Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Why it's Good to Go MAD - #3530

When it was 7:00 A.M. on a school morning at the Hutchcraft house, the word "chaos" took on a whole new meaning. It was always an exciting time, getting a daughter and two teenage sons out the door to school. Especially with two sons who are a little crazy - like their mother, of course. It never ceased to amaze me how pants could mysteriously disappear, one pair of socks or underwear suddenly became priceless, phones would ring, papers needed signing, or books needed covering. After the hurricane was over and the kids were headed out the door, you would hear me yelling my final instructions for the day - "Go MAD!" To which the neighbor probably responded, "Say what?" But that's exactly what I wanted them to do every day. In fact, it's even what I hope you do.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why it's Good to Go MAD."

Our word for today from the Word of God is actually telling you and me to Go MAD. By the way, that's "M.A.D." for "Make A Difference!" In Matthew 5:13-14 , Jesus says, "You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

Now what in the world do salt and light have in common? Well, actually, not much, except for one thing. If you've ever tried popcorn or meat without salt, you know that salt changes the environment that it's in. If you've ever been in a dark room and you turned on the light, you know that light does the same thing - it changes its environment. And it doesn't take a lot of salt to change the flavor. It doesn't take a lot of light to illuminate the darkness.

So Jesus is saying here that, as His follower, you should be changing the environment, changing the people, and changing the atmosphere around you. You should be going MAD - you should be making a difference. So, how do you do it? Unfortunately too many believers are serving a much smaller purpose - they're trying to make money, or make friends, or make an impression, or make a little nest for themselves, or just make it through. But Jesus put you here to make a difference! For you to be changing the world around you, not for the world around you to be changing you!

Are you being His salt - are you changing the flat flavor of the world around you by offering a lot of smiles, by having a positive spirit, by extending authentic love and caring and encouragement? Are you bringing Jesus' light into a dark office, or a locker room, or a classroom, or your home? The daily lifestyle of a real Jesus-follower goes like this - you let Jesus make a difference in you, then you go and make a difference in the lives of others.

And there is no greater difference you can make in the life of someone you care about than to help them change their eternal address - that means from hell to heaven. You do that when you let them know what Jesus did for you and can do for them. They will thank you forever for the difference you made!

Now, there's a lot more reason for getting up in the morning when you say, "Lord, help me be a make a difference person for You today." You've got your eyes off yourself and onto the mission for which you were created. So as you head out each morning, imagine Jesus calling out the door - "Go MAD for Me today! Go make a difference!"