Tag Archives: Lucado

Let God Love You – Max Lucado

February 18, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When my girls were little, I’d come home, shout their names and watch them run to me with extended arms and squealing voices. For the next few moments we’d roll on the floor, gobble bellies, and tickle tummies and laugh and play. We delighted in each other’s presence. They made no requests of me, with the exception of, “Let’s play, Daddy. And I made no demands of them except, “Don’t hit daddy with the hammer.” My kids let me love them.

But suppose they’d approached me as we often approach God. “Hey, Dad, glad you’re home. Here’s what I want!” “Whoa,” I would have to say. “Why don’t you just climb up on Daddy’s lap and let me tell you how much I love you?” Ever thought God might want to do the same with you? How long since you let God love you?

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (I John 3:1).

A Little Over a Lifetime – Max Lucado

February 15, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Will I learn what God intends? If I listen, I will. A little girl returned from her first day at school. Her mom asked, “Did you learn anything?” “I guess not,” the girl responded. “I have to go back tomorrow and the next day and the next day. . .”

Such is the case with learning. And such is the case with Bible study.

Understanding comes a little at a time over a lifetime. James said: “The man who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and makes a habit of doing so is not the man who hears and forgets. He puts that law into practice and wins true happiness.” (James 1:25).

The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed but rather a mine to be quarried. Proverbs 2:4 says to “search for it like silver, and hunt for it like hidden treasure.”

And we need to do it today, and the next day, and the next….

A Godly Touch – Max Lucado

February 13, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Oh the power of a godly touch. Haven’t you known it? The doctor who treated you, the teacher who dried your tears? Was there a hand holding yours at a funeral? Another on your shoulder during a trial? Haven’t we known the power of a godly touch?

Can’t we offer the same? Many of you do. Some of you have the master touch of the Physician himself. You use your hands to pray over the sick. If you aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters, making phone calls, baking pies. You’ve learned the power of a touch.

But others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be. Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake? Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?

A Basin of Water – Max Lucado

February 12, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I looked for a Bible translation that reads, “Jesus washed all the disciples’ feet except the feet of Judas.” I couldn’t find one.

A couple once told me about a storm they were weathering. She learned of an act of infidelity that had occurred a decade ago. And as you can imagine, she was deeply hurt. She could have left. Women have done so for lesser reasons. But on advice of a counselor, they went away for several days. On the fourth night of the trip, he found a card on his pillow. It said: “I’d rather do nothing with you than something without you.” Beneath that she’d written these words: I forgive you. I love you. Let’s move on.

Certain conflicts can be resolved only with a basin of water. Jesus made sure His disciples had no reason to doubt His love. Why don’t you do the same?

Wash Each Other’s Feet – Max Lucado

February 11, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Jesus said to His disciples: “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet” (John 13:14). It means to kneel as Jesus knelt, touching the grimy parts of the people we’re stuck with; washing away their unkindnesses with kindness. Or as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.”

“But Max,” you’re saying, “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m not the one who cheated. I’m not the one who lied. I’m not the guilty party here.” Perhaps you aren’t. But neither was Jesus. Don’t we all think we are right? Hence we wash each other’s feet. Relationships don’t survive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful! Only one was worthy of having his feet washed. The one worthy of being served, served others.

Connected But Not Altered – Max Lucado

February 8, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When you give your life to Christ, He moves in, unpacks his bags and is ready to change you into His likeness. So why do I still have the hang-ups of Max?

Part of the answer is in the story of a wealthy but frugal lady living in a small house at the turn of the century. Friends were surprised when she had electricity put in her home. Weeks afterward, a meter reader appeared. “Your meter shows scarcely any usage,” he said. “Are you using your power?” “Certainly,” she answered. “Each evening I turn on my lights long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off.”

She’s tapped into the power but doesn’t use it. Her house is connected but not altered. Don’t we make the same mistake? God is willing to change us into the likeness of the Savior. Shall we accept His offer?

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19a).

The Mind of Christ – Max Lucado

February 7, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The heart of Jesus was spiritual. Our hearts seem so far from His. He is pure. We are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is purposeful; we are distracted. How could we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus?

Ready for a surprise? You already do. You already have the heart of Christ. Would I kid you? One of the supreme promises of God is simply this: if you’ve given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given Himself to you.

The Apostle Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 2:16: “Strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.”

The same one who saved your soul longs to remake your heart. His plan is nothing short of a total transformation. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus. Perhaps in seeing Him, we will see what we can become!

You Are Tweakable – Max Lucado

February 6, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

You aren’t stuck with today’s personality. You aren’t condemned to “grumpydom.” You’re tweak-able; changeable. From whence come statements such as, “It’s just my nature to worry,” or. . .“I’ll always be pessimistic, I’m just that way.” Or. . .“I have a bad temper. I can’t help the way I react.” Who says?

Would we make similar statements about our bodies? “It’s just my nature to have a broken leg. I can’t do anything about it.” Of course not. If our bodies malfunction, we seek help. Shouldn’t we do the same with our hearts? Shouldn’t we seek aid for our sour attitudes? Can’t we request treatment for our selfish tirades? Of course we can. Jesus can change our hearts. He wants us to have a heart just like His. Can you imagine a better offer?

Something Better – Max Lucado

February 5, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When my daughter, Jenna, was little I often took her to a park near our home. One day as she played in a sandbox, I bought her ice-cream, but when I turned to give it to her, her mouth was full of sand. Where I had intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt. Did I love her with dirt in her mouth? Absolutely. Was I going to allow her to keep the dirt in her mouth? No way! I loved her where she was, but I refused to leave her there. Why? Because I love her.

God does the same for us. “Spit out the dirt, honey,” our Father urges. “I’ve got something better for you.” “I can eat dirt if I want to!” we pout and proclaim. We can. But if we do, the loss is ours. God has a better offer. He wants us to be just like Jesus!

“Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again.” (Psalm 51:10 NCV).

What If? – Max Lucado

February 4, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you? Waking up in your bed, walking in your shoes, assuming your schedule? With one exception—nothing about your life changes. Not your circumstances. Your schedule. Your problems. Only one change occurs! His priorities govern your actions. His love directs your behavior.

What would you be like? Would people notice a change? What about the less fortunate? Would you treat them the same? And your friends? Would they detect more joy?

Pause and think about your schedule. Obligations. Engagements. Appointments. Would anything change? Keep working on this for a moment. Adjust the lens of your imagination until you have a clear picture of Jesus leading your life. Then frame the image. What you see is what God wants. He wants you to “think and act like Christ Jesus.” God wants you to be just like Jesus!

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Just Like Jesus – Max Lucado

February 1, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When they were young, my daughters loved playing “dress-up.” They’d put on their mom’s shoes, fill up a grown-up purse with crayons and pretend grown-up scenarios. For the moment, they wanted to be just like mom.

Don’t we do the same? We look at ourselves, with our immaturity, our sinfulness, and we want to clothe ourselves in something better. We want to be just like Jesus. This seems like an impossible goal until we accept one simple truth: God will help us. He loves us. Not only does God love each of us exactly as we are, but he wants us, little by little, to become like him. Why? Because he wants us to have a heart like his.

Need to hear that message a few more times? Don’t we all? God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way! He wants you to be just like Jesus!

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Holiness – Max Lucado

January 31, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

John the Baptist would never get hired today. No church would touch him. He was a public relations disaster.

Mark 1:6 says he “wore clothes of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey.”

His message was as rough as his dress. A no-nonsense, bare-fisted challenge to repent because God was on His way. No, John’s style wasn’t smooth. He made few friends and lots of enemies, but what do you know? He made hundreds of converts. How do you explain it? It certainly wasn’t his charisma, nor his money or position—for he had neither. Then what did he have? One word: Holiness.

Holiness seeks to be like God. You want to make a difference in your world? Live a holy life. Be faithful to your spouse. Pay your bills. Be the employee who does the work and doesn’t complain. Don’t speak one message and live another! Just be God in your world.

“…as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16)

I’ll Take Care of It – Max Lucado

January 30, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

We forgive the one-time offenders. We dismiss the parking place takers, the date breakers. We can move past the misdemeanors, but the felonies? The repeat offenders? Not so much. Vengeance fixes your attention on life’s ugliest moments. Score settling freezes your stare at cruel events. Is this where you want to look?

A man says, “My ex-wife and I share custody of our kids. She constantly says negative things about me. She’s destroying my relationship with them.

The woman says, “I want to keep a positive relationship with him for the kids, but it’s so hard to forgive him.”

“I’ll do the judging” says God. “Don’t insist on getting even.” You have an opportunity to teach your children a valuable lesson in forgiveness. God dispenses perfect justice. Have that same attitude Jesus showed in his life and on the cross! “I’ll take care of it” says God!

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19

Two-Thousand Times More Effective – Max Lucado

January 29, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Two-thousand years ago the disciples of Jesus started a movement that changed the world. Are we still changing the world? We can. We can be two-thousand times more effective—if we only try!

Here’s an example. There are 145 million orphans worldwide. Nearly 236 million of us living in the U.S. call ourselves Christian. From a purely statistical standpoint, by ourselves, we have the wherewithal to house every orphan in the world. There’s enough food on the planet to feed the hungry! But the storehouse is locked.

God has given our generation everything we need to alter the course of human suffering. Change must start with us! With our transformation! Ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever! We can be more effective—if only we try!

The Mother-in-Law – Max Lucado

January 28, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Someone once asked me, So what do I do about my mother-in-law? Let’s just say, she’s taken “critical and judgmental” to a whole new level!

Just saying, “my mother-in-law” gets a chuckle every time. I wonder if in mother-in-law circles they laugh when they hear “the son-in-law?” Your mother-in-law may be hard to get along with. But the fact is, you can’t change her, but you can change the way you see her.

For starters, stop looking at what drives you up the wall. Look for a quality worthy of your attention. Is she generous? A great cook? And pray for her. It’s hard to stand before God and speak horribly about someone He loves! You may not change your mother-in-law, but it’ll change your attitude toward her. Who knows? Maybe she’ll start to change when you start to see her differently!

Tough Questions – Max Lucado

January 25, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Some questions aren’t always easy to answer. Maybe that’s the way it should be! Here’s just that kind of question:

“I get tired of hearing people brush aside troubles with the platitude in Romans 8:28, ‘All things work together for good.’ Isn’t saying that cruel?”

The verse says, “We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him.” I think it’s one of the most helpful, comforting verses in the entire Bible. It announces God’s sovereignty in any painful, tragic situation we face. Why? Because we know God is at work for our good! He uses our struggles to build character.

So what do we do? We trust. Totally! And we remember. . .God is working for the good. Yes, any verse can be misused, but that doesn’t make it useless!

God Knows More – Max Lucado

January 24, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

A young woman wrote to me, “My boyfriend and I split up. I applied for a job and was rejected. Is God even listening to me?

You need to know that God knows more about life than we do! And, yes, He’s listening! One day, my then six-year old said she wanted me leave the ministry. “I just really wish you sold snow cones!” An honest request from an honest heart. To her the happiest people in the world were the guys who drove the snow-cone trucks. I heard her request, but I didn’t heed it. Why? Because I know more about life than she did.

Same with God. God hears our requests. But His answer isn’t always what we’d like it to be. Because He knows more about life than we do? Don’t panic. Don’t bail out. Talk to your heavenly Father. He’s still in control!

“Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.” Philippians 4:6-7

All Things New – Max Lucado

January 23, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Can an acorn become a rose? Can a whale fly like a bird? Can lead become gold? I don’t think so!

My dad’s a doctor. My grandfather’s a doctor and everyone expects ME to be a doctor—but I want to study music! God—what am I missing?

You can’t be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be. If God didn’t pack within you the people skills of a salesperson, or the world vision of an ambassador, can you be one? An unhappy, dissatisfied one—maybe! God doesn’t pre-fab or mass-produce people.

Revelation 21:5 says God makes all things new! He didn’t hand you your granddad’s bag or your aunt’s life; he personally and deliberately packed you! Live out of the bag God gave you. Enjoy making music!

God uses people to change the world – Max Lucado

January 22, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Sinners, the ungodly, the imperfect, the fearful! Why does God choose such losers to change the world? I’m thinking it’s because there’s a lot more of us to choose from!

God uses people to change the world. Abraham the liar. David the adulterer and murderer. Are you getting the picture? What they lacked in perfection, God made up for in love. How can God possibly use you to make a difference? Look at those He’s already used and take heart! Because you are imperfect, you can speak of making mistakes. Because you’re a sinner, you can give testimony to forgiveness. God restores the broken and the brittle, then parades them before the world as trophies of his love and strength! If God chose only righteous people, you could count them all on one finger—Jesus!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

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