The Truth About Life

The Truth About Life

by Max Lucado

Hair transplants, surgery, color in a bottle. All to hide what everyone already knows—we’re getting older.

If you ever want to stall a conversation at a party just say, “How’re you feeling about your approaching death?” It won’t put much life into the conversation.

I have a friend who has cancer.  He’s in remission. A nurse unaware of his condition was asking a question for his medical record.  “Are you presently ill?”  “Well yes, I have cancer,” he said.  She looked at him and asked, “Are you terminal?” He responded, “Yes, aren’t we all?”
You’d think we weren’t, the way the subject is kept hush-hush. Jesus does His best work at such moments. Just when the truth about life sinks in, His truth starts to surface.

The next time you find yourself facing the undeniables of life, whisper His name. He is nearer than you think!
From God Came Near 

Max Lucado is one of my favorite authors. The manner in which he can take powerful biblical truths and present them in a manner that is easily relatable is truly extraordinary. 

The point he makes in this particular mini-treatise is monumental. We spend so much time avoiding the obvious as if that changes our reality. Life is not about circumventing our struggles; it is about rising up and meeting them head on. It is about understanding that it is in the midst of these struggles that God does some of his greatest work. It is when you have come to a dark place and there seems to be no way out that you have actually been placed in the middle of a move of God. 

Dr. Rick Wallace 

The concept of faith would be useless if we never had to use it. If there were no moments that required perseverance, we would not be commanded to develop it. Ignoring our realities as they exist does not eradicate them. Pretending that a dark situation in your life does not truly exist does not eliminate its impact. It is the audacious faith of the believer to trust God despite the situation that allows you to move through it. 

We must come to a point in our lives in which we gladly engage our tribulations understanding the beneficial outcome associated with it (Rom. 5:1-5). ~ Dr. Rick Wallace 

Additional Resources by Dr. Rick Wallace

1. The Invisible Father: Reversing the Curse of a Fatherless Generation

2. Renewing Your Mind: The Dynamics of Christian Transformation

3. Elevation through Revelation

4. When Your House is Not a Home

5. The Power of Healing Affirmations

Blogs

1. 100 Men of Purpose

2. Master Fitness 21

More Dinghy than Cruise Ship?

More Dinghy than Cruise Ship?

Are you more dinghy. . .than cruise ship? Or in my case, more blue jeans than blue blood? Well congratulations, God changes the world with folks like you!

The next time you say, “I don’t think God could use me!”—stop right there!  Satan’s going to try to tell you that God has an IQ requirement.  That he employs only experts and high-powered personalities.  When you hear Satan whispering that lie—hit him with this:  God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds.  Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store!

But what they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.”

So what do you think?  More plumber than executive?  More stand-in than movie star? Yeah—congratulations!  God uses people like you…and me.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Matthew 16:24″

From Max on Life

Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at OnePlace.com

Walking in Forgiveness

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	More Devotionals    More Newsletters    Bible Study Tools    Who is Jesus?
	Friday, December 21, 2012
	The Forgiveness of Christ Nov 28, 2012 The dilemma was:  “I know the Bible says I’m forgiven.  But my conscience says I’m not!” If this question hits home… If you haven’t accepted God’s forgiveness, you’re doomed to live in fear.  And no pill or pep talk can set you at ease.  Am I right?  You may deaden the fear, but you can’t remove it.  Only God’s grace can do that! Have you accepted the forgiveness of Christ?  If not, do it!  The Bible says “if we confess our sins, God is faithful–not just to forgive us, but He cleanses us from all unrighteousness! I John 1:9" Make it your simple prayer:  Dear Father, I need forgiveness.  I admit I’ve turned away from you.  Forgive me, please.  I place my soul in Your hands and I trust in your grace.  Through Jesus, I pray. Amen. Now!  Live forgiven! From Max on Life Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at OnePlace.com		You may also like: THIS WEEK Encuentro con Jesús Crezca en su estudio de la Palabra de Dios y encuentre ánimo para superar las pruebas de la vida Click to read online >> THIS WEEK Sparkling Gems from the Greek, with Rick Renner Greek word studies to sharpen your understanding of God's Word Click to read online >> Free Prayer Card Free Cultural Commentary Stand For Jerusalem - Sign Now Collect Shoes for Orphans Free DVD- Magdalena: Through Her Eyes Featured Video Ministry from LightSource.com Pastor Jeff Schreve From His Heart See more ministry videos at LightSource.com
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See By Faith

See By Faith

On the wall of a concentration camp, a prisoner had carved the following words:

“I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine.

I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown.

I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak.”

What hand could have cut such a conviction?  What eyes could have seen good in such horror? There’s only one answer:  Eyes that chose to see the unseen.

Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 4:18: “We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see.  What we see will only last a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.”

We can see either the hurt or the Healer.

Mark it down. God knows you and I are blind.  He knows living by faith and not by sight doesn’t come naturally.  He will help us.  Accept his help.

Either live by the facts or see by faith!

Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at OnePlace.com

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We Are Valuable

We Are Valuable

 Today's MP3
Value is now measured by two criteria: appearance and performance.  Where does that leave the ugly or uneducated?  Where hope does that offer the unborn child? The aged?  The handicapped? Not much at all. We become nameless numbers on mislaid lists.

This is man’s value system.  But it is not God’s.  His plan is much brighter.  In God’s book man is heading somewhere.  He has an amazing destiny.

We’re being prepared to walk down the church aisle and become the bride of Jesus. We’re going to live with him.  Share the throne with him. We count.  We’re valuable.

Jesus’ love does not depend on what we do for him. If there was anything that Jesus wanted everyone to understand it was this: A person is worth something simply because he is a person. That’s why Jesus treated people the way he did.

You have value simply because you are! ~ Max Lucado

***********

One of the greatest challenges of believers in this contemporary culture is the lack of identity or a fraudulent source of identity. So many in this culture assign worth based on superficial factors, such as IQ, stature, education, accomplishment, social status and bank accounts. This is not Biblical .

Your worth is written in the extravagant details of your DNA. Your Worth is in the knowledge of your origin. You were designed and crafted by the master craftsman Himself. Your value is in the fact that God values you.

Let's take a look at what Christ has to say on the matter:

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.(B) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.(F) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,(G) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,(H) I was sick and you looked after me,(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’(J)

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(K)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire(M) prepared for the devil and his angels.(N) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(O)

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matt. 25:31-46, AMP)


Wow! Amazingly powerful! Christ has equated the least with the greatest. There is no partiality. Christ values the pauper as well as the prince, with no partiality given to either. As believers we should view this in the same light.

No matter who you are, God values you beyond measure. How much does he value you? He values you so much that, in the form of Christ, He came down and died in order that you might have a right to eternal fellowship with Him.

The value of every person extends beyond temporal possessions or financial status. So the next time you are tempted to assign value based on worldly standards, I encourage you to take the time to examine the person closely as observe the fingerprint of God ingrained in the uniqueness of their facial features. I would have you ponder the thought of the attention to detail God has put into the uniqueness of their DNA. Gaze into their eyes and observe the intricate details of the Master's design. Take a moment to listen to the soft whisper of their breathing and understand that the very One that breathed life into you thought enough of them to do the same for them. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace