Listen to Today’s Devotion

After His mother, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18 NKJV).

Joseph was perched firmly on his branch in the tree. Predictable and solid, Joseph had no intention of leaving it. That is, until he was told to go out on a limb. Conceived by the Holy Spirit? Come on! Who will believe me? Pride told him not to do it, but God told him to do it.

I have a feeling you can relate to Joseph. One foot in your will and one foot in His. His will or yours? Disrupting, isn’t it? You can bet it won’t be easy. Limb-climbing has never been easy. Ask Joseph. Better yet, ask Jesus! He knows better than anyone the cost of hanging on a tree!

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Listen to Today’s Devotion

Proliferating throughout Scripture is an enticing and inviting preposition —the preposition in.  Jesus lives in his children. From Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

God in us! Have we sounded the depth of this promise? With God in you, you have a million resources you didn’t have before. Can’t stop worrying? Christ can. And he lives within you. Can’t forget the past, forgive the jerk, or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And he lives in you! Oh to be so full of him that we could say with the apostle Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me!” (Galatians 2:20).

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Listen to Today’s Devotion

It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. God became a man! Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb. Jesus came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were un-manicured, calloused, and dirty. For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt…weak; weary; and afraid of failure. His feelings got hurt.

To think of Jesus in such a light seems almost irreverent. There’s something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant and predictable. But don’t do it! For heaven’s sake, don’t! Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out!

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Listen to Today’s Devotion

God’s plan for humanity, crafted in the halls of heaven and carried out on the plains of earth. Only holiness could have imagined it. Only divinity could have enacted it. Only righteousness could have endured it.

When God chose to reveal himself, he did so through a human body. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the women wept were calloused and dusty. And his tears—oh, don’t miss His tears. They came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been. So people came to him! Not one person was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected.

Remember that the next time you find yourself amazed at your own failures! Or the next time you hear a lifeless liturgy. Remember… it’s man who creates the distance. It’s Jesus who builds the bridge!

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Listen to Today’s Devotion

The God of the Universe was born into the poverty of a peasant and spent his first night in the cow’s feed trough. He left the glory of heaven and moved into our neighborhood.

Who could have imagined he would do such a thing? What a world he left. Our classiest mansion would be a tree trunk to him. God became a one-celled embryo and entered the womb of Mary. He became like us. Just look at the places he was willing to go: feed troughs, carpentry shops, badlands, and cemeteries. The places he went to reach us show how far he will go to touch us. He loves to be with the ones he loves!

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Listen to Today’s Devotion

A small cathedral outside Bethlehem marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus. Behind a high altar in the church is a cave, a little cavern lit by silver lamps. You can enter the main edifice and admire the ancient church. You can also enter the quiet cave, where a star embedded in the floor recognizes the birth of the King. There is one stipulation, however. You have to stoop. The door is so low you can’t enter standing up.

The same is true of the Christ. You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Savior, you have to get on your knees! So, at the birth of Jesus, while the theologians were sleeping and the elite were dreaming and the successful were snoring… the meek were kneeling. They were kneeling before the One only the meek will see. They were kneeling in front of Jesus!

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Our daughter Jenna was born in Brazil. Soon after we brought her home we received a hefty bill. No matter how much I pleaded or explained, the insurance company said, “We won’t pay.” The hospital meanwhile said, “You must pay!” The bill was $2,500. The good news is that we paid the bill. The bad news is we were broke as a result.

Philippians 4:6 became a theme promise. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” I was a novice to anxiety-free living, but I treated each anxious thought—and there were many—with prayer.  “Lord, with your help I will not be anxious. But I’m in a foreign country with a new baby and an empty bank account. Hint, hint!” God took the hint!

God keeps His word. I just need to ask. Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer!

Read more Before Amen

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Look around. People thrash about in seas of guilt, anger, despair. Life isn’t working. We’re drowning fast. But God can rescue us.  And only one message matters…His! We need to see God’s glory. Make no mistake. God has no ego problem. He doesn’t reveal His glory for His good. We need to witness it for ourselves. We need a strong hand to pull us into a safe boat. And once aboard, what becomes our priority? Simple. Promote God. Hey, strong boat over here! Able pilot! He can pull you out!

1 Chronicles 16:24 says, “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.” If we boast at all, we boast in the Lord! Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth. So…Declare His glory!

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

What matters to you matters to God! You probably think that’s true when it comes to the big stuff like death, disease, sin, and disaster. But what about the smaller things? What about grouchy bosses or flat tires? What about broken dishes, late flights, toothaches, or a crashed hard drive? Do these matter to God?

Let me tell you who you are! In fact, let me proclaim who you are! The Bible says you are an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. You have a crown that will last forever. You were chosen before the creation of the world. But more than anything else is the simple fact—you are God’s child. 1 John 3:4 says we are called children of God. And we really are His children. I love that we really are His children! And if something is important to you—it’s important to God!

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Maybe your past isn’t much to brag about. Maybe you’ve seen evil and you have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?

Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies, sharp minds, but retired dreams. Lean closely and you’ll hear…If only. The white flag of the heart, if only. . . Maybe you’ve used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring.

Let me show you where to turn. Go to John’s gospel and read Jesus’ words in John 3:6. “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from one Spirit.” Your parents have given you genes, but God gives you grace. God is willing to give you what your family didn’t.

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

Home

Paul asks the question in Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The question isn’t simply, “Who can be against you?” You could answer that one. Who is against you? Disease, inflation, corruption, and exhaustion. Calamities confront us and fears imprison. Were Paul’s question, “Who can be against us?” we could list our foes much easier than we could fight them.

God is for us. God is for us. God is for us! Your parents may have forgotten you, your teachers may have neglected you, your siblings may be ashamed of you; but within reach of your prayers is the maker of the oceans. God! God is for you. Not may be, not has been, not was…but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you hear this, He is with you. God is for you!

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

God rewards those who seek Him! Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus Himself.

And what is the reward? What awaits those who seek Jesus? Nothing short of the heart of Jesus. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him. Can you think of a greater gift than to be like Jesus? Christ felt no guilt; God wants to banish yours. Jesus had no bad habits; God wants to remove yours. Jesus had no fear of death; God wants you to be fearless.

Jesus had kindness for the diseased and mercy for the rebellious and courage for the challenges. God wants you to have the same. Isn’t it just like Jesus!

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

God will always be the same. No one else will. Companies follow pay raises with pink slips. Friends applaud you when you drive a classic and dismiss you when you drive a dud.

Not God. God is always the same. James 1:17 says, with Him “there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Catch God in a bad mood? Won’t happen. Fear exhausting His grace? A sardine will swallow the Atlantic first. Think He’s given up on you? Wrong. Did He not make a promise to you? God is not a human being, and He will not lie. He is not a human, and He does not change His mind. What He says He will do. What He promises, He will make come true. His strength, truth, ways, and love never change. Hebrews 13:8 declares “He is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What He says, He will do!

Read more Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

People came to Jesus. My, how they came to Him. They touched Him as He walked down the street; they followed Him around the sea; they invited Him into their homes and placed their children at His feet. Why? Because He refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit. He chose instead to be—Jesus.

There’s not a hint of one person who was afraid to draw near Him. There were those who mocked Him. Those who were envious of Him. There were those who misunderstood Him. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach Him for fear of being rejected. Remember that.

Remember that the next time you find yourself amazed at your own failures. Or the next time acidic accusations burn holes in your soul. Remember. It’s man who creates the distance. It’s Jesus who builds the bridge!

Read more Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

I can’t assure you your family will ever give you the blessing you seek, but God will! Let God give you what your family doesn’t. How do you do that? You do it by emotionally accepting God as your Father.  It’s one thing to accept Him as Lord, another to recognize Him as Savior, but another matter entirely to accept Him as Father.

To recognize God as Lord is to acknowledge that he is sovereign in the universe. To accept Him as Savior is to accept His gift of salvation offered on the cross. To regard God as Father is to go a step further. Ideally, a father is the one in your life who provides and protects. That’s exactly what God has done! God has proven Himself as a faithful father. Now let God fill the void others have left. You are His child and He’ll give you the blessing He promised!

Read more Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Healthy marriages have a sense of tenderness, an honesty, an ongoing communication. The same is true in our relationship with God. Sometimes we go to Him with our joys, sometimes our hurts, but we always go. And as we go, the more we go, the more we become like Him.

Paul says we’re being changed from “glory to glory.” People who live long lives together eventually begin to sound alike, to talk alike, even think alike. As we walk with God, we take on His thoughts, His principles, His attitudes. We take on His heart.

And just as in marriage, communion with God is no burden. Indeed, it’s a delight. The Psalmist says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). Nothing—nothing compares with it!

Read more Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Crankcase oil coursed my dad’s veins. He repaired engines for a living. Dad loved machines. God gave my dad a mechanical moron, a son who couldn’t differentiate between a differential and a brake disc. Dad tried to teach me. I tried to learn. Honestly, I did. Machines anesthetized me. But books fascinated me.

What does a mechanic do with a son who loves books? He gives him a library card. Buys him a few volumes for Christmas. Places a lamp by his bed so he can read at night. Pays tuition so his son can study college literature in high school. My dad did that.

You know what he didn’t do? Never once did he say, “Why can’t you be a mechanic like your dad and granddad?” Study your children while you can. The greatest gift you can give your child is not your riches, but revealing to them their own!

Read more Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

How would you fill in this blank? A person is made right with God through… (what)? A person is made right with God through. . .being good. Pay your taxes. Give sandwiches to the poor. Don’t drink too much or drink at all. Christian conduct… that’s the secret! Suffering….there’s the answer. Or doctrine…that’s how to be made right with God.

No, no, no. All of the above are tried. All are taught. But none are from God. In fact, that’s the problem. None are from God. Who does the saving, you or Him? Romans 3:28 says, “A person is made right with God through faith.” Not through good works, suffering, or doctrine. Those may be the result of salvation, but they’re not the cause of it. Faith in God’s sacrifice, in the gift of His Son. It’s not what you do, it’s what He did.

Read more Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

The Bible says in Romans 8:28 that “in everything God works for the good of those who love Him.” Do this simple exercise. Remove the word “everything” and replace it with the symbol of your tragedy. How would Romans 8:28 read in your life? In hospital stays God works for the good. In divorce papers God works for the good.

As hard as it may be to believe, you could be only a Saturday away from a resurrection. Hours from that precious prayer of a changed heart…God, you did this for me?

Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, Paul said, The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope. These are not somewhere-over-the-rainbow illusions. They are historic moments in which a real God met real pain so we could answer the question, “where is God when I hurt?”

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

I’m about to tell you something you may find hard to believe. You don’t have to agree with me, but I’d like you to consider it with me. Here it is: If you were the only person on earth, the earth would look exactly the same. The Himalayas would still have their drama and the Caribbean its charm. The sun would still nestle behind the Rockies in the evenings and spray light on the desert in the mornings.

If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe, God would not diminish its beauty one degree. Because He did it all for you. And He’s waiting for you to discover His gift, for your eyes to pop, your heart to stop. He’s waiting for the moment between the dropping of the jaw and the leap of the heart. For in that silence He whispers… I did it just for you.

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home