thoughts by Max Lucado Archives - Page 34 of 42

Published April 13, 2011

Weight of Glory

By Max Lucado

“Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:17, (NKJV)

The words “weight of glory” conjure up images of the ancient pan scale. Remember the blindfolded lady of justice? She holds a pan scale- two pans, one on either side of the needle. The weight of a purchase would be determined by placing weights on one side and the purchase on the other.

God does the same with your struggles. On one side he stacks all your burdens. Famines. Firings. Parents who forgot you. Bosses who ignored you. Bad breaks, bad health, bad days. Stack them up, and watch one side of the pan scale plummet.

Now witness God’s response. Does he remove them? Eliminate the burdens? No, rather than take them, he offsets them. He places an eternal weight of glory on the other side. Endless joy. Measureless peace. An eternity of him. Watch what happens as he sets eternity on your scale.

Everything changes! The burdens lift. The heavy becomes light when weighed against eternity. If life is “just a moment,” can’t we endure any challenge for a moment?

We can be sick for just a moment.

We can be lonely for just a moment.

We can be persecuted for just a moment.

We can struggle for just a moment.

Can’t we?

Can’t we wait for our peace? It’s not about us anyway. And it’s certainly not about now.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/04/13/ml_weight-of-glory/
_________________________________________
Max Lucado
From: It’s Not About Me
(W Publishing Group, 2004)

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/
_________________________________________

NEW: God-daily.com – Short Thoughts for Mobile Devices

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published March 23, 2011

Don’t Waste the Moments

by Max Lucado

“Carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love.”
Jude 20 (The Message )

Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God. By the time your life is over, you will have spent six months at stoplights, eight months opening junk mail, a year and a half looking for lost stuff… and a whopping five years standing in various lines.

Why don’t you give these moments to God?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/03/23/ml_dont-waste-the-moments/

*************************************************************************
Max Lucado
From: Everyday Blessings

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published March 15, 2011

God is in Charge

By Max Lucado

“Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” Matthew 6:13 (RSV)

“Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” What protection this . . . phrase affords. As you confess that God is in charge, you admit that you aren’t. As you proclaim that God has power, you admit that you don’t. And as you give God all the applause, there is none left to dizzy your brain.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/03/15/ml_god-is-in-charge/

_________________________________________
Max Lucado
From: Everyday Blessings

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/
_________________________________________

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published February 27, 2011

Traveling Light

by Max Lucado

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew. 11:28 (NLT).

Rest from the burden of a small god. Why? Because I have found the Lord.

Rest from doing things my way. Why? Because the Lord is my Shepherd.

Rest from endless wants. Why? Because I shall not want.

Rest from weariness. Why? Because he makes me to lie down.

Rest from worry. Why? Because he leads me.

Rest from hopelessness. Why? Because he restores my soul.

Rest from guilt. Why? Because he leads me in the paths of righteousness.

Rest from arrogance. Why? Because of his name’s sake.

Rest from the valley of death. Why? Because he walks me through it.

Rest from the shadow of grief. Why? Because he guides me.

Rest from fear. Why? Because his presence comforts me.

Rest from loneliness. Why? Because he is with me.

Rest from shame. Why? Because he has prepared a place for me in the presence of my enemies.

Rest from my disappointments. Why? Because he anoints me.

Rest from envy. Why? Because my cup overflows.

Rest from doubt. Why? Because he follows me.

Rest from homesickness. Why? Because I will dwell in the house of my Lord forever.

Question: Which of the items on Max’s list weighs heaviest on you today? Can you spend some time in prayer about it now?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/02/27/ml_traveling-light/
_________________________________________
Max Lucado
From: Traveling Light
Copyright 2001, Thomas Nelson Publishers,

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/
_________________________________________

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published February 10, 2011

Acts of Love

by Max Lucado

“God’s business is putting things right.” Psalm 11:7 (The Message)

We don’t see Jesus settling many disputes or negotiating conflicts. But we do see him cultivating inward harmony through acts of love:

Washing the feet of men he knew would betray him.

Honoring the sinful woman whom society had scorned.

He built bridges by healing hurts.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/02/10/ml_acts-of-love/
***************************************************************
Max Lucado
From: Everyday Blessings

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published February 5, 2011

Being Busy

by Max Lucado

“Those who believe in God will be careful to use their lives for doing good.” Titus 3:8

Being busy is not a sin. Jesus was busy. Paul was busy. Peter was busy. Nothing of significance is achieved without effort and hard work and weariness. That, in and of itself, is not a sin.

But being busy in an endless pursuit of things that leave us empty and hollow and broken inside—that cannot be pleasing to God.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/02/05/ml_being-busy/

*******************************************************
Max Lucado
From: Everyday Blessings

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published January 29, 2011

Taking Inventory

by Max Lucado

“Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NCV)

All believers have God in their heart. But not all believers have given their whole heart to God. Remember, the question is not, how can I have more of the Spirit? but rather, how can the Spirit have more of me? Take inventory. As you look around your life, do you see any resistant pockets?…Go down the list…

Your tongue. Do you tend to stretch the truth? Puff up the facts? Your language? Is your language a sewer of profanities and foul talk? And grudges? Do you keep resentments parked in your “garudge“? Are you unproductive and lazy? Do you live off the system, assuming that the church or the country should take care of you?

Do your actions interrupt the flow of the Spirit in your life?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/01/29/ml_taking-inventory/

******************************************************
Max Lucado
From: Come Thirsty
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2004)

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published January 25, 2011

Go to Him

by Max Lucado

“God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:12

Ever feel as if you need to get away? So did Jesus. (Mark 1:35)

Ever have so many demands that you can’t stop for lunch? He can relate. (Mark 6:31) . .

Do your friends ever let you down? When Christ needed help, his friends dozed off. (Matthew 26:40) . . .

When you turn to him for help, he runs to you to help. Why? He knows how you feel. He’s been there .

So go to him.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/01/25/ml_go-to-him/
************************************************’
Max Lucado
From: Everyday Blessings

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published January 22, 2011

Touches of Tenderness

by Max Lucado

My child’s feelings are hurt. I tell her she’s special. My child is injured. I do whatever it takes to make her feel better. My child is afraid. I won’t go to sleep until she is secure.

I’m not a hero. I’m not a superstar. I’m not unusual. I’m a parent. When a child hurts, a parent does what comes naturally. He helps.

Moments of comfort from a parent. As a father, I can tell you they are the sweetest moments in my day. They come naturally. They come willingly. They come joyfully.

If all of that is true, if I know that one of the privileges of fatherhood is to comfort a child, then why am I so reluctant to let my heavenly Father comfort me?

Why do I think he wouldn’t want to hear about my problems? (“They are puny compared to people starving in India.”)

Why do I think he is too busy for me? (“He’s got a whole universe to worry about.”)

Why do I think he’s tired of hearing the same old stuff?

Why do I think he groans when he sees me coming?

Why do I think he consults his list when I ask for forgiveness and asks, “Don’t you think you’re going to the well a few too many times on this one?”

Why do I think I have to speak a holy language around him that I don’t speak with anyone else?

Why don’t I let my Father do for me what I am more than willing to do for my own children?

I’m learning, though. Being a parent is better than a course on theology. Being a father is teaching me that when I am criticized, injured, or afraid, there is a Father who is ready to comfort me. There is a Father who will hold me until I’m better, help me until I can live with the hurt, and who won’t go to sleep when I’m afraid of waking up and seeing the dark.

Ever.

And that’s enough.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/01/22/ml_touches-of-tenderness/
_________________________________________
Max Lucado
From: The Applause of Heaven
Copyright 1990 (Thomas Nelson Publisher) Max Lucado
Used by permission.

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

_________________________________________

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published January 13, 2011

Forever Young

by Max Lucado

“Whoever tries to keep his life safe will lose it, and the man who is prepared to lose his life will preserve it.” Luke 17:33 (Phillips)

“There are two ways to view life,” Jesus is saying, “those who protect it or those who pursue it. The wisest are not the ones with the most years in their lives, but the most life in their years.”

What Annie Dillard says about writing in The Writing Life is true about life: “One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, play it, lose it all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now.”

There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it. Don’t listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won’t feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long; it’s to live.

Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe. You can’t get hurt if you never get out, right? You can’t be criticized for what you don’t try, right? You can’t fall if you don’t take a stand, right? You can’t lose your balance if you never climb, right? So, don’t try it. Take the safe route.

Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure. Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow God’s impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference. Sure it isn’t safe, but what is?

You think staying inside out of the cold is safe? Jesus disagrees. “Whoever tries to keep his life safe will lose it.” I like the words of General Douglas MacArthur when he was seventy-eight: “Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.”

Question: Are you ready to step outside of your safe zone?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/01/13/ml_forever-young/

***********************************************************
Max Lucado
From: He Still Moves Stones

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published December 22, 2010

He Was Reachable

by Max Lucado

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 (NKJV)

“The Word became flesh,” John said. In other words…he was touchable, approachable, reachable. And, what’s more, he was ordinary. If he were here today you probably wouldn’t notice him as he walked through a shopping mall. He wouldn’t turn heads by the clothes he wore or the jewelry he flashed.

“Just call me Jesus,” you can almost hear him say.

He was the kind of fellow you’d invite to watch the Rams-Giants game at your house. He’d wrestle on the floor with your kids, doze on your couch, and cook steaks on your grill. He’d laugh at your jokes and tell a few of his own. And when you spoke, he’d listen to you as if he had all the time in eternity.

And one thing’s for sure, you’d invite him back.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/12/22/ml_he-was-reachable/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Max Lucado
From: God Came Near
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2003)

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/
_________________________________________

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published December 12, 2010

Trading Places

by Max Lucado

“He was born to be a man and became like a servant.” Philippians 2:7

Holiday travel. It isn’t easy. Then why do we do it? Why cram the trunks and endure the airports? You know the answer. We love to be with the ones we love…

May I remind you? So does God… Between him and us there was a distance—-a great span. And he couldn’t bear it. He couldn’t stand it. So he did something about it. “He gave up his place with God and made Himself nothing” (Philippians 2:6).

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/12/12/ml_trading-places/

_________________________________________
Max Lucado
From: Everyday Blessing

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/
_________________________________________

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published December 9, 2010

The Promise Remains

by Max Lucado

“Joseph was the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus. Jesus is called the Christ” Matthew 1:16 (NCV)

Seems like the only common bond between [Jesus’ not-so-great grandparents] was a promise. A promise from heaven that God would use them to send his Son.

Why did God use these people? Didn’t have to. Could have just laid the Savior on a doorstep. Would have been simpler that way. And why does God tell us their stories?..

Simple…. He wants us to know that when the world goes wild, he stays calm.

Want proof? Read the last name on the list [of Jesus’ lineage]. In spite of crooked halos and tasteless gambols of his people, the last name on the list is the first one promised–Jesus.

No more names are listed. No more names are needed. As if God is announcing to a doubtful world, “See, I did it. Just like I said I would.”

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/12/09/ml_promise-remains/

**********************************************************

Max Lucado
From: When God Whispers Your Name
Copyright (Word Publishing, 1994)

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published December 6, 2010

The Heart of Jesus

by Max Lucado

“The Son does whatever the Father does.”
John 5:19 (NCV)

The crowning attribute of Christ was this: his heart was spiritual. His thoughts reflected his intimate relationship with the Father. “I am in the Father and the Father is in me,” he stated (John 14:11)….

Jesus took his instructions from God. It was his habit to go to worship (Luke 4:16). It was his practice to memorize Scripture (Luke 4:4). Luke says Jesus “often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:16). His times of prayer guided him. He once returned from prayer and announced it was time to move to another city (Mark 1:38). Another time of prayer resulted in the selection of the disciples (Luke 6:12-13). Jesus was led by an unseen hand…. The heart of Jesus was spiritual.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/12/06/ml_heart-of-jesus/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max Lucado
From: Just Like Jesus
Copyright (Word Publishing, 1998)

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published November 30, 2010

An Everlasting Love

By Max Lucado

“As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect Him” Psalm 103:11 (NCV)

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! He tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. 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 has reached his verdict; he loves you still. No discovery will disillusion him; no rebellion will dissuade him. He loves you with an everlasting love.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/11/30/ml_everlasting-love/

_________________________________________
Max Lucado
From: Come Thirsty
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2004)

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/
_________________________________________

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

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