Thursday, July 11, 2013
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I picked up a habit while going out to eat with my young children years ago. It's a habit I really don't need to do any more, but I got in the habit of cutting their meat for them. Now, if you're a parent, you know that you get that old knife out before you start on your own dinner and you cut theirs into bite-size chunks. The problem is that I go out to lunch with a lot of businessmen, too, and I kind of have this reflex to cut their meat. But I've never found they really appreciated that. And, you know, the principle of bite-size chunks...well, that's not a bad one. I mean, the best way to tackle a big piece is in little chunks that you can handle.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Bite-Size Chunks."
A number of years ago, my wife was diagnosed as having hepatitis. At the time we thought, "Well, how long is she going to be in bed?" We knew that it might be for six weeks, the doctor said. It turned out to be nine months of Mom being out of commission; almost totally leveled.
Well, as today, I had a pretty crazy, busy lifestyle and our kids had very hectic lifestyles and we're used to a very strong and competent mother holding it all together. I thought, "How in the world are we going to ever do six weeks?" Good thing I didn't know then it was going to be nine months. I told my wife she was violating the 11th commandment. You know what that is: Mother's, thou shall not get sick. But I'll tell you how we made it? By bite-size chunks.
Deuteronomy 33:25; it's our word for today from the Word of God, and maybe one you need right now. It became my life preserver. It says this: "Your strength will equal your days." You could remember that one you couldn't you? "Your strength will equal your days." Notice it doesn't say, "Your strength will equal your years, or your months, or your weeks"-days.
A good friend of ours came up to me after my wife had been down for six weeks. And knowing how interdependent we are, she said, "Ron, how in the world have you handled six weeks with your wife sick?" I said, "Joanne, we haven't. We haven't handled six weeks. We've handled 42 days." And that was the story.
Well, right now, God may have put in front of you a big assignment; an overwhelming assignment. A long haul is ahead of you. It could be a health problem, maybe a financial shortfall, maybe it's work that needs to be done in your family. Or you could be in an extended time of pressure and stress right now. Maybe you've even lost someone very close to you, and you're looking and saying, "How am I ever going to get through this? It's just...it's so huge!"
I'll tell you, if you try to handle all that might happen or could happen, or even will happen, you're going to stagger under the load. But if you wake up each morning and say, "This is the day the Lord has made; not the day the sickness has made, or the boss has made, or the financial problems have made, or the weather has made, or the bank has made. "This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." And take it as a 24-hour bite-size chunk and you're going to be able to handle it.
Don't try to take on the load of weeks, and months, and days. God promises that you'll have what you need for this 24-hour piece of your life. So, He'll give you what you need to handle it today. If you're running ahead and worrying about the next day, and the next week, and the next month, or the next year, you're running ahead of your supply lines. But you'll have what you need today.
Would you relax! You're all stressed out because you're trying to eat the whole meal all at once. Why don't you take it in bite-size pieces?