Max Lucado - Grace for the Moment Volume I, Blue, eBook: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year

GRACE
FOR THE MOMENT

Inspirational
Thoughts for Each Day
of the Year

Max Lucado

2000 by Max Lucado

Published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc,
Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Compiled and edited by Terri Gibbs

Special assistants: Karen Hill

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this book are from the New Century Version (NCV) 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee 37214. Used by permission.

Other Scripture references are from the following sources:

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, E1975, and 1977 by the Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

The New International Version of the Bible (NIV) 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

The King James Version of the Bible (KJV).

The Living Bible (TLB) 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL. Used by permission.

The Message (MSG) 1993. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

The New King James Version (NKJV) 1979, 1980, 1982, 1992, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publisher.

J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (PHILLIPS). J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV) 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

The Jerusalem Bible (TJB) 1968 by Darton, Ongman, & Todd, Ltd., and Doubleday & Co., Inc.

The New English Bible (NEB) 1961, 1970 by the delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission.

The Good News Bible: The Bible in Todays English Version (TEV) 1976 by the American Bible Society.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT) 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill. All rights reserved.

Designed by David Uttley Design, Sisters, Oregon.

ISBN: 978-0-8499-5624-9 - Harcover

ISBN: 978-0-8499-9005-2 - Saddle brown leather

Printed and bound in China

TO WENDELL HAWLEY
... for giving me the chance

Contents

W hen I travel with my kids, I keep all the tickets in a satchel. When the time comes to board the plane or train, I stand between the attendant and the child. As each child passes, I place a ticket in her hand. She in turn gives the ticket to the attendant.

God does the same. He stands between us and our need, waiting to help us. For that reason the Bible says, Let us boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy and his grace to find timely help (Heb. 4:16 NEB).

Did you note those last two words? Timely help. Not too soon, nor too late. Just on time.

Just as its my job to make sure my children have what they need, God will make sure you have what you need. From his hand you will receive, Timely help.

And, who knows, he may use these pages to give it.

Special thanks to Terri Gibbs for overseeing this project.

Also thanks to my friend and assistant Karen Hill for pouring over the pages.

Appreciation goes to Jack Countryman for his enthusiastic support and great golf tips.

Andto you, the reader. How kind of you to invite me into your world.

May God use these daily encounters to give you more of himto give you grace for the moment.

MAX LUCADO
January 2000

I ts quiet. Its early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the days demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, Im free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE...

No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, Ill invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS...

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...

I will go without a dollar
before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked
before I will boast. I will confess before I will
accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...

Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates
will not question my word. My wife will not
question my love. And my children will never fear
that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...

I am a spiritual being....
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.