22:42). The identity of Messiah was critical, and their answer was correct but incomplete. The Scriptures had affirmed that Messiah would come and reign on the throne of His father David. But Jesus reminded them that though David would be Christ’s ancestor, He would also be more—David referred to Him as “Lord.”
Faced with a similar question, Peter rightly answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Still today, the question of Jesus’ identity rises above the rest in significance—and it is eternally important that we make no mistake in understanding who He is.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. —Grant
No mistake is more dangerous than mistaking the identity of Jesus.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, April 14, 2014
Inner Invincibility
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me . . . —Matthew 11:29
Whom the Lord loves He chastens . . .” (Hebrews 12:6). How petty our complaining is! Our Lord begins to bring us to the point where we can have fellowship with Him, only to hear us moan and groan, saying, “Oh Lord, just let me be like other people!” Jesus is asking us to get beside Him and take one end of the yoke, so that we can pull together. That’s why Jesus says to us, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Are you closely identified with the Lord Jesus like that? If so, you will thank God when you feel the pressure of His hand upon you.
“. . . to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). God comes and takes us out of our emotionalism, and then our complaining turns into a hymn of praise. The only way to know the strength of God is to take the yoke of Jesus upon us and to learn from Him.
“. . . the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Where do the saints get their joy? If we did not know some Christians well, we might think from just observing them that they have no burdens at all to bear. But we must lift the veil from our eyes. The fact that the peace, light, and joy of God is in them is proof that a burden is there as well. The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden. No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility.
If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out. It is definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in God’s strength.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Eating, Then Lying Down - #7111
Monday, April 14, 2014
It was one of the classic commercials of all time. It was the Alka Seltzer commercial: two tablets dropping into a glass of water to the tune of "plop, plop, fizz, fizz"? Usually, they showed someone eating something disagreeable just before bedtime; someone who could only be rescued from terminal indigestion with "plop, plop, fizz, fizz". Several years ago, I met someone who knew that agony; the agony of late night stomach revolt.
Terry works in the theater district on Broadway in New York, and he told me how many show people just can't eat before they go on, they're too nervous. So by the time the show's over they're starved. So they get all cleaned up about midnight, and Terry said they'd go out to get a big dinner, and shortly afterwards they would head home for their night's sleep, and their night's wrestling match with what they had just eaten. See, eating's nice if it's followed by digestion.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Eating, Then Lying Down."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Joshua 1:8. And it ends by saying, "Then you will be prosperous and successful." Interested? Here's what it says, "Do not let this Book of the law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Meditate here is a Hebrew word and it actually suggests a cow chewing its cud. You know, chewing over what the Bible is saying until you've gotten out of it what you need. It's obviously more than just a mental exercise where you just sort of quickly ingest some biblical facts and move on. In fact, the purpose of spiritual eating isn't just to get the Bible into your brain; it's to get it into your life.
A lot of people are suffering from spiritual indigestion, either a discomfort about their relationship with the Lord or just this hollow lethargy toward the things of God. And it may be because they're doing what those midnight munchers on Broadway are doing: eating and then lying down instead of eating and putting it to work.
The ability to read something God says in His Book and then immediately convert that into action is probably the single most important key there is to having a living relationship with Jesus Christ. If you're tired of spiritual blahs and spiritual mediocrity, spiritual boredom, and spiritual failure, consider God's one-word prescription for biblical indigestion or non-digestion. "Meditate so you may be careful to do everything written in it." Key word: do.
So many of us settle for meditating to know what's written in those verses, or to analyze what's written, or even to just understand what's written. None of those are bad, but they're not enough any more than just eating your dinner is enough. You've got to digest it. Maybe digesting God's Word has been the missing ingredient in growing your relationship with Jesus.
Spiritual digestion takes place something like this: First, you read over a verse two or three times, you chew on those verses until you can put them into words of your own. Then you answer the question, "What's God saying here?" A lot of us stop right there. Now you've got to ask the next question, "What should I do differently today because God says this?"
If you're reading a verse let's say about trials, you take out the word trials and you put in there the trial you're going through right now. If you're reading about sin, you put in there a specific sin of yours where it says sin. If it's about loving people, you put in there the name of somebody you have a hard time loving. Then you ask the Lord to help you carry this word from Him in your heart and in your mouth all day, applying it to the specific life change that that word from God calls for.
When you do that, you're digesting God's life-changing spiritual nutrition. Turn eating into doing right away and you'll get stronger every day. Remember, you weren't meant to eat and then just lie down. That's spiritual indigestion and ultimately it's spiritual malnutrition.
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