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

PRESENTED TO:

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BY:

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GRACE
FOR THE MOMENT

VOLUME II

More Inspirational
Thoughts for Each Day
of the Year

Max Lucado

Copyright 2006 Max Lucado

Published by J Countryman, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Grace for the Moment is a registered trademark of the J Countryman division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.

Compiled and edited by Terri Gibbs

Editorial supervision: Karen Hill, Administrative Editor for Max Lucado

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

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75234. Used by permission. Other Scripture references are from the following sources: The Contemporary English Version (CEV), 1991, 1992, 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Jerusalem Bible (JB) 1966, 1967, 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday. The Living Bible (TLB) copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. Used by permission. The Message (MSG), copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). The New English Bible (NEB) copyright 1961, 1970 by the Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press. The Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. The New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (PHILLIPS). Copyright by J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972, 1986, 1988. The Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. The Good News Bible: The Bible in Todays English Version, Second Edition (TEV). Copyright 1992 by the American Bible Society.

ISBN 1-40410-097-0

www.thomasnelson.com
www.jcountryman.com

Designed by The DesignWorks Group; cover, David Uttley; interior, Robin Black

Printed and bound in Belgium

CONTENTS

My daughters have long since stopped doing this, but there was a time when they celebrated my daily arrival. Jenna was five years old, Andrea three. Denalyn would alert them, and they would scamper to the window, pressing noses and hands against the tall pane that paralleled the front door. As I pulled into the drive, I would see them: Andrea and Jenna, a head taller than her sister, squeezed into the frame. Seeing me, they squealed. My, how they jumped and clapped. Youd think someone had switched their M&Ms for coffee beans. No returning Caesar ever felt more welcomed. As I opened the door, they tackled my knees and flooded the entryway with tsunami-size joy.

Their father was home.

Its been too long since I searched for God that way. Too seldom do I hear thunder and think, Is that God? Ive been known to let a day, even two, pass without a glance to the eastern sky. Lets do better. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth (Col. 3:2 NLT).

How about regular ladle dips into the well of Gods grace? Drink deeply, my friend. And drink daily.

Max Lucado

Have you ever wondered why God gives so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and gray; we wouldnt have known the difference. But he didnt.

He splashed orange in the sunrise and cast the sky in blue.

And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are youll see that too.

Did he have to make the squirrels tail furry?

Was he obliged to make the birds sing?

And the funny way that chickens scurry or the majesty of thunder when it rings?

Why give a flower fragrance?

Why give food its taste?

Could it be he loves to see that look upon your face?

If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would he? If wespeckled with foibles and greedlove to give gifts, how much more does God, pure and perfect God, enjoy giving gifts to us?

He Chose the Nails

GRACE
FOR THE MOMENT

I haven chosen the way of truth.

PSALM 119:30

Packed for a Purpose

He has filled them with skill.

EXODUS 35:35 NKJV

You were born prepacked. God looked at your entire life, determined your assignment, and gave you the tools to do the job.

Before traveling, you do something similar. You consider the demands of the journey and pack accordingly. Cold weather? Bring a jacket. Business meeting? Carry the laptop. Time with grandchildren? Better take some sneakers and pain medication.

God did the same with you. Joe will research animals... install curiosity. Meagan will lead a private school... an extra dose of management. I need Eric to comfort the sick... include a healthy share of compassion. Denalyn will marry Max... instill a double portion of patience.

God packed you on purpose for a purpose.

Cure for the Common Life

The Lord Is With Me

You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

PSALM 23:4 NKJV

You are with me.

Yes, you, Lord, are in heaven. Yes, you rule the universe. Yes, you sit upon the stars and make your home in the deep. But yes, yes, yes, you are with me.

The Lord is with me. The Creator is with me. Yahweh is with me.

Moses proclaimed it: What great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us (Deut. 4:7 NLT).

Paul announced it: He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27 NIV).

And David discovered it: You are with me.

Somewhere in the pasture, wilderness, or palace, David discovered that God meant business when he said: I will not leave you (Gen. 28:15).

Traveling Light

Loaded with Love

He... loads me with love and mercy.