Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

Monday, April 28, 2008

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I called home to talk to my wife; I got a serenade. Not from her; from a canary. We had just gotten him a couple weeks before, and man, did he sing up a storm! The whole time I was talking on the phone to my wife, the Yellow Bird Symphony was going on in the background. It was hard to hear that canary sing and stay gloomy for long! But every night we would put this cloth over Cherokee's cage - that was his name. And all the singing stopped. The next morning, I'd go into the living room, and there was not a sound coming from under that cloth. Had something happened to him? No. As soon as I take that cover off, the canary started jumping all over the cage and singing his wake-up song.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have a Word With You today about "Getting the Cover Off Your Cage."

Each day in the life of a canary, it's as if life begins when the cover comes off the cage. In a way, it's like that for you and me. Your cage might be your painful memories - a broken heart - a broken dream. Maybe you're caged in by an addiction or a habit, or some anger that's eating you up on the inside. For some of us, it's depression, maybe even suicidal thoughts. That's the stuff that's held us in. There's a cover on that cage, whatever it is. And as you listen today, it's dark in there, and maybe there's nothing to sing about.

There's some good news for you in our word for today from the Word of God, Psalm 40. King David said, "The Lord turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth." Now David's imagery is a little different, but in canary terms, the cover came off his dark cage and gave him a reason to sing!

The same Lord who did that for King David years ago, wants to do that for you right now. In fact, that is exactly why Jesus Christ came. He said, "The Lord has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Release from darkness - like our little bird in the dark world that he cannot change - until someone bigger and more powerful comes along to remove the cover and release him from the darkness.

The Savior came to do that for you. He literally came to die for our darkness and our sin; to remove the death sentence that you and I have on our head because of our sin. And when you tell Jesus you are trusting Him completely for a relationship with God, the cover comes off! All the guilt; all the shame of the past is forgiven. So many people have told me right after they've trusted Christ, "I feel like a hundred pounds has just been lifted off my shoulders." And the pain is suddenly lightened because God Himself has picked it up - the dark feelings and the power that may have kept you in the darkness are replaced by an unexplainable personal peace.

My canary had no choice about when the cover came off his cage - but you do. The release from darkness comes when you open your heart to Jesus Christ; which could be this very day. If you're tired of the darkness - if you're ready to let Jesus come into your heart, let me encourage you to tell Him that today, "Jesus, I will run my life no more; You will from now on. I was made by you. I was made for you. You gave your life for my sin. I am yours."

We would love to help you begin your relationship with Jesus Christ if you just go to our website. A lot of people have gone there and found a lot of spiritual encouragement in the past, they've said. It's yoursforlife.net. I encourage you to go there today before you forget. Or you can call for my booklet Yours For Life at 877-741-1200.