Category: <span>thoughts by Max Lucado</span>

I do not live anymore – it is Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20

You have leaves to rake.  A steering wheel to grip.  A neighbor’s hand to shake. Simply put, you have things to do.

So does God.  Babies need hugs.  Children need good-night tucks. AIDS orphans need homes.  Stressed-out executives need hope.  God has work to do.  And He uses our hands to do it.

What the hand is to the glove, the Holy Spirit is to the Christian . . . God gets into us.  At times, imperceptibly.  Other times, disruptively.  God get His fingers into our lives, inch by inch reclaiming the territory that is rightfully His.

Your tongue.  He claims it for His message.
Your feet.  He requisitions them for His purpose.
Your mind?  He made it and intends to use it for His glory.
Your eyes, face and hands?  Through them He will weep, smile and touch.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

From: Come Thirsty

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If people love you at 6:00 a.m. one thing is sure. They love you! No makeup. No power tie. No status jewelry. No layers of images. Just unkempt honesty. Just you. “Love,” wrote one forgiven soul, “covers over a multitude of sins.”

Sounds like God’s love. Hebrews 10:14 says, “He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Note that the word is not improving. God doesn’t improve; he perfects. He doesn’t enhance; he completes. When it comes to our position before God, we are perfect. When he sees each of us, he sees one who has been made perfect through the One who is perfect—Jesus Christ. He sees perfection. Not perfection earned by us, mind you, but perfection paid by him.

Scripture says,

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God2 Corinthians 5:21 (NCV).

By Max Lucado
From: In the Eye of the Storm
Used by permission

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Some of us have postgraduate degrees from the University of Anxiety.

We go to sleep worried that we won’t wake up. We wake up worried that we didn’t sleep. We worry that someone will discover that lettuce was fattening all along. Wouldn’t you love to stop worrying? Could you use a strong shelter from life’s harsh elements?

God offers you just that. The possibility of a worry-free life. Not just less worry, but no worry. Philippians 4:7 says, “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Worry is an option, not an assignment. Be quick to pray. Rather than worry about anything, Scripture says, “pray about everything.” Focus less on the problems ahead and more on the victories behind. In everything let your requests be made known to God! Do your part, and God will for sure do his.

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission

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Do Not Worry – by Phil Ware

• Why Worry Yourself Sick? – by Dr. Muriel Larson

The Flip Side of Worry – Devotional by Darren Hewer

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


And there will be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” (Revelation 22:3)


You will be you at your best forever. Even now you have your good moments. Occasional glimpses of your heavenly self. When you change your baby’s diaper, forgive your boss’s temper, tolerate your spouse’s moodiness, you display traces of saintliness. It’s the other moments that sour life. Tongue, sharp as a razor. Moods as unpredictable as Mount Saint Helen’s. This part wearies you.

Just think what Satan has taken from you, even in the last few hours. You worried about a decision and envied someone’s success, dreaded a conversation and resented an interruption. He’s been prowling your environs all day, pick pocketing peace, joy, belly laughs, and honest love. Rotten freebooter.

But his days are numbered. Unlike he did in the Garden of Eden, Satan will not lurk in heaven’s gardens. “There shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3 NKJV). He will not tempt; hence, you will not stumble. You will be you at your best forever!

Christ will have completed his redemptive work. All gossip excised and jealousy extracted. He will suction the last drop of orneriness from the most remote corners of our souls. You’ll love the result. No one will doubt your word, question your motives, or speak evil behind your back. God’s sin purging discontinues all strife.

No sin means no thieves, divorce, heartbreak, and no boredom. You won’t be bored in heaven, because you won’t be the same you in heaven. Boredom emerges from soils that heaven disallows. The soil of weariness: our eyes tire. Mental limitations: information overload dulls us. Self-centeredness: we grow disinterested when the spotlight shifts to others. Tedium: meaningless activity siphons vigor.

But Satan will take these weedy soils to hell with him, leaving you with a keen mind, endless focus, and God-honoring assignments.

We might serve in the capacity we serve now. Couldn’t earthly assignments hint at heavenly ones? Architects of Moscow might draw blueprints in the new Liverpool. We will feast in heaven; you may be a cook on Saturn. God filled his first garden with plants and animals. He’ll surely do the same in heaven. If so, he may entrust you with the care and feeding of an Africa or two.

One thing is for sure: you’ll love it! Never weary, selfish, or defeated. Clear mind, tireless, muscles, unhindered joy. Heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: 3:16, The Numbers of Hope

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Treasures in Heaven – by Idelette McVicker

•  How to Be Confident You Will Go to Heaven When You Die

The Kingdom of Heaven – A Devotional by Bill Bright

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


In the famous lace shops of Brussels, Belgium, certain rooms are dedicated to the spinning of the finest lace with the most delicate of patterns. These rooms are completely dark except for a shaft of natural light from a solitary window. Only one spinner sits in the room and the light falls on the pattern while the worker remains in the dark.

Has God permitted a time of darkness in your world? You look but you cannot see him.

You see only the fabric of circumstances woven and interlaced. You might question the purpose behind this thread or that. But be assured, God has a pattern. He has a plan. The Bible says in Romans 8:28,

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” He is not finished. But when he is, the lace will be beautiful!

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission
From:  Anxious for Nothing

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God’s Plan or My Plan? Discerning God’s Will

We Plan – God Directs

Destiny’s Child: He Chose Me First

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Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Jesus says the merciful are shown mercy.  Forgiving others allows us to see how God has forgiven us.  The dynamic of giving grace is the key to understanding grace.  For it is when we forgive others, that we begin to feel what God feels.

Those who taste God’s grace but refuse to share it are tortured by anger; choked by bitterness; and consumed by revenge.  But for the one who tastes God’s grace and gives it to others, the reward is a blessed liberation. The prison door is thrown open.  And the prisoner set free is yourself.  Find the face of God who forgave you in the face of your enemy. Then set your enemy and yourself free.

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission

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Jesus Desires Mercy, Not Sacrifice – by Jon Walker

The Mercy of the Lord – by Charles Spurgeon

Mercy and Grace – by Dr. Bill Bright

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You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.Matthew 6:27


No one has to remind you of the high cost of anxiety. (But I will anyway).

Worry divides the mind.  The biblical word for worry (merimnao) is a compound of two Greek words, merizo (“to divide”) and nous (“the mind”).  Anxiety splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems.  Part of our mind is on the now; the rest is on the not yet.  The result is half-minded living.

That’s not the only result.  Worrying is not a disease, but it causes diseases.  It has been
connected to high blood pressure, heart trouble, blindness, migraine headaches, thyroid
malfunctions, and a host of stomach disorders.

Anxiety is an expensive habit.  Of course, it might be worth the cost if it worked.  But
it doesn’t.  Our frets are futile.  Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem,
or cured a disease.

Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”  Proverbs 3:5&6

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

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Do Not Fret –  by John Grant

• H.O.P.E. – Thoughts about God by Julie Cosgrove

The Peace of God – by Violet Tse


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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9


The Prison of Pride.

You’ve seen the prisoners—the alcoholic who won’t admit his drinking problem; the woman who refuses to talk to anyone about her fears. Perhaps to see such a prisoner all you have to do is look in the mirror!

The Bible says,

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).

The biggest word in Scripture just might be that two-letter one, if.

Confessing sins, admitting failure, is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do. They say, “Listen, I’m just as good as the next guy.”  “I pay my taxes.” Justification. Rationalization. Comparison. These are the tools of the jailbird. But in the kingdom of God they sound hollow. Many know they’re wrong, yet pretend they are right. As a result they never taste the exquisite sorrow of repentance.

Blessed are those who know they’re in trouble and have enough sense to admit it!

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: The Applause of Heaven

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•  The Walk of Obedience – by Mary Pinckney

•  Blessed Obedience – by Ideletter McVicker

•  God Requires Risky Obedience – by Jon Walker

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You’ve done some nice things in your life.  But you have not done enough good works to go to heaven regardless of your sacrifice.  Nor do you have enough character to go to heaven.  Please don’t be offended.  Then, again, be offended, if necessary.  You’re probably a very decent person.  But decency isn’t enough.  You may pay taxes and kiss your kids and sleep with a clean conscience.

Hebrews 12:14 says, “Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord.”

Apart from Christ you are not holy.  So how can you go to heaven?  Only believe.  Accept the work already done, the work of Jesus on the cross.  Accept the goodness of Jesus Christ.  Abandon your own works and accept his. It would have bankrupted you or me, the price was so extravagant.

Call it a gift.  But don’t call it easy.  Call it what it is.  Call it grace.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: A Gentle Thunder

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Trading Flaws for Grace – by Kathy Cheek

• Grace Alone – by Laura Rath

Amazing Grace. Unfailing Love – by John Grant

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


What do you do with your failures?

Could you do it all over again, you’d do it differently. You’d be more patient. You’d control your tongue. You’d finish what you started. You’d get married first. But as many times as you tell yourself, “What’s done is done,” what you did can’t be undone.

That’s part of what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). He didn’t say, “The wages of sin is a bad mood.”  Or “The wages of sin is a hard day.” Read it again.  “The wages of sin is death.”  Sin is fatal.

What do you do?  Don’t we all long for a father who will love us?  A father who cares for us in spite of our failures? We have that kind of a father.  A father whose grace is strongest when our devotion is weakest.  Your failures are not fatal, my friend!

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

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How to Know God Personally | Salvation – How to be Saved

• A Passion to Obey – by Charles Stanley

•  Assured Heart – by Rand Kreycik

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


Here are eight worry-stoppers, found in the letters of the word P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L.

Pray, first.  “Casting the whole of your care upon Him …”

Easy, now.  “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.”

Act on it.  Be a doer, not a stewer.

Compile a worry list.  Keep a list of things that trouble you.  How many have turned into a reality?

Evaluate your worry categories.  Pray specifically about them.

Focus on today.  God meets daily needs daily.

Unleash a worry army.  Ask a few loved ones to pray with you and for you.

Let God be enough. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.”

Eight steps. P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L.

By Max Lucado
Read more Fearless
Used by Permission

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Do Not Worry – by Phil Ware

• Why Worry Yourself Sick? – by Dr. Muriel Larson

Trading Worry for Peace – by Charles Stanley

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


Obedience leads to blessing. Disobedience leads to trouble. Remember Jesus’ parable of two builders who each built a house? One built on cheap, easy-to-access sand. The other built on costly, difficult-to-reach rock. The second construction project demanded more time and expense, but when spring rains turned the creek into a gully washer, guess which builder enjoyed a blessing and which experienced trouble?

According to Jesus in Matthew 7:24, the wise builder is “whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them.” Both builders heard the teachings. The difference between the two wasn’t knowledge and ignorance, but obedience and disobedience. Security comes as we put God’s precepts into practice. We’re only as strong as our obedience.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

From: Glory Days

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•  The Walk of Obedience – by Mary Pinckney

•  Blessed Obedience – by Ideletter McVicker

•  God Requires Risky Obedience – by Jon Walker

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“Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

When John Newton penned this promise, he did so out of personal experience. His greatest test came the day he buried his wife, Mary.  He’d loved her dearly and prayed his death would precede hers.  But his prayer was not answered.

On the day Mary Newton died, John Newton found strength to preach a Sunday sermon. The next day he visited church members, and later he officiated at his wife’s funeral.  He grieved but in his grief he found God’s provision.  He later wrote, “The Bank of England is too poor to compensate for such a loss as mine.  But the Lord, the all-sufficient God speaks, and it is done.  Let those who know Him, and trust Him, be of good courage.”

My friend, disease, calamity, and trouble populate your world.  But they don’t control it!  Grace does.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

By Max Lucado
From: GRACE
Used by permission

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When I say… “I am a Christian
Fully Surrender to the Lord

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughts-about-god.com/four-laws/


 

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


“If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us”. 1 John 4:12 (NIV)

God loves you.

Personally.

Powerfully.

Passionately.

Others have promised and failed. But God has promised and succeeded.

He loves you with an unfailing love. And His love–if you will let it–can fill you and leave you with a love worth giving.

by Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: Everyday Blessings

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FURTHER READING

•  God is my Delight
•  What a Friend we have in Jesus
•  Father’s Love Letter – An Intimate Message from God to You


 

thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men


“This is the victory that conquers the world, OUR FAITH.”  1 John 5:4 (NCV)


What is unique about the kingdom of God is that you are assured of victory. You have won!  You are assured that you will someday stand before the face of God and see the King of kings.  You are assured that someday you will enter a world where there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow.

If you have no faith in the future, then you have no power in the present.  If you have no faith in the life beyond this life, then your present life is going to be powerless.  But if you believe in the future and are assured of victory, then there should be a dance in your step and a smile on your face.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

From: The Inspirational Study Bible

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thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men