2009-11-11T16:51:09-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/violence http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/10/a-christian-perspective-on-veterans-day/ 2009-11-11T16:51:09-05:00 Every year in early November, Veteran's Day reminds us of the countless men and women who have served in the military. American soldiers—and their brothers in arms from other countries—have marched, fought, and sometimes died in places all over the globe. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/pretty-poison-5956 2009-11-09T09:34:01-05:00 First sin fascinates you, and then it assassinates you. And God, in His love, has come to you today to wave you away from a choice that will take you where you never wanted to go, it will keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. Don't walk away from that sin - run away from it. Sin looks so good and it kills so dead. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/the-dark-side-5924 2009-09-24T09:12:37-05:00 Jesus asked a haunting question about all this in Luke 6:46. It's our word for today from the Word of God. He said, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" If you got to your room tonight and found Jesus there, He might very well ask you that question. If He did, what areas of your life do you think He'd have in mind when He said, "You're not doing what I say"? http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/the-wound-is-the-battle-5866 2009-09-10T15:17:15-05:00 Don't let your sins pile up, unconfessed, uncleansed. As soon as you realize you've blown it, deal with it immediately, call it sin and bring it to the cross of Jesus. And just because you've fallen down doesn't mean you have to stay down and start some cycle of repeated sin. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/the-healing-edge-5846 2009-09-10T13:30:09-05:00 God's "more grace than there is sin" equation means that there is no one in your life who is beyond God's grace. So keep praying for them; keep loving them. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven...no prodigal who can't come home. And it is never too late to be forgiven. Just look at the dying thief Jesus forgave on the cross. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/getting-all-the-cancer-5836 2009-09-10T12:53:58-05:00 The cancer of our sin demands radical surgery; the kind that says, "Lord, I want to get it all this time! I'm holding nothing back. Do what You died to do, and set me free from this!" Here's what the bible says that could be applied to that sin that has infected your life for so long, "Sin shall not be your master." http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/stopping-the-fire-5817 2009-09-10T12:11:06-05:00 Potentially divisive feelings or attitudes that might be coming up among people you know or live with, or work with, or worship with. Just don't wait for that smoke to become a fire before you jump into action as a peacemaker. Bitterness, misunderstandings, miscommunications, wounds, they can't just be left there to smolder. You may not like confronting them. Very few of us do, but you're really not going to like what happens if you don't confront them. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/the-words-that-tear-down-walls-5787 2009-09-10T10:57:08-05:00 Maybe you grew up in an environment where people never admitted they were wrong. You may be in a situation where the feelings are hard, the walls are high, and where you've been really wounded. But none of that changes your responsibility as a follower of Jesus Christ to say, "I was wrong" to say, "I'm sorry" when that's the case. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/when-it-hurts-to-copy-your-father-5751 2009-09-09T15:59:39-05:00 There are things our father and mother did, things they said, that we were determined not to repeat when we had kids. Well, so much for that good intention. All too often, the longer we live, the more we sound like or act like our father or mother in ways that we never wanted to repeat. We know how much those things hurt us, and in spite of ourselves, they are now hurting our children: that same temper, that same critical spirit, that same manipulating, guilt tripping, harsh words, withdrawal or selfishness. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/attacking-the-acid-thats-attacking-you-5693 2009-09-09T10:52:57-05:00 The acid of bitterness has done enough damage. Jesus stands ready to neutralize that bitterness with a heavy dose of His forgiving love and grace. You'll find it at the cross where you were forgiven.