A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
Circling the Airport - #6947

I once had a very exciting night at Chicago' s very busy O'Hare Airport. Just 
as I was getting ready to leave, they informed us that the radar in the 
tower
had suddenly gone down. Do you know what that means? That means the flight 
controllers have no way to do anything mechanically to get your plane in or
out, so they had to shut O'Hare down to one runway and limit themselves to 
visual landings. Well, needless to say, many of us didn't go anywhere that 
night,
and I was frustrated because I couldn't get out of the airport.

But then I thought about the people up above me who couldn't land! As I went 
outside I saw all these lights; the lights of planes that were circling the
airport in what seemed like endless holding patterns. Many of them actually 
ended up diverted to other destinations that night. You can imagine how 
frustrated
they were. They're almost home, they're in sight of Chicago, but they're not 
on the ground. They're almost, but they're not in-maybe like you.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Circling 
the Airport."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Mark chapter 12 where 
Jesus met a man who was almost home. "One of the teachers of the law came 
and
heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he 
asked of him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?&# 39; 'The 
most
important one,' answered Jesus, is this: 'Love the Lord your God with all 
your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your 
strength.'
The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 'Well said, Teacher,' 
the man replied. 'You are right in saying that God is one and there is no 
other
but Him.'"

And then the man went on to express his understanding that to know God was 
much more than religion; it was a relationship. This man is right on target.
Then Jesus spoke these very sobering words to a man who had all the right 
information. He said, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." Interesting
words: "not far" but not in. Like those people at O'Hare Airport, in sight 
of the airport, in sight of home, but they haven't landed yet.

I remember that Air Florida flight years ago that almost cleared the bridge 
in Washington D.C. during take-off, and they crashed into the Potomac River
with the loss of several lives. They almost made it. That might just 
describe where Jesus sees you regarding knowing Him. You're not far from 
Him, but
you're not in. You're in danger if you think that close is good enough.

It could be that you will end up 18 inches from heaven; that's the distance 
from your head to your heart. You know the facts, you respect Jesus, you 
even
love Him perhaps, and you know how to fit into the Christian world. But it's 
in your head; it's not in your heart. You've never really given yourself to
Jesus Christ. He knows it and you know it. You know all about Him, but you 
don't know Him-18 inches away. God sees you circling the airport, putting 
off landing.

Please, don't play with the possibility of crashing forever because you've 
circled but you have never landed. "Seek the Lord (the Bible says) while He
may be found." You're almost home. He's within sight, but you do have to 
land. You have to consciously give the rest of your life to Jesus Christ and 
put all of your trust in the One who died for your sins, and tell Him you're 
doing that. He's the One who bought you with His blood, with His life.

I would love to help you make it the rest of the way home. Would you just 
come to our website? Join me there for a few minutes at ANewStory.com. 
You're
not far, but you're not in. Come home today.
"A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft is a daily radio challenge, with 
slice-of-life illustrations and insights-providing practical help on the 
issues that matter most. If your local Christian radio station does not air this 
program, please let them know how much it is of value to you. "A Word With 
You" is a radio outreach and production of
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
© Ronald P. Hutchcraft • Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
"A Word With You" by Ronald P. Hutchcraft is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial- No Derivative Works 3.0 United 
States License. Based on a work at
www.Hutchcraft.com/A-Word- With-You.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. · PO Box 400 · Harrison, Arkansas 72601

Ron Hutchcroft
We had rented a cabin in the mountains, and we really didn't want to leave
it much. The view across the valley was like a painting. It would change as
the sun changed and the weather changed; all kinds of moods that you see in
the mountains.

I had looked at the mountain across the valley from us many times, but I
finally took a good look that direction at night. That's when I saw it - the
cross.
There was a lighted cross on top of the mountain, glowing in the night from
a vantage point where it could be seen all around. Actually, that cross is
there all the time but you don't really see it until it's dark.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Light
in Your Night."

You know, for many of us, the greatest discovery of our lives came when it
was night; one of those dark times that we all go through in our life. A lot
of people have learned that when it's night, you can see the cross, often
for the first time in your life.

The cross - that awful place where Jesus was brutally crucified - turns out
to be the ultimate proof of how much God loves you and me. If it's sacrifice
that proves love, then we don't ever have to wonder how God feels about us.
God the Father gave up God the Son to absorb the guilt and the hell for
every
wrong thing you and I have ever done. There has never been a greater
sacrifice. There's never been a greater love.

But we can know about what happened at that cross. We can be around it for
years and still miss that forgiveness, that love, and the heaven that Jesus
died
to give us. Maybe you've been kind of skirting the issue of dealing with
Jesus personally. Maybe you feel someone's been pressuring you about Jesus,
and
that's just made you resist Him even more. Maybe it's pride that's kept you
from having a life-changing encounter at the cross, or it could be even your
Christianity, because you've had so much Christianity you thought you had
Christ.

It's easy to go very busily about the routines of your life and never really
see that cross until...it's suddenly night time. Something happens to your
health, to your family, to your job, or whatever you've counted on for
security. And none of your answers, none of your fixes are enough. That's
when a
lot of people look up and finally see the cross, shining there in the night,
showing them where hope is.

In
John 12:32-33,
our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus said, "'When I am lifted up
from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself.' He said this to show the
kind
of death He was going to die.'" See, that was it - lifted up to die on a
cross. But there would be a magnet in that old hunk of wood; a magnet that
would
draw the people He died for right to His side.

Which is exactly why you might be feeling that tug in your heart right now.
Jesus is drawing you to come to the cross, to give yourself to Him; to find
what you've spent your whole life looking for. All those religious hang-ups,
all those lame arguments, all the proud resistance, all the spiritual pride
just drops to the ground at the foot of His cross and you finally belong to
the One you were made for.

If you've been doing it without Jesus all these years, for whatever reason,
and you want this to be the day that you finally experience Him for
yourself,
would you tell Him that right where you are, "Lord, I turn from the running
of my own life. I am pinning all my hopes on You because You died for me,
and
You walked out of your grave so you could walk into my life and I want you
to today."

If that's what you want, then I think our website YoursForLife. net is a good
place for you to go right now. Because that's where I've laid out in very
simple
and non-religious words exactly what the Bible says about how to be sure you
belong to Jesus Christ; how you can know every sin of your life has been
forgiven;
how you can know for sure you're going to heaven. I hope you'll check it
out.

Look, maybe it's night right now, not because God doesn't love you, but
because He does. He doesn't want to lose you. His cross shines very brightly
in
your night.

Once you meet Him there, well it will never be night in your soul again.

© (c) Ronald P. Hutchcraft
Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

The Rest of The Story

A long time ago my friend, Art, got stopped for speeding, although he was a little baffled when the police officer didn't get out of his car for a
couple of moments. So, he thought, "Well, I'll be obliging." Art got out of his car. Oh boy! Immediately he heard the policeman yelling at him, "Get in that car and stay there, and don't move!" as the policeman reached for his gun. Poor Art! I mean, the poor guy was only doing 37 in the 30. That's not really that bad an offense most of the time.

Well, the policeman finally came up to his window. And as Art reached in his back pocket for his license, the policeman said, "Freeze where you are! Eyes straight ahead! Put your hands on the steering wheel! Don't move!" Well, of course, Art's first reaction was, "Am I going to die?" And then his second reaction was, "What is this guy's problem?" Well, if you'd stopped right there you'd have said, "Boy, this officer's really got an attitude, man.
What's going on here?"

Well, you see, the officer went on to explain why he was so jumpy that day.
He had just had a friend, a fellow officer, gunned down by a man that had
been stopped for a minor traffic violation. All of a sudden, it's kind of
understandable, isn't it? You see, when someone is over-reacting or just
acting strangely,
there's usually more to it than meets the eye.

eed behind the deed." Then your response is love and compassion, instead of giving an eye for an eye or returning evil for evil.

Think about that person you care about, or that person who's hard to care about. You can focus on what they're putting you through, or what they're going through. And if you'll get the rest of the story, you'll be just like Jesus.

© (c) Ronald P. Hutchcraft
Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

Tsunami Heroes - #6401
Monday, July 25, 2011
© Ronald P. Hutchcraft . Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
"A Word With You" by Ronald P. Hutchcraft is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial- No Derivative Works

If you're a parent, or even a grandparent, when your kid gets a great
teacher, they become a hero to them and to you. But every once in a while, a
teacher
does something so unforgettable that we nominate them for the Heroes Hall of
Fame. Robert Bailey is one of those. He's a 27-year-old British teacher who
was serving in a school in Japan. A school that suddenly was right in the
path of that monster tsunami that swamped northern Japan. The students there
had eight minutes to find a safe place after the tsunami sirens went off. He
described the moment the earthquake hit this way: "We first heard a weird
cracking noise, and then came the violent shaking."

Bailey said he immediately ushered the students outside onto the baseball
field so they wouldn't be hit by falling debris. They found ground that was
slightly
elevated and then they just watched the water just keep coming toward them.
Thankfully, they were able to avoid the killer wave as it passed through the
valley below them, but their school was obliterated. Every other student,
137 of them, was unaccounted for. But the 42 in Robert Bailey's class? They
survived
because of one man who led them to safety, a hero.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Tsunami
Heroes."

See, when you lead people out of the path of destruction and to the safe
place, you really are a hero. It's the kind of hero God is summoning you to
be.
Here's what He says in Daniel 12:2-3, our word for today from the Word of
God. "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to
everlasting
life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." Okay, every person on this
planet, every person you know, is on one of two lists. Those headed for an
awesome eternity with God and those headed for an awful eternity without
God.

The next verse suggests what will make the difference. "...Those who are
wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many
to
righteousness, will shine like the stars for ever and ever."

God's talking about those who point people to where the life is, where a
saving relationship with Him is - in His Son, Jesus. It's the one thing you
can
do in this life that will still mean something a hundred million years from
now. Those who rescue the dying on earth are going to be heaven's forever
heroes.

And that's why He's put you where you are. You have been divinely positioned
to be God's tsunami warning system. And the warning is the difference
between
life and death. God said through the prophet Ezekiel, "I have made you a
watchman...hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me...I will hold
you
accountable. .." (Ezekiel 3:16-18). The tsunami of God's judgment is headed
our way.

The Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face
judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). But the tsunami of God's judgment was already
taken by Jesus
when He died for the sins of the people you know. The high ground--the only
safe place--is that cross where Jesus paid for our sins, and you know that.
Some of the people you know - don't.

Someone has to lead them to safety, and God is counting on you. You don't
have to know hundreds of Bible verses. You don't have to have your life
totally
together. You don't have to have all the answers. You just have to be able
to point them to the safe place. Your mission is to walk with them up that
hill
called Skull Hill; the one with the cross on top. Take them there. Tell them
that the Man who died there died for them. That it was their sins He was
paying
for. That He loves them that much. That it's all about Jesus.

Maybe you're holding back because you're afraid. That's a normal feeling.
Robert Bailey, who led those teenagers to safety in the face of that looming
tsunami,
was afraid. He actually said he was "terrified." But he said he had a duty
to keep those kids safe. Heroism and courage are not the absence of fear;
they're
the disregard of fear, because you don't want the people you're responsible
for to die.

Join the Conversation
The tsunami of death and judgment is coming. The warning has been sounded.
The lives of the people around you depend on someone leading them to the
high
ground of Jesus' cross. You are their chance, and you're a candidate to be
one of Heaven's heroes.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today
Taking the Sting Out of Goodbye - #6376

Well, it was my first overseas trip. I mean trip. Ten thousand miles to
Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and there we were at Kennedy Airport. Me,
my
wife, our three young children facing three weeks of Daddy being gone. We'd
never had that before. That's a long time when you're a little kid.
Actually,
it's a long time when you're the Daddy of some little kids. Well, I headed
down the jet way, and I smiled and waved goodbye. Rounded the bend to the
plane
and then I wasn't smiling.

But Mommy was able to take some of the sting out of our goodbyes. She
reminded the kids of one important fact. This separation wasn't permanent.
It wasn't
the end! It was only an interruption of our being together.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Taking
the Sting Out of Goodbye."

Not long ago I stood in the cold cemetery by the grave of the man who had
been my last living cousin. For all of us it was of course, a sad goodbye,
but
not nearly as sad as it could have been because my cousin had placed his
life and his eternity in the hands of Jesus. Yes, there will be a
separation,
but because of Jesus, because of what He did on that first Easter, the
goodbye isn't forever. All of us who belong to Jesus will soon be together
again.
There's nothing more important in human history than what happened in a
graveyard early on that morning we now call the first Easter. Jesus Christ
walked
out of His grave and death got demoted.

Listen to our word for today from the Word of God in
1 Corinthians 15:54-56.
"Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of
sin
is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ."

Death couldn't hold Jesus. And He has said to all who belong to Him,
"Because I live, you will also live." So death can't be the end for anyone
who has
pinned their hopes on Jesus. He's not a dead prophet. He's a living Savior!

The Bible tells us that Jesus came to "...free those who all their lives
were held in slavery by their fear of death" (
1 Corinthians 15:54-56).
Because of Jesus, death doesn't have to be the end. It doesn't have to be
something to fear. It's only an interruption! It's the beginning of life
beyond
our imagination in God's heaven.

But you can't get into God's heaven with your sin. In some of the closing
words of the Bible it says, "Nothing impure will ever enter it" speaking of
God's
heaven. But that's why Jesus died on that awful cross. He was paying for
every wrong thing that you've ever done. And now, He can erase every sin of
your
life from God's Book. You'll go to heaven, not because you were good, but
because you were forgiven by the only One who can forgive your sin; the One
who
paid for it! Only Jesus did that.

You will not be asked what religion you were or how good you were. God will
only want to know, "What did you do with My Son who died for you?" You have
to reach out to Jesus. You have to grab Him like He's your only hope, and
you could do that this very day. This could be your eternity-changing Jesus
day.
If you would say to Him, "Jesus, I have run my own life. I know that's
wrong. I know it took Your dying to pay for it, and I believe some of those
sins
You paid for were mine. Today I want to give myself to You, because You are
a living Savior. Beginning today I'm Yours."

I really want to encourage you to go to our website. We've got video there,
we've got audio there, we've got text there. Whatever you want. But it will
all help you understand better how to be sure you belong to Jesus. That
website is YoursForLife. net.

Join the Conversation
The scripture says, "I have written these things to those of you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life."
Now,
there's no greater peace, no greater security than knowing beyond a shadow
of a doubt that you're going to heaven when you die. And you can know that
today!
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
please visit:
Yours for Life
or call 1-888-966-7325.

"A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft is a daily radio challenge, with
slice-of-life illustrations and insights-providing practical help on the
issues that
matter most. If your local Christian radio station does not air this
program, please let them know how much it is of value to you. "A Word With
You" is a radio outreach and production of
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
Creative Commons License
© Ronald P. Hutchcraft . Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
"A Word With You" by Ronald P. Hutchcraft is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial

A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft is a daily radio challenge, with
slice-of-life illustrations and insights-providing practical help on the
issues that
matter most. If your local Christian radio station does not air this
program, please let them know how much it is of value to you.
"A Word With You" is a radio outreach and production of
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.


Singing in the Rubble - #6369

I think the images of that horrific earthquake in Haiti will be with us for
a long, long time. For a while there we were looking for any hope we could
get, because it was just all about so much death and disaster. You remember
that when it seemed that no one else could still be alive in all those
collapsed
buildings, a boy thought he heard a voice from the rubble of a bank
building. The husband of a woman who worked there had been frantically
trying to find
his wife. When the boy told that man about what he had heard, that husband
went for a nearby rescue team from California. And they found her! Buried
deep
in there, and they found her singing. Over a week after that quake leveled
much of Port-au-Prince, a woman was still alive. And when she wasn't
singing,
they said she was praying, "Jesus, help me! Jesus, help me!" And when they
brought out this miracle lady, yep, she just kept on singing. Actually
loudly,
the rescuers said.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about "Singing in the
Rubble."

Again, that defiant quakeproof faith was on display for all the world to see
on television. That is a faith rooted in a man named Jesus, who has
sustained
His children through life and through death across the centuries.

I know this Jesus, too. My prayer is that I, too, can hold Him so tightly in
my personal quakes that I can also sing in the rubble, because nothing
validates
the reality of a living Savior more than having His peace when your world's
come down around you. All eyes are on you at a time like that.

Our word for today from the word of God is about God's first century
ambassadors, Paul and Silas, and it's found in Acts 16:25 (there's an
earthquake here,
by the way). They had been brutally beaten, unjustly imprisoned and locked
up in stocks. But it says, "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing
hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." That was
right before a violent earthquake that helped liberate Paul and Silas and
drove
their jailer to ask them how to know the Jesus who gave them songs at
midnight.

This is the peace Jesus promised to His friends the night He would be
arrested; the night their world would collapse. He said, "Peace I leave with
you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid." "I have told you these things so that in Me you might
have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world" (John 14:27; 16:33).

If you have this Jesus, you can have this peace, even when there seems to be
no reason. In the Bible's words, "The peace of God...transcends all
understanding"
(Philippians 4:7). One Haitian rescued from a collapsed school was asked
what he was saying to himself in those long hours when he didn't know if he
would
live or die. He said, "As a Christian, I'm saying, 'Jesus, my life is in
Your hands.'"

You know, I wonder if you could say that, that you've placed your life in
the hands of Jesus? There comes a time when we realize that all the places
we
look for answers have not answered our questions, and all the places we have
looked for love and satisfaction have left us empty and disappointed. It's
at a point like that that we find our way to the cross where Jesus died to
bring us together with God by paying for our sin.

I still remember the moment when I said, "Jesus, I'm Yours." Do you have a
moment like that? If you haven't, let this be the day you do that. Let this
be
the day that you say, "Jesus, I want to pin all my hopes on You" so that you
can begin to have the peace that withstands every quake.

If you'd like to know more about how to begin a relationship with Him, go to
our website. It's YoursForLife. net.

Our kids used to go to sleep singing a little chorus that says, "Safe am I,
safe am I, in the hollow of His hands." You know living or dying, working or
out of work, healthy or deathly sick, loved or all alone, if you belong to
Jesus, you really are safe.

Join the Conversation
I pray that God will give me the grace to sing in the rubble.