Tag Archives: Max Lucado

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – No Room

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Max Lucado

Some of the saddest words on earth are “We don’t have room for you.” Jesus knew the sound of those words.  He was still in Mary’s womb when the innkeeper said, “We don’t have room for you” (Luke 2:7).

And when he was hung on the cross, wasn’t the message one of utter rejection?  “We don’t have room for you in our world.”

Even today Jesus is given the same treatment.  He goes from heart to heart, asking if he might enter. Every so often, he’s welcomed.  Someone throws open the door of his or her heart and invites him to stay.  And to that person Jesus gives this great promise, “In my Father’s house are many rooms” (John 14:2).

What a delightful promise he makes us! We make room for him in our hearts….And he makes room for us in his house!

From Grace for the Moment

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – The Grace-given, Give Grace

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Max Lucado

The grace-given—give grace!  Is grace happening to you?  Is there anyone in your life you refuse to forgive?  If so, do you appreciate God’s forgiveness toward you?  Do you resent God’s kindness to others?  Do you grumble at God’s uneven compensation?  How long has it been since your generosity stunned someone?

Since someone objected, “No, really, this is too generous?”  If it’s been awhile reconsider God’s extravagant grace.  Psalm 103:2-3 says, “Forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity.”

Let grace unscrooge your heart.  Like Peter encourages us in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

When grace happens, generosity happens.  Unsquashable, eye-popping, big-heartedness happens!  You simply can’t contain it all.  Let it bubble over.  Let it spill out.  Let it pour forth.

From GRACE

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Jesus is the Gift

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Max Lucado

Little Carol with the pigtails, freckles, and shiny back shoes. Don’t let her sweet appearance fool you.  She broke my heart!  On the day of the great gift exchange in my fourth-grade class, I ripped the wrapping paper off the box to find—stationery! Brown envelopes and folded note cards with a picture of a cowboy lassoing a horse.  What ten-year-old boy uses stationery?  There’s a term for this kind of gift:  obligatory!

I know we shouldn’t complain, but don’t you detect a lack of originality? And when a person gives a genuine gift, don’t you cherish the presence of a gift just for you?  Have you ever received such a gift?  Yes, you have.  You’ve been given a perfect personal gift.  One just for you. God says to anyone who’ll listen:  ”There has been born for you…a Savior….” Jesus is the gift!

“There has been born for you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11”

From GRACE

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Blessed are the Meek

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Max Lucado

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 area 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’s one stipulation, however.  You have to stoop. The door is so low you can’t go in standing up. The same is true of the Christ. Blessed are the meek, Jesus explained. You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Savior, you have to get on your knees.

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.

From The Applause of Heaven

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – His Loving Forgetfulness

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Max Lucado

Hear this powerful passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galations 3:27). We have “put on” Christ. When God looks at us He doesn’t see us; He sees Christ. We wear Him.  We’re hidden in Him; covered by Him.

Presumptuous, you say?  Sacrilegious? It would be if it were my idea.  But it isn’t, it’s His. We’re presumptuous not when we marvel at His grace, but when we reject it.  And we’re sacrilegious not when we claim His forgiveness, but when we allow the haunting sins of yesterday to convince us God forgives but He doesn’t forget.

Do yourself a favor. Take the Roman nails of Calvary and board up the door. Believe in His loving forgetfulness, in His graciously terrible memory.

From God Came Near

 

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Grace Forgets

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Max Lucado

Do you actually believe God would make a statement like, “I will not hold their sins against them”—and then rub your nose in it whenever you ask for help?”  Was He exaggerating when He said He would cast your sins as far as the east is from the west? (Psalm 103:12).

Are you really forgiven?  Does He really forgive and forget?  Yes, but you and I don’t. You still remember. That horrid lie. That jealousy. That habit. That business trip.

Do you think God is the voice that reminds you of your past?  Was God teasing when He said, “I will remember your sins no more?”  You and I just need an occasional reminder of God’s nature, His forgetful nature.

It’s against God’s nature to remember forgiven sins. He is the God of perfect grace. Grace forgets. Period.

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – He Doesn’t Remember

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Max Lucado

I was thanking the Father for His mercy. I began listing the sins He’d forgiven. “Remember the time I. . .”  I was about to thank Him for another act of mercy.  But then I stopped.  Something was wrong. The word “remember” seemed displaced, off-key. It was like a baseball game in December… It didn’t fit.  Does He remember?

Then I remembered His words in Isaiah 43:25, “I am He who blots out your transgressions, and I will not remember your sins.” Wow!  That’s a remarkable promise. God doesn’t just forgive, he forgets.  He destroys the evidence. He clears the hard drive. He doesn’t remember my mistakes.

He doesn’t remember! For all the things He does do, this is the one thing He refuses to do!

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Seeing Jesus

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Max Lucado

In John 14:9 Jesus says, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

Should a man see only popularity, he becomes a mirror, reflecting whatever needs to be reflected to gain acceptance.

Should a man see only power, he becomes a wolf—prowling, hunting, stalking elusive game.  There’s always another world to conquer or another person to control.

Should a man see only pleasure, he becomes a carnival thrill-seeker, alive only in bright lights and titillating entertainment. Driven by passion, willing to sell his soul. Seekers of popularity, power, and pleasure. The end result is the same:  painful un-fulfillment.

Only in seeking his Maker does a man truly become a man. For in seeing his Creator man catches a glimpse of what he was intended to be. It is in seeing Jesus that man sees his Source!

From God Came Near

 

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – An Eternal Instant

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Max Lucado

An eternal instant. An instant in time that had no time. A picture froze in mid-frame, demanding to be savored! A moment that reminds you of the treasures surrounding you. Your home.  Your peace of mind.  Your health. A moment that tenderly rebukes you for spending so much time on temporal preoccupations.  A moment that can bring a mist to the manliest of eyes and perspective to the darkest life.

It was such a moment when the Creator smiled and said, “It is good.”  It was such a moment in the “fullness of time” when a carpenter, some smelly shepherds, and an exhausted young mother stood in silent awe at the sight of the infant in the manger.

Eternal instants.  You’ve had them.  We all have them. But may you have more of them. You are, in a very special way, on holy ground.

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – A Lack of Vision

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Max Lucado

“We were hoping the doctor would release him.”

“I thought the job was in the bag.”

Words painted gray with disappointment. What we wanted did not come.  What came, we didn’t want. The result?  Shattered hope.  What kind of God would let me down like this? The foundation of our world trembles.

So tear-filled are our eyes and so limited is our perspective. It’s not a lack of faith, but a lack of vision. Our petitions are limited to what we can imagine—an earthly kingdom. We roll in the mud of self-pity in the very shadow of the cross. If we would just remember the heavenly body that awaits us, we’d stop complaining that he hasn’t healed this earthly one. Hope is not what you expect—it’s what you would never dream!

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Unpredictable Dependence

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Max Lucado

You have to wonder—if God’s most merciful act is His refusal to answer some of our prayers! We piously ask for His will and then pout if everything doesn’t go our way.

The problem is not that God doesn’t give us what we hope for. It’s that we do not know the right thing for which to hope. Hope isn’t what you expect—it’s what you would never dream. It’s a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming ending. It’s Abraham adjusting his bifocals so he can see, not his grandson, but his son. It’s Moses standing at the promised land, not with Aaron or Miriam at his side, but with Elijah and the crucified Christ.

Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed. It’s far greater than that.  It’s a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks!

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God is!

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Max Lucado

Look around you! Rather than shocking the globe with an occasional demonstration of deity, God has opted to display his power daily. Proverbially. Pounding waves.  Prism-cast colors. Birth, death, life.  We’re surrounded by miracles. God is throwing testimonies at us like fireworks, each one exploding, “God is!  God is!”

The Psalmist marveled at such holy handiwork. “Where can I go from your Spirit?” he questioned with delight. “Where can I go from your presence? (Psalm 139:7).

We wonder, with so many miraculous testimonies around us, how we could escape God.  But somehow we do. We live in an art gallery of divine creativity, and yet are content to gaze only at the carpet.

The next time you hear a baby laugh, take note as His Majesty whispers ever so gently, “I’m here!”

From God Came Near/page 84/85

Greg Laurie

Max Lucado – Jesus–Born Crucified

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Max Lucado

Jesus’ death was not the result of a panicking, cosmological engineer. The cross wasn’t a tragic surprise. The death of the Son of God was anything but an unexpected peril!

Jesus’ death was part of a plan.  A calculated choice.The cross was written into the script. It was no accident. Jesus was born crucified. Whenever he became conscious of who he was, he also became conscious of what he had to do. It explains the resoluteness in his words:  “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:18).

So call it what you wish.  An act of grace. A plan of redemption.  A martyr’s sacrifice. But whatever you call it, don’t call it an accident. It was anything but that!

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Your Share of Sighing

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Max Lucado

No doubt you’ve done your share of sighing. If you have teenagers, you’ve sighed. If you’ve had your motives questioned or your best acts of love rejected, you’ve been forced to take a deep breath and let escape a painful sigh!

I realize there’s a sigh of relief, a sigh of expectancy, even a sigh of joy.  The apostle Paul spoke of this sighing. He said that Christians will sigh as long as we’re on earth and long for heaven. All these sighs come from the same anxiety; a recognition of pain never intended, or of hope deferred. Man was not created to be separated from his creator; hence he sighs, longing for home.

And God sighs, he groans for his people. He groans for the day when all sighs will cease, when what was intended to be—will be!

From God Came Near

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Revealed

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Max Lucado

When God chose to reveal himself to mankind, what did He use?  A book?  A church?  A moral code?  No. To limit God’s revelation to a cold list of do’s and don’t’s is as tragic as looking at a Colorado roadmap and saying you’d seen the Rockies!

When God chose to reveal himself, he did so through a human body. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. And his tears—oh, don’t miss the tears—they came from a heart as broken as your or mine ever has been. People came to him.  Touched him.  Followed him. He refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit.  He chose instead to be Jesus.

Remember that the next time you find yourself amazed at your own failures. It’s man who creates the distance. It’s Jesus who builds the bridge!

From God Came Near

 

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Declare His Glory

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Max Lucado

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 ours. We need a strong hand to pull us into a safe boat. And once aboard, what becomes our priority?

Simple. Promote God. We declare, “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.”

Declare His glory!

From When God Whispers Your Name

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – You Matter to God

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Max Lucado

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” (Romans 8:17). You have “a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor. 9:25). You were “chosen before the creation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

But more than anything else is the simple fact—you are God’s child. 1 John 3:1 says “we are called children of God.  And we really are His children.” I love that:  we really are His children!

If something is important to you—it’s important to God!

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Come to Me

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Max Lucado

How does a person get relief from shame, embarrassment, anger?

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.  Accept my teachings and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. . .”

I can see you shaking your head.  I’ve tried that.  I’ve read the Bible.  I’ve sat on the pew—but I’ve never received relief. Could it be you went to religion and you didn’t go to God? Could it be you went to a church, but never saw Christ?

“Come to Me” the verse reads. Jesus is the solution for weariness of the soul. Go to Him. Admit you have soul secrets you’ve never dealt with. He already knows what they are.

Go to Him! He’s just waiting for you to ask Him to help!

From When God Whispers Your Name

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – If Only…

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Max Lucado

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 When God Whispers Your Name

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Stunned by Grace

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Max Lucado

I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment, but I’m still stunned by His grace.

God’s judgment has never been a problem for me. In fact, it always seemed right. Lightning bolts on Sodom. Fire on Gomorrah. Good job, God! Egyptians swallowed in the Red Sea. They had it coming.

Discipline is easy for me to swallow. Logical to assimilate.

But God’s grace? Anything but. Do you need examples? How much time do you have? Peter denied Christ before he preached Christ. Zacchaeus, the crook… the cleanest part of his life was the money he’d laundered. But Jesus still had time for him. The thief on the cross, hung-out to die one minute, heaven-bound and smiling the next.

Story after story. Surprise after surprise! Search the pages. Read the stories! Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. Search. You won’t find it.