The Gifts of the Cross

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by Max Lucado

 

Have you ever wondered why God gives us so much? We could exist on far less. God could have left the world flat and gray—we wouldn’t have known the difference—but he didn’t. Why give the flower a fragrance? Why give food its taste? Jesus asked, “If you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?” (Matthew 7:11).

Every gift reveals God’s love, but no gift reveals his love more than the gifts of the cross. They came, not wrapped in paper, but in passion.  Not covered with ribbons, but sprinkled with blood. The gifts of the cross!  Have you taken time to open these gifts? If you do, perhaps you will hear him whisper, “I did it just for you.”

 

Read more He Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart

 

 

Afraid of What’s Next?

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by Max Lucado

 

Life comes with surprises.  On our list of fears, the fear of what’s next demands a prominent position.

In John 14:27, on the eve of his death, Jesus promised his followers, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Heaven’s message is clear. When everything else changes, God’s presence never does.  As Jesus sends you into new seasons, you journey in the company of the Holy Spirit. So make friends with whatever’s next.  Embrace it. Change is not only a part of life; change is a necessary part of God’s strategy. To use us to change the world, God makes reassignments.

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

Fear of Life’s Final Moment

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by Max Lucado

 

Maybe you share this deep desire: a desire to face death unafraid. To die without fright or a fight, perhaps even with a smile.

Some say that’s impossible. But Christ promises in John 14:1-3, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (TLB).

Jesus experienced a physical and factual resurrection. And—here it is— because he did, we will too! If Jesus’ tomb is empty, then his promise is not. So let’s die with faith. Jesus grants courage for the final passage, death.  No need to dread it or ignore it. Because of Jesus Christ, you can face it.

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

How to Survive Prosperity

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by Max Lucado

 

Are you “rich in this present age?” Almost half the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. So, if your income is higher, then you are rich, and your affluence demands double vigilance.

How can a person survive prosperity? Well first, do not be haughty. Do not think for a moment that you had anything to do with your accumulation. Money is an untrustworthy foundation.  The United States economy endured ten recessions between 1948 and 2001.

Don’t trust money. Trust God. He owns everything and gives us all things to enjoy. Move from the fear of scarcity to the comfort of provision. “Do good … be rich in good works, ready to give, and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18 NKJV).

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

Trust God, the Provider

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by Max Lucado

 

In Luke 12:19-20, the rich man said to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.” But God said to him, “You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you” (NCV).

The rich fool went to the wrong person—  himself. And he asked the wrong question— What shall I do? His error was that his plans did not include God. Jesus did not criticize the man’s affluence. He criticized his arrogance.

Accumulation of wealth is a popular defense against fear. We think the more we have, the safer we are. God does not want his children to trust money. God is the great provider. The great giver. Absolutely generous and utterly dependable. Trust him, not stuff!

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

Fear of Persecution

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by Max Lucado

 

Good people aren’t exempt from violence. We aren’t insulated. But neither are we intimidated. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (NKJV).  Jesus had just told the disciples to expect scourging, trials, death, hatred, and persecution.  To their credit, none defected.

Psalm 118:6 declares, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Satan unleashed his meanest demons on God’s Son.  Yet the devil of death could not destroy the Lord of life. I pray God spares you such evil.  May he grant you long life and peaceful passage. Remember, God wastes no pain.

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

Your Worst Fears

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by Max Lucado

 

What’s your worst fear? Jesus did more than speak about fear. He faced it. In Mark 14:35-36, Jesus prayed in Gethsemane’s garden, “Abba, Father,’ everything is possible for you.  Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).

The cup equaled Jesus’ worst-case scenario— to be the recipient of God’s wrath, to experience isolation from his Father. And what Jesus did with his fear shows us what to do with ours. He prayed.  He even requested the prayer support of friends. Jesus’ prayer was brief. It was straightforward and trusting.

Do likewise.  Be specific about your fears.  Call them out in prayer.  Make them stand before God and take their comeuppance!

 

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

Keep Your Gaze on Jesus

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by Max Lucado

 

“‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come’” (Matthew 14:28-29 NKJV). For a few heart-stilling moments described in Matthew 14 Peter did the impossible. He defied every law of gravity and nature. Then he shifted his attention away from Jesus, and he sank like a brick. Give the storm waters more attention than the Storm Walker, and get ready to do the same.

We can’t choose whether or not storms come. But we can choose where we stare during a storm. Do whatever it takes to keep your gaze on Jesus. Courage is always a possibility. Feed your fears, and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will starve. Storms are not an option, but fear is.

 

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

God’s Heart for Hurting Parents

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by Max Lucado

 

Jairus heard two voices and had to choose which one to heed. The first, from the servants in Luke 8:49, “Your daughter is dead.”  The second, from Jesus in verse 50, “Don’t be afraid.”

We need to know what Jesus will do when we entrust our kids to him. In the case of the story of Jairus, Jesus united the household (vs. 51).  “…he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him.”  Next, he banished unbelief, the scoffers. “He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, ‘Little girl, arise” (vs. 54 NKJV).

God has a heart for hurting parents.  After all, God himself is a father. Keep giving your child to God, and in the right time and the right way, God will give your child back to you.

 

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

 

Entrust Children to Christ

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by Max Lucado

 

Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards who monitor every minute and check the background of every friend.  A family with no breathing room suffocates a child.

On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents.  Fearing that their child will feel too confined or fenced in, they are high on hugs and low on discipline.  They don’t realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love.

Permissive parents.  Paranoid parents.  How can we avoid the extremes?  We pray. Jesus’ big message to moms and dads?  Bring your children to me. Pray that your children have a profound sense of place in this world and a heavenly place in the next. Parents, we can entrust our kids to Christ.

 

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear