- the Computer is busy on other things at the moment
- the Computer cannot be bothered with my request right now
- the Computer (and therefore the user) is experiencing slow response time

"Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond..." Jeremiah 17:23

Picture yourself as a computer in the hands of an all-powerful God. He has designed you from the chip up. He knows your inner workings. He knows your abilities and limitations. He has trained you, developed you, tested you, discipled you and now is ready to begin using you for His purposes. He issues a simple command to you and you respond with an hourglass.

- Hold on for a minute God, I'm busy with other things, but I'll process that request as soon as I get a slice of time available.

- Just a second God, I've got to check my programming to see if I can really accomplish that request. I may need more training, additional programming or maybe even a seminary education.

- I'll be right with you God, but I need to scan the internet chat rooms to see how others will respond if I execute this command.

Meanwhile, a patient God waits. Knowing that the sooner you respond, the sooner He can issue even more interesting, complex and challenging commands, if you would just get off square-one.

"But when God, Who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles... I went immediately..." Galatians 1:15-17

The computer industry calls it "Sub-Second Response Time," but what this means is that the computer returns the answer as soon as you issue the command. In the computer world, this is a good thing. In our world, this is a good thing as well.

- When the co-worker approaches you with a personal problem and you set aside time to listen.

- When the teenager calls to play basketball and you turn off the TV and put on your sneakers.

- When the burned out friend asks how you can keep your sanity in a crazy world and you admit that by yourself you cannot, then take the time to explain how Christ can calm a turbulent life.

- When the need arises, and you respond. Immediately. Without hesitation or distraction. The only pause is a pause to pray, thanking God for the opportunity. God has created you; trained you; empowered you. God has prepared you for the instructions He will give.

Let today be a day of "Sub-Second Response Time."

Increased pressure showed me an infection I really needed to deal with. Actually, pressure has a way of exposing a lot of problems that need attention. Maybe the words "increasing pressure" describe your "flight" right now, pressure that's causing some significant pain. It could be the pressure and the pain is in your marriage or maybe your work. For you, the squeeze may be financial or it could be something in an important relationship, but the stress is building. And you don't like what that pressure is doing to you. And, like the pressure I experienced on that flight, there's pain. Could it be there's a purpose in what's happening, to get you to the Doctor?

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 32:1. The great Jewish King David was having a painful flight, he was feeling the pressure. But it is getting him to face some things he might otherwise never have faced. These words from his personal diary start out with what he learned from this hurting time. He says, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." Now the pain and pressure that got him to that point of spiritual and emotional freedom. Here is what he says, "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer."

Maybe you understand some of those feelings -- like there is a heavy hand on you, extended in times of sadness. There is stress that is draining you, maybe even physical symptoms. My pain and my pressure on that flight exposed a deeper problem and led me to healing. David's pain and pressure exposed his spiritual need and led him to healing. You may be at that same threshold.

Now Davids' had a happy ending, one which may be exactly where you will find yours. He says, "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' - and You forgave the guilt of my sin."

God sometimes lets the pressure build so we will finally deal with what is really wrong inside us -- the sin we have never taken care of. David went to the Soul Doctor and came away a man forgiven and clean. That could happen to you -- that same liberation -- if you will finally let go of your pride and go to the Forgiving Place, the cross where Jesus loved you so much that He died for all the sins you have ever committed. When He said, "Father forgive them" from that cross, He was including you.

If you will put your total trust in Jesus Christ to be your Savior from your sin, you're clean. All this pressure and all this pain has been to let you know there is something wrong deep down inside, the deadly infection of sin that only Jesus can cure.

Here in this most painful and stressful time, you are suddenly on the edge of the healing your soul has always needed. You are face-to-face with Dr. Jesus.

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

There are many ways to lighten another person's burdens. Emma Chase provides us with one example. You've never heard of Emma Chase? Neither have most people.

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Almost every one identifies those words with Abraham Lincoln. He wrote them in the Gettysburg Address.

It is also well known that Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves. According to the November 1995 issue of Missions Today magazine, when Lincoln began to work on the Emancipation Proclamation, he had no paper. So he took an envelope from a lady named Emma Chase. On the back of Emma Chase's envelope, Lincoln outlined the Emancipation Proclamation.

So everyone has heard of Abraham Lincoln, and his great work. Few have heard of Emma Chase. But millions of people were freed, partly because of the help of an unknown, yet significant, woman.

How Does This Apply to Our Lives?

Many people work hard, hoping to accomplishing great things in life. Others become discouraged, and don't even try, because they feel great accomplishments are beyond them. Both groups overlook the fact that there are ways to accomplish great things without doing them yourself.

For example, there is a story in the Bible about a hero few have heard of. His name was Barnabas. Who was Barnabas? After the Apostle Paul became a Christian, church leaders would have nothing to do with him because Paul had been their enemy. Barnabas took Paul to the church leaders and defended him so strongly that Paul was accepted. These actions of Barnabas opened the door for Paul to become the most effective missionary and writer of the early Christian church.

Follow the example of Emma Smith and Barnabas. There are many gifted people who can have a positive impact for Christ on the lives of others, and society, if someone will make an introduction or open the right door. What can you do to help others serve our Lord?

Be the one to spur other believers on---you might accomplish something great!
"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."
Hebrews 10:24

What about you? THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What will be your response? Will you be like the man who said to himself, "You have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!" But God said to him,..."Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?" (Luke 12:19-20, LB).

What response will you make today? The soldier that the Chaplain talked to thought he could wait. I'm glad he didn't.

There is not a greater love than this, Jesus Christ voluntarily laid down His life for you! (John 3:16). This was the supreme act of love for you, "That while we were sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Through this act, He is willing to bring you into His Kingdom and manifest His love to you forever (James 2:5).

In the Bible a thief cried out, "Lord, remember me when you enter into your Kingdom." Jesus said, "Today (at your death) you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-43). It's by Grace (God's Kindness) we are Saved (Ephesians 2:5).

Will you consider calling on His Name today? It is to Him that you must respond. You have the freedom to choose.

While this news report covered the race issue, it ignored a much more potentially dangerous angle-- that of personal responsibility.

If a link between genetics and violent behavior is theorized, it provides criminals (of ANY color) with yet another built-in excuse for violent behavior. The last thing we need is more justification for rape and murder and more perpetrators acting like victims.

Even if there is a genetic tendency, this is no excuse. We all have tendencies, SOME OF WHICH WE SHOULD NOT ACT UPON. If we fail to restrain those tendencies, we must face consequences. There is simply no other way to conduct a safe and orderly society. This tendency toward violent or otherwise immoral behavior has a name. It's a very unpopular name nowadays. People would much rather call it a "weakness" or some other benign term. But glossing over the truth won't save anyone from its consequences. There's only one Solution...

Jesus responds to our question in John 3:8, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." People must be born of the Spirit. Jesus says this is up to the Spirit just as the wind blows when and where "it wishes."

This means the new birth is the sovereign work of God. Just as you cannot control the wind, you cannot control the Holy Spirit. The new birth does not come about as a result of human action. The Bible is emphatic. When a person receives the new birth, that person is "born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). The new birth is the work of God alone. You cannot and should not take credit.

While in the dressing room of a fashionable department store, the two women made certain their every need was catered to by the store assistants. "This outfit is much too small!" yelled the first woman as she threw her garment at the store assistant. "Go get me another one now!" she ordered.

The second woman chimed in, "You fool! You brought me the blue dress! I told you I look horrid in blue!"

For the next hour, the two women tried on many glittery outfits as they verbally abused and insulted the assistants whose job it was to assist "special" customers.

By the time the women finally selected appropriate outfits, the assistants felt drained and were glad to see the two women go. "Have you ever seen such ugly women?" asked one assistant to the other.

"What do you mean?" asked the other, looking puzzled, "Those women were very attractive."

"Attractive on the outside yes, but on the inside, they were ugly as sin!" answered the assistant as she gathered up the dresses which were strewn all over the dressing room floor.

If only the women in this story would spend as much attention on their inner being, as on their outer appearance. Often, we spend too much time and money on things that God does not even care about. What He is concerned with, though, is if we neglect to beautify our inner being with the truth and light of His word and how we treat others. These are things which cannot be bought in a store.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

"Then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples." 1 Kings 9:7

"Israel will become a proverb..."

What an interesting way to describe the people of God. Yet God warned that if they were not faithful to Him, they would end up as only a proverb; a footnote in history; a slang phrase used by anyone making a joke about a nation that was under powered and abandoned.

As tragic as that would have been for Israel, the same warning is true for the people of God today. Perhaps you already hear the cliches from those around you,

The church is full of hypocrites, I would never go there. Church is just for
women and children. All they ever talk about is me giving them my money.

And on and on until we run the risk of becoming a church that has become a proverb to the world around us. A church that is not in touch with the realities of a fast-paced, wealth driven society that no longer perceives the need for a church, much less the God it represents. God's remedy for this is found in verse 6 of that same passage and is actually quite simple:

"Follow Me"

When the world is so distracted by their own definitions of success that they write off the church as an artifact from a bygone time...
Follow Me

When your co-workers cannot understand your insistence on honesty and truthfulness, even when it could cost the company money, or you your job...
Follow Me

When society tries to arrange your schedule so that you no longer have any time left for your relationship with God...
Follow Me

And when the sins of a godless society begin to unravel that society at the seams, and those around you look for a source of refuge and security, you can point them to the God that has carried you through and simply say...
Follow Me

"...then I will establish the throne of your kingdom
over Israel forever, just as I promised..." 1 Kings 9:5

I think that's how Jesus looks at you. After all, He's a carpenter, you know. His earthly father Joseph was one and Jesus grew up with a carpenter's skills - and a carpenter's eye - to see what someone could become not just what they are.

The blueprint is given to us in our word for today from the Word of God, Ephesians 2:10. And it is an eye-opener, really, as to who you really are and why you're here. "We are God's workmanship." You are no random assembly of molecules - you are a handmade, one-of-a-kind masterpiece creation of Almighty God. You may not have been treated like you're that valuable - but that's who you really ARE. And your Creator is the One who says so. Now, here's what the whole statement says, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Now when Jesus looks at you, it's like my friend the carpenter looking at that empty room. He sees what that room could be after his skilled hands are finished renewing it. Jesus knows the masterpiece you were created to become . . . the difference you were created to make . . . the value you are created to have. That's what He sees. Maybe other people have only seen the bare room. And maybe you have been made to feel pretty worthless . . . incompetent . . . unloved . . . unworthy. But they don't see what Jesus sees - what you were born to be.

And here's why you may have missed knowing how much you really are worth. You're missing the One who GAVE you your worth. You're missing Jesus. The Bible says that we have marked up this masterpiece God made with our self-centered living - God calls it sin. And our sin has built a wall between us and the God we were made by and made for. So, we're cut off from the One who loves and values us most. So much that He thought you were worth sending His Son to die for!

And you will never really know how valuable you really are until you open your heart to the One who loved you enough to die for you. You and I did the sinning. Jesus did the dying. And you don't have to spend one more day away from the One who made you to be a masterpiece. The One who sees you through His Carpenter's eye - and sees one He created with His hands, paid for with His blood, and one He wants to forgive, restore, and renew.

But it's your move now. He made His on the cross. Now you have two choices - put your trust in Him to be your own Savior from your own sin - or tell Him, "No thanks, Jesus. I'll just settle for more of the same."

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

A young man had just been appointed President of the bank. He had never dreamed he would be President, much less at such a young age. So he approached the distinguished Chairman of the Board and said, "You know, I've just been appointed President. I was wondering if you could give me some advice."

The old man came back with just two words: "Right decisions!"

The young man had hoped for more than that, so he said, "That's really helpful, and I appreciate it, but can you be more specific? How do I make right decisions?"

The wise old man simply responded, "Experience!"

The young man said, "Well, that's just the point of my being here. I don't have the kind of experience I need. How do I get it?"

Came the terse reply, "Wrong decisions!"

How Does This Apply to Our Lives?

Wrong decisions, mistakes--we all make them. Do you learn from your mistakes, and then move on to new challenges? Or do you take mistakes personally, and form a negative attitude toward yourself and life?

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently." Those words are from Henry Ford, the famous automobile maker. Most people don't know it today, but Ford saw his plans collapse around him, and he went broke, five times before finally succeeding.

Are there failures in your life that bother you? Ford refused to let failures make him a failure--remember his approach. Also remember the Apostle Peter, who denied Christ three times but, through faith, was restored by Jesus and went on to serve God in many effective ways.

There is something else to remember. Don't try to carry life's burdens or face disappointments alone. Find a someone you can trust, and lean on them---even if it is just someone to whom you can talk. There is strength in numbers.

Most importantly, ask God what He wants for your life. Then obey what you learn. You see, when all is said and done, it is not your plans, but God's purpose, that is going to prevail.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
Psalm 19:21

"Come back! Stay with me! Come back!" Whether called out to a curious young child, a rebellious teenager, a wandering spouse, or even a straying pet, the words touch us with their desperation.

It's painful to witness the wayward, potentially harmful ways of our loved ones. I want my son to experience responsibility and freedom, yet there are so many dangers, and one impulsive lurch could lead to disaster.

As adults, we usually take it upon ourselves to look out for dangers. We trust our judgment, our experience, and sometimes our "hunches." Nevertheless, we often make disasters out of our lives. Failed relationships, financial ruin, or a feeling of emptiness can make us wonder why we bother living at all.

Yet if we can admit that we need wisdom and guidance beyond our own, we can respond to the persistent Voice calling, "Come back! Stay with Me! Come back!

Perhaps you have fallen away from your faith. Perhaps you grew up in a home without a tradition of faith. It doesn't matter to God. Our Father in Heaven loves you, cares about your well being even more than I love and care about my son. He understands that you're likely to make mistakes, looks over you even when you ignore Him, and anxiously awaits your response to His call.

He's there to walk with you through all the rough patches of your life. The joyous ones, too. No sin you have committed could possibly be greater than God's ability to forgive and forget and wipe the slate clean for you. By His suffering and death, Jesus, the Son of God, paid the price of all of our sins. ALL of YOUR sins are included in the package. Really.

Your loving Father awaits you with open arms, calling, "Come back! Stay with Me! Come back!" Through His Son you can find your way home; don't make Him wait any longer.

"You have been notified," the President replied calmly, "many times in fact. I can't tell you how pleased I am that you've finally chosen to set things right."
Taken aback, Hugh's tone was different now. "But how can I ever repay such a huge debt?" he asked.
"You can't. No one can."
"You mean others have the same debt?"
"Everyone has the debt."
"Then if everyone has this debt and no one can pay, how can the Bank survive?"
"There is One Who has paid the debt for anyone who wants to be forgiven. Your Notices also clearly explain this," replied the President.
"Why then do you not just forgive all debts?" asked Hugh.
"How can we forgive the debt of those who will not even admit it exists?" answered the President, "Some continue to send payments despite our Notices that the debt has been paid. Others simply ignore the debt."

As he realized that his debt was forgiven, a lifetime of anxiety began to crumble, leaving only a profound joy in Hugh's heart. "How can we let people know their debts are paid if they won't read your Notices?" he asked cheerfully.
"We rely on those, like yourself, who have admitted to the debt and been forgiven to spread the word."
"Then that's what I'll do!" beamed Hugh, bounding out of the office. "Thank you!" he added, over his shoulder.

After creation, God said to Adam, "Be fruitful and multiply , and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28). You see, God wanted man to build a society on this earth. So we all have different vocations and jobs to do in society, right down to the present time.

Yes, we are to learn various skills so we fit into society as productive citizens. But there is more to it than that. God wants us to build a culture which is honoring to Him!

This means you must understand your calling to be a Christian. It is not sufficient to go to school and learn a skill so you can earn a good wage and support a family. All that is very important. But you must also see your vocation as a calling from God.

In order to do that, you must follow God through His Son, Jesus Christ. You must confess Christ as the Lord over your life. You must see as sin, your desire to live life apart from God and apart from Christ. You must return to God. There must be a new desire in your life to glorify God rather than yourself. And so you must ask God's forgiveness for your sin. You must trust in the death of Christ as the only adequate payment for that sin. Then you will begin to see your life, your work, your marriage, and your family, as God's plan for you to be a part of a society which honors Him!

Surprisingly, I understood this man's logic. I didn't agree with it, but I understood where he was coming from. After all, Christianity does compel one to recognize both evil and good. When this occurs, wanting to do what is pleasing to God, one attempts to seek out "good" while abandoning "evil."

According to Satanic dictate, there is no right or wrong, good or evil. All that matters is the "self" and fulfilling the desires of the self. As such, there is no regard for fellow man, nor for consequences and the big picture.

Rejecting God and His word places greater restrictions on the individual than any godly religion could ever do. Those who shun God are restricted from having a relationship with the Almighty, from partaking of the spiritual gifts such a relationship provides, and most importantly, rejecting God restricts one from God's saving grace. One is then condemned to a spiritual prison apart from God.

"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15)

Satan is a deceiver. Just as he deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, his purpose is to hide the light and truth of God's word so that we may not partake of the eternal life that only God can provide. He will fool us into believing that we can be satisfied apart from Christ. This is a lie.

"The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the mind of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (II Corinthians 4:4)

Don't allow yourself to be imprisoned apart from Christ.

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48

For a fun and exciting Sunday afternoon, turn off the football game, open your Bible to Leviticus and peruse the Old Testament Levitical Law. You will learn which animals are OK to eat (although not necessarily desirable); you will learn how to style your hair; whom you can marry; how to offer a sacrifice and when a particular sacrifice is appropriate. You will also come to the realization that, try as you might, you will never live a life that is perfect according to the letter of the law.

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law;
rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Romans 3:20

Have you ever thought of the law this way? Many people see the law, especially the Biblical rules, as an oppressive legal guideline that must be followed to the letter, even though we know it is not possible. But Paul saw the law as a reminder:

A reminder that no matter how we live or what we do, we will always be in need of a Savior.
A reminder of what God expects: obedience. A reminder of what God provides: grace.

Intel paid a great price for breaking the laws of Math, even though they tried to minimize their mistake. A great price was also paid for the laws we have broken, even though we often try to minimize the significance of our sins.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because, through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life sets me free from the law of sin and death."
Romans 8:1-2