Category Archives: Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Looking Unto Jesus

May 27, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The writer of Hebrews urges us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Heart disease runs in our family, so I run each morning. And as I’m running, my body is groaning. Things hurt. And as things hurt, I’ve learned I have options. Go home. Meditate on my hurts until I start imagining I’m having chest pains—or—I can keep running and watch the sun come up. I have a front-row seat to watch God’s world go from dark to golden. Guess what? The same happens to my attitude.

Wasn’t that the counsel of the Hebrew epistle…“Looking unto Jesus?” Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”

Now—what were you looking at?

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – He Knows What You Need

May 26, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

How did Jesus endure the terror of the crucifixion? He went first to the Father with his fears. He modeled the words of Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”

Do the same with yours! And be specific. Jesus was. “Take this cup,” He prayed. Give God the number of the flight. Tell Him the length of the speech. Share the details of the job transfer. He has plenty of time. He also has plenty of compassion. He won’t tell you to “buck up” or “get tough.” He has been where you are. He knows how you feel. And He knows what you need.

That’s why we punctuate our prayers as Jesus did. “If you are willing. . .” Was God willing? Yes and no. He didn’t take away the cross, but he took away the fear. Who’s to say He won’t do the same for you?

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Anger Lives in Sorrow’s House

May 23, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Why does grief linger? Because you’re dealing with more than memories—you’re dealing with unlived tomorrows. You’re battling disappointment. You’re also battling—anger!

It may be a flame. It may be a blowtorch. But anger lives in sorrow’s house. Anger at self. Anger at life. Anger at the military or the hospital or the highway system. But most of all, anger at God. Anger that takes the form of the three-letter question—why? Why him? Why her? Why now? Why us? You and I both know I cannot answer that question. Only God knows the reasons behind His actions.

But a key truth on which we can stand is this—our God is a good God! Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” God is a good God. We must begin here. Though we don’t understand His actions, we can trust His heart!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – He Will Give You Rest

May 22, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When my daughters were young, I didn’t want them to be afraid of the deep end of the pool, so with each I played Shamu, the whale. My daughter would be the trainer. She would pinch her nose, and put her arm around my neck, then down we’d go. Deep, deep, deep until we could touch the bottom of the pool. Then up we’d explode, breaking the surface. After several plunges they realized they had nothing to fear. Why? Because I was with them.

And when God calls us into the deep valley of death, dare we think He’d abandon us in that moment? Would a father force his child to swim the deep alone? Would God require his child to journey to eternity alone? Absolutely not! He is with you! In Exodus 33:14 God said to Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest!”

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – God Loves Humility

May 21, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

God loves humility! The Jesus who said, “I am gentle and humble in heart,” loves those who are gentle and humble in heart. And Paul reminds us in Romans 12:3, “Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of faith that God has given to you.”

Humility isn’t the same as low self-esteem. Being humble doesn’t mean you think you have nothing to offer; it means you know exactly what you have to offer and no more.

An elementary–age boy came home from the tryouts for the school play. “Mommy, Mommy,” he announced, “I got a part. I’ve been chosen to sit in the audience and clap and cheer.”

When you have a chance to clap and cheer, do you take it? If you do—then your head is starting to fit your hat size!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – The Only Reason for Bragging

May 20, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

+

A philosopher once asked, “Do you wish people to speak well of you? Then never speak well of yourself.” In other words—get over yourself!

In Luke 14:10, Jesus said to His followers, “Go sit in a seat that’s not important. When the host comes to you, he may say, ‘Friend, move up here to a more important place.’ Then all the other guests will respect you.”

Paul said in Galatians 6:14, “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging.”

Do you feel a need for affirmation? Does your self-esteem need attention? You don’t need to drop names or show off. You need only pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this. The maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you. And that’s a fact. So if you need to brag—brag about that!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Who Did the Work?

May 19, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Humility is such an elusive virtue. Once you think you have it, you don’t, or you wouldn’t think you did. You’ve heard the story of the boy who received the “Most Humble Badge” and had it taken away because he wore it?

God hates arrogance–because we haven’t done anything to be arrogant about. Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. It’s only a tool, it gets no credit for the accomplishment.

The message of the 23rd Psalm is that we have nothing to be proud about either. We have rest, salvation, blessings,, and a home in heaven—and we did nothing to earn any of it! Who did? Who did the work? The Psalmist says the Lord, our Shepherd, leads His sheep–not for our names’ sake but—for His name’s sake!

This is all done for God’s glory!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – God is Righteous

May 16, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Yes, righteousness is what God is—and yes, righteousness is what we are not! And, yes, righteousness is what God requires. But Romans 3:21 tells us, “God has a way to make people right with Him.”

In the 23rd Psalm, David said it like this, “He leads me in the path of righteousness.” And Daniel 9:14 declares, “Our God is right in everything He does.”

The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill. At the top of the hill is a cross. At the base of the cross are countless bags full of innumerable sins. Get the point? Calvary is the compost pile for guilt. Wouldn’t you like to leave yours there as well?

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – A Jungle

May 15, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

It’s a jungle out there! And for many, hope is in short supply. What would it take to restore your hope?

Though the answers are abundant, three come quickly to mind. The first would be someone who knows the way out. And from that someone you need vision. Someone to look you in the face and say, “Don’t give up! There’s a better place than this.” Most importantly, you need direction. If you have a person with direction who can take you to the right place—ah, then you have one who can restore your hope.

To use David’s words in Psalm 23, “HE restores my soul!” God, our Shepherd, majors in restoring hope to the soul! Loneliness diminishes because you have fellowship. Despair decreases because you have vision. Confusion begins to lift because you have direction. Please note– you haven’t left the jungle. It hasn’t changed, but you have. You have hope!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – One Step Enough for Me

May 14, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of the New York Times during the second World War. Because of the world conflict, he found it almost impossible to sleep. He was never able to get worries from his mind until he adopted as his motto these five words: “One step enough for me” . . .taken from the old hymn, “Lead Kindly Light.”

“Lead, kindly Light. . .

Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.”

God isn’t going to let you see the distant scene either. So you might as well quit looking for it. He promises a lamp to our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. We don’t need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know He leads us. As Hebrews 4:16 promises, “we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – He Leads Us

May 13, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

How can a person deal with anxiety? One fellow decided to hire someone to do his worrying for him. He found a man who agreed to do so for a salary of $200,000 a year. After the man accepted the job, his first question to his boss was, “Where are you going to get $200,000 per year?” To which the man responded, “That’s your worry!” Worrying is one job you can’t farm out—but you can overcome it.

David declares in Psalm 23:2, “He leads me beside the still waters.” He leads me! God isn’t behind me, yelling, “Go!” He’s ahead of me bidding, “Come!” He leads us. He tells us what we need to know when we need to know it. Hebrews 4:16 says, “We will find grace to help us when we need it!”

God leads us. God will do the right thing at the right time. What a difference that makes!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Rest in His Finished Work

May 12, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

In Psalm 23:2 when David says, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures”—he’s saying, “My shepherd makes me lie down in His finished work.” With His own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when, with work completed, he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same?

His pasture is His gift to us. This is not a pasture you have made. Nor is it one you deserve. It is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Your Shepherd invites you to nestle deeply hidden, buried, in the tall shoots of His love—and there you will find rest.

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Every Reason to be Content

May 9, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

You have every reason to be content! A man once went to a minister for counseling. He was in the midst of financial collapse.

“I’ve lost everything,” he bemoaned.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear you’ve lost your faith.”

“No,” the man corrected him, “I haven’t lost my faith.”

“Well then, I’m sad to hear you’ve lost your character.”

“I didn’t say that,” he corrected. “I still have my character.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve lost your salvation.”

“That’s not what I said,” the man objected.

“I haven’t lost my salvation.”

“You have your faith, your character, your salvation. Seems to me,” the minister observed, “that you’ve lost none of the things that really matter.”

We haven’t either! You and I could pray like the Puritan. He sat down to a meal of bread and water. He bowed his head and declared, “All this and Jesus too?”

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Heaven Knows Your Heart

May 8, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

All that stuff you have? It’s not yours. And you know what else about all that stuff? It’s not you! In Luke 12:15 Jesus said, “Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

Heaven doesn’t know you as the fellow with the nice suit or the woman with the big house. Heaven knows your heart. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Bible says the Lord looks at the heart. When God thinks of you, He may see your compassion, your devotion, your tenderness or quick mind, but He doesn’t think of your things.

Define yourself by your stuff, and you’ll feel good when you have a lot and bad when you don’t. Contentment comes when we can honestly say with Paul who said, “I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty” (Philippians 4:12).

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Want

May 7, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Come with me to the world’s most oppressive prison. The name of the prison? You’ll see it over the entrance. WANT! The prison of want. They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner. They want just one thing. One new job. One new car. One new spouse. They want just one. And when they have “one,” they’ll be happy. But then it happens. The new car smell passes. The new job gets old. The new spouse has bad habits.

Are you in prison? You are if you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less. But there’s good news. You have a visitor—with a message that can get you parole. “I have a secret to tell you,” he whispers., “the secret of satisfaction.”

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want!” What you have in God is greater than what you don’t have in life!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – The Lord is My Shepherd

May 6, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

We want to do things our way. Forget the easy way. Forget the best way. Forget God’s way. We want to do things our way. And according Isaiah 53:6, that’s precisely our problem. “We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way.”

Sheep are dumb. Ever see sheep tricks? Know anyone who has ever taught his sheep to roll over? No, sheep are just too dumb. Instead of “the Lord is my shepherd,” couldn’t David have thought of a better metaphor than sheep? How about “The Lord is my commander in chief, and I am his warrior!”

When David, who was a warrior, searched for an illustration of God, he remembered his days as a shepherd. He remembered how he lavished attention on the sheep day and night. David rejoiced to say, “The Lord is my shepherd.” And in so doing he proudly implied, “I am His sheep.”

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – God—Our Shepherd

May 5, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

God, our Shepherd, doesn’t check the weather—He makes it! He doesn’t defy gravity—He created it. Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” He has no limitations. Unchanging. Uncaused. Ungoverned. Don’t we need this kind of shepherd?

You don’t need to carry the burden of a lesser god. A god on a shelf, a god in a box, or a god in a bottle. No, you need a God who can place 100-billion stars in our galaxy, and 100-billion galaxies in the universe. A God who can shape two fists of flesh into 75 to 100 billion nerve cells, each with as many as 10,000 connections to other nerve cells, place it in a skull, and call it a brain. And you have one. He is your shepherd!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Drop Some Stuff

May 2, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

God has a great race for you to run. Under His care you’ll go where you have never been and serve in ways you’ve never dreamed. But you have to drop some stuff.

How can you share grace if you’re full of guilt? How can you offer comfort if you’re disheartened. How can you lift someone else’s load if your arms are full with your own? For the sake of those you love—travel light. For the sake of the God you serve, travel light. For the sake of your own joy, travel light.

There are weights in life you simply cannot carry. Set them down and trust Him. I can’t overstate God’s promise in 1 Peter 5:7: “Unload all your worries onto Him, since He is looking after you.”

What do you say we take God up on His offer? We might find ourselves traveling a little lighter.

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – Travel Light

May 1, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I’ve never been one to travel light. I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’m prepared. I’m prepared for a baby dedication or costume party. Prepared to parachute behind enemy lines. And, if perchance, the Dalai Lama might be on my flight and invite me to dine in Tibet, I carry snowshoes. I need to learn to travel light!

Haven’t you been known to pick up a few bags? The suitcase of guilt. A sack of discontent. An overnight bag of loneliness and a trunk of fear. A hanging bag of grief. No wonder you’re so tired at the end of the day.

God’s saying to you, “Set that stuff down. You’re carrying burdens you don’t need to bear.” “Come to Me,” He invites, “all of you who’re weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

If we let Him—God will lighten our loads!

From Traveling Light

Max Lucado – God Wants Your List

April 30, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

God not only wants the mistakes we have made—He wants the ones we are making. Are you drinking too much? Are you cheating at work or cheating at marriage? Mismanaging your life? Don’t pretend nothing’s wrong. The first step after a stumble must be in the direction of the cross.

1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins to God, He can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.”

Start with your bad moments. And while you’re there, give God your “mad” moments. There’s a story about a man bitten by a dog. When he learned the dog had rabies, he began a list. The doctor said, “there’s no need to make a will—you’ll be fine.” “Oh I’m not making a will,” he said, “I’m making a list of all the people I want to bite!” God wants your list! He wants you to leave it at the cross.

From He Chose the Nails

Scriptures, Lessons, News and Links to help you survive.