Tag Archives: Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Like a Child

February 24, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

No child understands the logic of going to bed while there’s energy left in the body! I remember when our daughter, Andrea, was just five. We finally got her to bed. I went in to give her a final kiss, when she lifted her eyelids and said, “I can’t wait until I wake up!” Oh for the attitude of a five-year-old!

Is it any wonder Jesus said we must have the heart of a child before we can enter the kingdom of heaven? He said, “Believe me, unless you change your whole outlook and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).” In other words, quit looking at life like an adult. See it through the eyes of a child.

“I can’t wait to wake up,” are the words of a child’s faith. Andrea could say them because she plays hard, laughs much, and leaves the worries to her father. Let’s do the same.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Made Right with God

February 21, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

How would you fill in this blank? A person is made right with God through_____. Don’t let its brevity fool you. How you complete it is critical; it reflects the nature of your faith.

One might say a person is made right with God through. . . being good. Giving sandwiches to the poor. Some say Christian conduct is the secret. Perhaps suffering is the answer. Sleep on dirt floors. Malaria. Poverty. Bare feet. The greater the pain, the greater the saint. No, no, no, another contends. The way to be made right with God? It’s doctrine. Air-tight theology which explains every mystery. Inspiration clarified.

Yet, how are we truly made right with God? All the above are tried. All are demonstrated. But none are from God. Romans 3:28 says, “A person is made right with God through faith.” Through faith in God’s sacrifice on the cross.

It’s not what you do, it’s what He did.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – A Holy Incredibility

February 20, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

God did what we wouldn’t dare dream. He did what we could not imagine. He became a man so we could trust him. He became a sacrifice so we could know him. And he defeated death so we could follow him.

It defies logic. It’s a divine insanity. A holy incredibility. Only a God beyond systems and common sense could create a plan as absurd as this. Yet, it’s the very impossibility of it all that makes it possible. The wildness of the story is its strongest witness. For only a God could create a plan this mad. Only a Creator beyond the fence of logic could offer such a gift of love.

What man cannot do, God does. When it comes to eternity, forgiveness, purpose, and truth, go to the manger, kneel with the shepherds. Worship the God who dared to do what man dared not dream!

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Mis-use of the Mouth

February 19, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

There are those in God’s family who find a controversy and stake their claim to it. Every church has at least one stubborn soul who has mastered a minutiae of the message and made a mission out of it.

As long as Christians split hairs, Christians will split churches. Religious leaders thought they could manipulate Jesus with their controversies. But they were wrong. He was not trapped by their trickery, flattered by their flattery, or fooled by their hypotheses.

Perhaps we should take note. I’d like to say to you what I need someone to say to me when I get territorial about my opinions. I challenge you to look around you. Let go of your territory for a while. Scout some new regions. Explore some new reefs. Much is gained by closing your mouth and opening your eyes every so often.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – How Quickly We Forget

February 18, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Take this quiz. Name the ten wealthiest men in the world. Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners. Name eight people who’ve won the Nobel prize. How about the last ten Academy Award winners for best picture? Or the last decade’s worth of World Series winners? How’d you do? I didn’t do well either. Surprising how quickly we forget, isn’t it? And what I’ve mentioned are no second-rate achievements. These are the best in their fields.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one. Think of three people you enjoy spending time with. Name ten people who’ve taught you something worthwhile. Name five friends who’ve helped you in a difficult time. List a few teachers who aided your journey through high school. Easier? It was for me, too.

The lesson? The people who make a difference are not the ones with the most credentials, but the ones with the most concern.

And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – You are Invited

February 17, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Jesus gives the invitation in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.”

To know God is to receive his invitation. Not just to hear it, not just to study it, not just to acknowledge it, but to receive it. It’s possible to learn much about God’s invitation and never respond to it personally. His invitation is clear and non-negotiable. He gives all and we give him all. Simple and absolute.

Isn’t it incredible that God leaves this choice up to us? Think about it. We can’t choose the weather. We can’t control the economy. We can’t even choose how people respond to us. But we can choose where we spend eternity. The big choice, God leaves to us. The critical decision is ours. What are you doing with his personal request that you live with him forever?

And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Come to Me

February 14, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Invitations are special.

“You’re invited to a gala celebrating the grand opening of. . .”

“Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request your presence at the wedding of their daughter. . .”

To be invited is to be honored—to be held in high esteem! The most incredible invitations aren’t found in envelopes, but rather, they are found in the Bible. God invited Eve to marry Adam, the animals to enter the ark, and Mary to give birth to His son.

“Come,” he invited, “Come to me all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).”

“Come,” he would say. God is the King who invites us to come, who prepares the palace, sets the table, and invites his subjects to come in. His invitation for you, however, is not just for a meal, it’s for life!

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – God’s Eternal Plan

February 13, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When our oldest daughter was two, I lost her in a department store. I panicked! All of a sudden only one thing mattered—I had to find Jenna. Shopping was forgotten. The list of things I came to get was unimportant. I yelled her name. What people thought didn’t matter. Every ounce of energy had one goal: to find my lost child. I did, by the way. She was hiding behind some jackets.

No price is too high for a parent to pay to redeem his child. No energy is too great. No effort too demanding. A parent will go to any length to find his or her own. So will God. Mark it down. God’s greatest creation is not the flung stars or the gorged canyons. It’s his eternal plan to reach his children. Heaven and earth know no greater passion than God’s personal passion for you and your return!

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Hucksters and Faith Peddlers

February 12, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When religion is used for profit and prestige, people are exploited and God is infuriated! When Jesus entered Jerusalem the first day of Passover week, Matthew 21:12-13 says, “He went into the temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus said to all the people there, ‘It is written in the Scriptures, My temple will be called a house for prayer. But you are changing it into a hideout for robbers!’”

Hucksters. Faith peddlers. People making a franchise out of the faith. This was not a temper tantrum. It was an intentional message from Jesus. Cash in on my people and you’ve got me to answer to. God will never hold guiltless those who exploit the privilege of worship.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – He Gave a Donkey

February 11, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I don’t know his name or what he looks like. I only know what he gave. He gave a donkey for Jesus to use on the Sunday he entered Jerusalem. An interesting bit of history is found in Matthew 21:3. It is the story of the man who gave the donkey to Jesus. The scripture says, “If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once.”

Did the man have any idea his generosity would be used for such a noble purpose? Did it occur to him God was going to ride that donkey?

All of us have a donkey. Something that, if given to God, could move Jesus and His story further down the road. Maybe you sing or program a computer or speak Swahili or write a check. Whichever it may be…that’s your donkey. Do you give it?

The guy who gave Jesus the donkey is just one in a long line of folks who gave little things to a big God.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Someday

February 10, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

There’s a time for extravagant gestures. A time to pour out your affections on the one you love. And when the time comes—seize it. Don’t dismiss it!

“Someday,” we say, “I’ll take her on the cruise.”

“Someday”, we say, “I’ll have time to call and chat.”

“Someday, the children will understand why I was so busy.”

But you know the truth, don’t you? You could say it better than I. Some days never come. And the price of practicality is sometimes higher than extravagance. So, go to the effort…today. Invest the time, today. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it! The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglected brings regret.

From And The Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Remember the Sabbath Day

February 7, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Could you use a reminder on how to slow your life down? One of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day to the Lord your God.”

What did Jesus do on that last Sabbath of his life? Look in the Gospel of Matthew. Find anything? Try Mark. Nothing there? What about Luke? Hmm…it looks like Jesus was quiet that day.

Do you mean that with one week left to live, Jesus observed the Sabbath? Are you telling me that Jesus thought worship was more important than work? That’s exactly what I’m telling you. If Jesus found time in the midst of a racing agenda to stop the rush and sit in the silence, do you think we could, too?

From And The Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Just Right

February 6, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When my daughter was small, she wrote a song for me. From a musical standpoint, everything was wrong with it. The lyrics didn’t rhyme. The rhythm was off. Technically the song was a failure. But for me, the song was a masterpiece. Why? Because she wrote it for me. What dad wouldn’t like that? What father wouldn’t bask in the praise of even an off-key adulation?

Ideally, when we approach God, our motive and the way we sing is as strong as the reason we sing. The words are just right; our worship is as attractive as it is sincere. But many times it isn’t. Many times our worship is less than what we want it to be. “Lord, help!”

“You will search for me,” God declared. “And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will let you find me” (Jeremiah 29:13). What a promise!

From And The Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – Sight to the Blind

February 5, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

When people are refused access to Christ by those closest to him, the result is empty, hollow religion. Ugly religion.

Hard to believe? Yet it happens—even in the church. It happens when a church spends more time discussing the style of its sanctuary than it does the needs of the hungry. It happens when a church is known more for its stance on an issue than its reliance upon God. It happens when we think Jesus has more important things to do than to be bothered by such insignificant people.

Christ thought otherwise. Jesus felt sorry for the blind men and touched their eyes, and at once they could see. In that moment, of all the people, it was the blind who really saw Jesus.

From And The Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – The Son of Man

February 4, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Matthew 20:28 says of Jesus, “The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many people.”

As a young boy, I read a Russian fable about a master and a servant who went on a journey. Before they reached their destination they were caught in a blizzard and lost their direction. When they were found the master was frozen to death, face down in the snow. When they lifted him they found the servant, cold but alive. The master had voluntarily placed himself on top of the servant so the servant could live.

Jesus did the same for you! Jesus wears a sovereign crown but he bears a father’s heart. The King who suffers for the peasant, the Master who sacrifices himself for the servant. He is the Son of Man who came to serve and to give his life as a ransom—for you!

From And the Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – A Passion for the Forgotten

February 3, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

A day late and a dollar short. One brick short of a load. You pick the phrase—the result is the same. Get told enough times that only the rotten fruit gets left in the bin, and you begin to believe it. You begin to believe you are “too little, too late.”

God has a peculiar passion for the forgotten. Have you noticed? See his hand on the skin of the leper? See the face of the prostitute cupped in Jesus’ hands? See him with his arm around little Zacchaeus? God wants us to get the message: What society puts out, God puts in. What the world writes off, God picks up.

Why did He pick you? He wanted to. After all, you are his, and he made you. No matter how long you’ve waited or how much time you’ve wasted, you are his and he has a place for you.

From And The Angels Were Silent

Max Lucado – The Big News

January 31, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The big news of the Bible is not that you love God, but that God loves you; not that you can know God, but that God already knows you!

God tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, flee his thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him, he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and reached his verdict: He loves you still!

No discovery will disillusion him, no rebellion will dissuade him. You need not win his love. You already have it. And since you can’t win it, you can’t lose it! He loves you with an everlasting love!

From The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Max Lucado – His Idea, His Home

January 30, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Would that I could make everything new—but I can’t. But God can. “He restores my soul,” wrote the shepherd (Psalm 23:3). He doesn’t camouflage the old, he restores the new. The Master Builder will pull out the original plan and restore it. The vigor, the energy, the hope. He will restore the soul.

When you see how this world grows stooped and weary, and then read of a home where everything’s made new, doesn’t it make you want to go home? Would you really rather have a few possessions on earth than eternal possessions in heaven? Would you honestly give up all of your heavenly mansions for a second-rate sleazy motel on earth?

“Great,” Jesus said, “is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12). He must have smiled when he said that. His eyes must have danced, and his hand must have pointed skyward. He should know. It was his idea. It was his home.

From The Applause of Heaven

Max Lucado – Asking for Mercy

January 29, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“But, ma’am,” I pleaded, “I’ve got to be in Houston this evening.” She was patient but firm. “I’m sorry, sir, the rules say passengers must be at the gate ten minutes before scheduled departure time.” “I know the rules,” I said. “I’m not asking for justice; I’m asking for mercy!” She didn’t give it to me.

She didn’t give me mercy, but God does. Even though by the “book” I’m guilty, by God’s love I get another chance. Even though by the law I’m indicted, by mercy I’m given a fresh start.

The Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved. . .not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

No other world religion offers such a message. Others say, “You do this, and God will give you that.” Christ’s kingdom is just the opposite. A kingdom where membership is granted, not purchased! You are placed into God’s kingdom! He gives you, not justice, but mercy!

From The Applause of Heaven

Max Lucado – One of a Kind

January 28, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I have a sweater I never wear. It’s too small. Some of the buttons are missing, the thread is frazzled. I should throw it away. I’ll never wear it again. Logic says to clear out the space, get rid of the sweater. But love won’t let me.

What’s unusual about it? It wasn’t produced on an assembly line. It’s the creation of a devoted mother expressing her love. That sweater is unique. It’s one of a kind. It can’t be replaced. And although the sweater has lost all of its use, it’s lost none of its value.

That must have been what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). You were knitted together. You aren’t an accident. You weren’t mass-produced. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman.

From The Applause of Heaven

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