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Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Have a Joyful 4th of July!

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Max Lucado

As we celebrate our country’s freedom on this 4th of July, may you be encouraged by this level-headed instruction from the Bible:

The Apostle Paul wants young Timothy to lead the church in a godly fashion. His first command? “pray for all people.” The flagship assignment of the church is prayer. Feed the hungry? Counsel the confused? Teach the lost? Absolutely. But first, we pray. The primary activity of a local church is intercession and worship.

Specifically, we “pray for rulers and for all who have authority….” This includes our president, vice-president, all elected and appointed officials.  We ask God to use them to facilitate a haven of quiet and peace where worship can abound.  We pray so that “…we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God.”

Remarkable. A peaceful society depends upon the prayers of the church. If we do not have a peaceful society–where worship and respect for God can flourish–what is the solution? Better government policy? A different president? New Congress? No, the first solution is a praying church.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…then I will hear from heaven.” (II Chron. 7:14 NIV)

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Max Lucado – You Are Not Alone

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Max Lucado

Have you ever gone to the grocery on an empty stomach?  You’re a sitting duck.  You buy everything you don’t need.  Doesn’t matter if it’s good for you—you just want to fill your tummy!  When you’re lonely, you do the same in life, pulling stuff off the shelf, not because you need it, but because you’re hungry for love.

Why do we do it?  Because we fear facing life alone.  For fear of not fitting in, we take the drugs.  For fear of standing out, we wear the clothes.  For fear of appearing small, we go into debt and buy the house.  For fear of sleeping alone, we sleep with anyone.  For fear of not being loved, we search for love in all the wrong places.

But all that changes when we discover God’s perfect love. 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.”  You are not alone!

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Put Your Trust in Him

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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 your fears. Enter them—just don’t enter them alone.  And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted.  Tears are allowed.

“Take this cup,” Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene. Give God your fears. Give God the number of the flight. 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 knows how you feel. That’s why we punctuate our prayers as Jesus did: “Father, if you’re willing. . .”  Was God willing?  Yes and no. He didn’t take away the cross of Christ, but He took away the fear. Who’s to say He won’t do the same for you?

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Max Lucado – God Loves Humility

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God loves humility!  Could that be the reason He offers so many tips on cultivating it?

May I (ahem) humbly articulate a few? Do you want to be humble?  Assess yourself honestly.  Don’t take success too seriously. Celebrate the significance of others. Don’t demand your own parking place. Never announce your success before it occurs. Speak humbly. One last thought to foster humility. Live at the foot of the cross.

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 to 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!

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Max Lucado – God Hates Arrogance

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Proverbs 16:18 Max Lucadoreminds us as humility goes before honor, “pride goes before a fall.”

Ever wonder why churches are powerful in one generation but empty the next? The Bible says, the Lord will tear down the house of the proud. God hates arrogance. He hates it because we haven’t done anything to be arrogant about. Is there a Pulitzer for ink? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant?  Of course not. They are only tools.  So are we. We may be the canvas, the paper, or the scalpel, but we are not the one who deserve the applause.

David declares who does in Psalm 23, “He makes me, He leads me, He restores my soul…for His name’s sake.”  For His name’s sake!  No other name.  This is all done for God’s glory.  He takes the credit, not because He needs it, but because He knows we cannot handle it!

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Max Lucado – Suitcases of Guilt

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Max Lucado

Do you carry a load of guilt?  So many do. If our spiritual baggage were visible, you know what you’d see? Suitcases of guilt, bulging with binges, blowups, and compromises. The kid with the baggy jeans and nose ring? He’d give anything to retract the words he said to his mother. But he can’t. So he tows them along. The woman in the business suit that looks like she could run for Senator?  She can’t run at all. Not hauling that carpet bag wherever she goes. So what do we do?

In Psalm 23:3 David said it like this, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill.  At the top is a cross. At the base of the cross are bags, countless bags full of innumerable sins. Calvary is the compost pile for guilt.  Would you like to leave yours there as well?

 

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Max Lucado – Where Does My Help Come From?

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Max Lucado

David said in Psalm 121, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”  And David answers his own question, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip, He who watches over you will not slumber. The Lord watches over you. The Lord will keep you from all harm, He will watch over your life.”

God—your rescuer, has the right vision.  He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of man when He declared, “I am the way.”  People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their question by forging a path through the underbrush of sin and death—escaping alive.

Maybe you need your hope restored.  If so, lift up your eyes.  Like David said, look unto the hills…look unto the One who made you and He will give you help

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Max Lucado – You Have Hope

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For many, hope is in short supply. Hopelessness is an odd bag. Unlike others, it isn’t full. It’s empty, and its emptiness creates the burden. Unzip the top and examine all the pockets. Turn it upside down and shake it hard. The bag of hopelessness is painfully empty! Not a very pretty picture, is it?  What would it take to restore your hope? One comes quickly to mind…a person.  Not just any person. You need someone to look you in the face and say, “This isn’t the end.  Don’t give up.  There’s a better place than this.  And I’ll lead you there.”

David, in Psalm 23, used these words, “He restores my soul.”  God majors in restoring hope to the soul. Please note that you always have hope!  Psalm 121:7 says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life.” He’s the perfect one to do so!

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Max Lucado – One Step is Enough

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Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of the New York Times during the Second World War. Because of all the world conflict, he found it almost impossible to sleep.  He was never able to set aside worries from his mind—until he adopted as his motto these five words, “one step enough for me.” He took it 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. God does promise a lamp for our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. We don’t need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know that Hebrews 4:16 promises  “we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

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Max Lucado – He Leads

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Worrying is one job you can’t farm out, but you can overcome it. There’s no better place to begin than in Psalm 23:2. “He leads me beside the still waters,” David declares. “He leads me.”  God isn’t behind me, yelling, “Go!”  He’s ahead of me bidding, “Come!”  He’s in front, clearing the path, cutting the brush. Standing next to the rocks, He warns, “Watch your step there.”

Isn’t this what God gave the children of Israel? He promised to supply them with manna each day. But He told them to collect only one day’s supply at a time. Matthew 6:34 says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

God is leading you! Leave tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow!

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Max Lucado – The Burlap Bag of Burdens

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Worry is the burlap bag of burdens.  It’s overflowing with “whaddifs” and “howells.” Whaddif after all my dieting, I find that lettuce is fattening and chocolate isn’t?  Howell will we pay our baby’s tuition?”  Whaddifs and howells…the burlap bag of worry. Cumbersome. Chunky. Unattractive. Scratchy.  Irritating to carry and impossible to give away!  No one wants your worries.  The truth is, you don’t want them either. No one has to remind you of the high cost of anxiety, but I will anyway. Worry divides the mind.  It splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems.  The result is half-minded living!

Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to “boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy and, in His grace, find timely help.”  God’s help is timely!  God will do the right thing at the right time.  And what a difference that makes!

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Max Lucado – Sabbath Rest

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When God gave the Ten Commandments, He needed only five English words to condemn adultery; four to denounce thievery and murder.  But when he came to the topic of rest?  Listen to this:  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servants, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day…” (Exodus 20:8-11). Wow!  One word after another…

Still we object. We offer up one reason after another. We don’t like to rest. Repeat these words after me, “It is not my job to run the world.”  In the long run we’ll do more by doing less!

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Max Lucado – His Finished Work

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When God gave the Ten Commandments, and it came to Sabbath rest, His message was clear, “If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do!”  You know we need to rest. For a field to bear fruit, it must occasionally lie fallow. And for you to be healthy, you must rest.

When David says in the 23rd Psalm, “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. He pried loose the huge boulders of sin. In their place He planted seeds of grace and dug ponds of mercy.  Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when the work is completed and he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same?

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Max Lucado – Dad, Your Child is You-nique!

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Every child is born with a unique blend of strengths and characteristics. Don’t see your child as a blank slate awaiting your pen, but as a written book awaiting your study.

What is the S-T-O-R-Y of your child?

1.  What is their Strength? Master pianist Van Cliburn, at the age of two, could pick out a song on the piano simply as a result of listening to lessons going on in the adjacent room. His mother spotted this and, as a result, gave him daily lessons. The little kid from Kilgore, Texas won the International Tchaikovsky Piano competition in Moscow. Why? Because a parent spotted a skill and strengthened it.[1]

2. What Topics turn their heads? Numbers? When are they delightfully lost in a project? John Ruskin said, “Tell me what you like and I’ll tell you who you are.” [2]

3. What is their Optimal setting?  Pine trees need a different soil than oak trees. A cactus thrives in a different environment than a rosebush does. What about the soil and the environment of your child? Some kids love to be noticed. Others prefer to be hidden in the crowd. Some relish deadlines and challenges. Others need ample preparation time and help. We each have a different optimal setting.

4. How about Relationships? When it comes to people, what phrase best describes your child?

•             “Follow me, everyone.”

•             “I’ll let you know if I need some help.”

•             “Can we do this together?”

The loner is not necessarily aloof; the crowd-seeker is not always lacking focus. They may be living out their story. In which environment does your child flourish? And, when do they say:

5. “Yes!”  What gives them satisfaction and pleasure? Do they love the journey or the goal? Do they like to keep things straight or straighten things out? What thrills one person bothers another. The Apostle Peter liked to keep the boat steady while Paul was prone to rock it.

Strength. Topic. Optimal setting. Relationships. Yes!  What S-T-O-R-Y is God writing with your child? God doesn’t give parents manuscripts to write, but codes to decode. Study your kids while you can. The greatest gift you can give your children is not your riches but to reveal to them their own.

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Max Lucado – Sheep Can’t Sleep

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Millions of Americans have trouble sleeping!  You may be one of them. Only one other living creature has as much trouble resting as we do.  They are woolly, simpleminded, and slow…sheep. Sheep can’t sleep!  For sheep to sleep, everything must be just right. No predators. No tension in the flock.  Sheep need help.  They need a shepherd to “lead them” and help them “lie down in green pastures.” Without a shepherd, they can’t rest.

Without a shepherd, neither can we!  Psalm 23:2 says, “He, (the Shepherd) makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”  Who’s the active one?  Who’s in charge? The Shepherd!  With our eyes on the Shepherd, we’ll get some sleep. Isaiah 26:3 reminds us of the promise,  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.”

 

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Max Lucado – What Really Matters

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A man once went to a minister for counseling.

“I’ve lost everything” he bemoaned.

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s not what I said!” the man objected, beginning to lose patience.

The minister explained, “Well, you have your faith, your character, and your salvation.  Seems to me, you have lost none of the things that really matter.”

We haven’t either.  You and I could pray like the Puritan who sat down to a meal of bread and water.  He bowed his head and declared, “All this and Jesus too?”  Can’t we be equally content? Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain!”

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Max Lucado – Your Stuff Isn’t Yours

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When one of the wealthiest men in history, John D. Rockefeller, died, his accountant was asked, “How much did John D. leave?” His reply? “All of it!”  No one takes anything with him.  Think about the things you own—all your stuff. Then let me remind you—your stuff isn’t yours. And you know what else?  Your stuff isn’t  you.

Jesus explained in Luke 12:15 that life isn’t defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.  Contentment comes when we can honestly say with the Apostle Paul, “I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have.  I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty.” (Philippians 4:11-12).

You have so much! You have a God who hears you, the power of His love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. You have everything you need!

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Max Lucado – The Prison of Want

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Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. It’s name is WANT—the prison of want. You’ve seen her prisoners. They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner. They want a new job. A new house. A new spouse.  If you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less—you’re in the prison of want. If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest, then face it—you’re in the prison of want!

The good news is, you have a visitor. It is the psalmist, David. “I have a secret to tell you,” he whispers, “the secret of satisfaction.” From Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” David has found where discontent goes to die. It’s as if he’s saying, “What I have in God is greater than what I don’t have in this life.”  Oh, that you and I could learn to say the same!

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Max Lucado – All Like Sheep

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Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way.”  You wouldn’t think sheep would be obstinate.  Of all God’s animals, the sheep is the least able to take care of himself. Sheep are dumb.  Have you ever met a sheep trainer?  Ever seen sheep tricks?  Know anyone who’s taught his sheep to roll over?  No.  Sheep are just too dumb.

When David said in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” couldn’t he have come up with a better metaphor than a Shepherd for sheep?  When David, who was a warrior and ambassador for God, searched for an illustration of God, he remembered his days as a shepherd.  He remembered how he lavished attention on the sheep.  How he watched over them. David rejoiced to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd” and in doing so, he proudly proclaimed, “I am His sheep!”

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Max Lucado – Do it God’s Way

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In the game of golf, logic says, “Don’t go for the green.” Golf 101 says, “Don’t go for the green.”  But I say, “Give me my driver, I’m going for the green!”  Golf reveals a lot about a person.  I don’t need advice—whack!  I can handle this myself—clang!

Can you relate? We want to do things our way.  Forget the easy way and forget the best way. Forget God’s way. Too much stubbornness. Too much independence.  Too much self-reliance.  All I needed to do was apologize, but I had to argue.  All I needed to do was listen, but I had to open my big mouth.  All I needed to do was be patient, but I had to take control.  All I had to do was give it to God, but I tried to fix it myself.

Scripture says, “Do it God’s way.”  Experience says, “Do it God’s way.”  And every so often, we do!  We might even make the green.