Thursday, February 16, 2017
Download MP3 (right click to save)
Our family has gone into New York City at times when we lived in that area with some blankets and food and gifts for homeless people, but we had to find them in order to meet them. Sometimes, they were in a park; other times they were under or near a viaduct or overpass. One night we found a little village of homeless people on a vacant lot next to the bus depot with their makeshift shelters against the back wall of the depot. I remember the time that I interviewed a homeless man on the street. I wanted to get his story out to people through my radio program. He actually let me crawl right into that large cardboard box that he called home. I guess when you're homeless you seek shelter and warmth wherever you can find it.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Homeless In Your Heart."
Now, it's possible to have a place-maybe a beautiful place-to go home to every night and still know deep feelings of homelessness in your heart. Like you've never really found the emotional home, the spiritual home you've always wanted to experience, you've always been looking for.
It's not for lack of trying. When your heart is looking for home, you seek shelter and warmth in lots of places, some of which may have actually made you feel more homeless than ever. Maybe you've looked for that peace and security and acceptance in some close relationships, even in marriage. But the restlessness, the emptiness is still there.
It could be that you've sought the shelter of building up a lot of financial security or lots of strokes and approval from people, maybe in your job performance, or even in your children. But the best you've found is just temporary shelter. After all these years, all these experiences, all these people, it still doesn't feel like you've found home.
But you might be close if you're ready to open up to the only One whose love is big enough to finally make you complete and fulfilled and safe. He's the One who created you. Who, according to the Bible, created you "by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). That's why no one but Him can finally fill the hole in your heart.
Our word for today from the Word of God is in Isaiah 53:6. It tells us why we have felt homeless all these years. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way." To put it simply, we were created to live God's way. We've decided to live our way. And that's made us lifetime wanderers looking for what only God can give us. But this same passage in the Bible tells us about the incredible love God has for us and what He did to make it possible for us to come home.
Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says, "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity (that's actually the wrongdoing) of us all. He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him." Jesus' suffering and His death on that cross was to pay the death penalty for all our mistakes, all our sins, all our rebellion. So the road home begins at the cross of Jesus when you give Him your homeless heart, when you tell this One who died for you that you are putting your total trust in Him to forgive your sin and connect you to God forever.
I'm guessing that God's Holy Spirit is right now, if this is for you; if I'm talking about you, He's making sure you know that this is your moment. As He tugs on your heart, this is your moment to open your heart to the One who can bring you home. You want to begin the relationship you were made for, this love relationship with Jesus Christ, would you tell Him that right now, "Jesus, I'm yours."
Next step, go to our website if you would, and there I've laid out as simply as I could how you can be sure you have this relationship that is the love you've looked for all your life. It might be within your reach right now. It's ANewStory.com. That's the website.
You've looked for shelter, you've looked for warmth in a lot of places that turned out to not really be home. Today can be the day when your heart is homeless no more. You are almost home.