UpWords with Max Lucado

[Judy Harder]

Taking Out the Trash

Who wants to live with yesterday's rubble?  Who wants to hoard the trash of the past?  You don't, do you?  Or do you?

I'm not talking about the trash in your house, but in your heart.  Not the junk of papers and boxes but the remnants of anger and hurt.  Do you rat-pack your pain?  Amass offenses?  Record slights?

A tour of your heart might be telling.  A pile of rejections.  Accumulated insults.  No one can blame you.  They're innocence takers, promise breakers, and wound makers.  They're everywhere and you've had your share.

Jesus answered Peter's question in Matthew 18:21 and 22 when he asked:  "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?  Seven times?"  "No, not seven times," Jesus said.  "Seventy times seven!"

Do you want to give every day a chance?  Jesus says to get rid of the trash.  Give the grace you've been given!

From Great Day Every Day

[Judy Harder]

Lavish Grace

Romans 3:23  says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Worry is falling short on faith.  Impatience is falling short on kindness.  The critical spirit falls short on love.

So, how often do you sin, hmm... in an hour?  For the sake of discussion, let's say ten times an hour.  Ten sins an hour, times sixteen waking hours, times 365 days a year, times the average life span of 74 years.  I'm rounding the total off to 4,300,000 sins per person!  How do you plan to pay God for your 4.3 million sin increments?  You're swimming in an ocean of debt.

But God pardons the zillion sins of selfish humanity.  He forgives sixty million sin-filled days.  He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where He always wanted us to be.  And He did it by the grace of Jesus Christ.

From Great Day Every Day

[Judy Harder]

God is Enough

Let's face it–anxiety or worry have no advantages!  They ruin our health, rob us of joy, and change nothing!  Our day stands no chance against the terrorists of the Land of Anxiety.

But Christ offers a worry-bazooka.  Remember how He taught us to pray?  "Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11"  This simple sentence unveils God's provision plan:  live one day at a time.

Worry gives small problems big shadows.  Corrie ten Boom said, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength."   And Romans 8:28 affirms: "Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

Most anxiety stems, not from what we need, but from what we want.  Philippians 4:4 says, "delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in Him at all times!"

If God is enough, you'll always have enough!

[Judy Harder]

The Secret of Success


An accomplished Ironman triathlete told me the secret of his success.  He said, "You last the long race by running short ones."   Don't swim 2.4 miles; just swim to the next buoy.  Rather than bike 112 miles, ride 10, take a break, and bike 10 more.  Never tackle more than the challenge ahead.

Didn't Jesus offer the same counsel?  He said in Matthew 6:34, "So don't ever worry about tomorrow.  After all, tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."

When asked how he managed to write so many books, the author explained that he'd never written a book.  All he did was write one page a day.

Face challenges in stages.  You can't control your temper forever, but you can control it for the next hour.

Remember, you last the long race by running the short ones!

From Great Day Every Day

[Judy Harder]

To Know the Heart of the Pilot

Three passengers share a row of seats in an airplane. As the plane is taxiing for takeoff, their conversation turns to the topic of the airplane pilot.

Stunningly, passenger "A" doesn't believe one exists. "No one flies the plane. We are guided by a computer system in the terminal. This plane is an occupied drone.  Why should I believe otherwise? The cockpit door is closed. Who can know? There is no pilot."

Passenger "B" disagrees. "Oh, there is a pilot. Someone sits at the controls of the plane. But, once we take off, he takes a nap. He gets the plane in the air and then goes to sleep."

The third passenger is shocked by what she hears. "You don't know what you are talking about. First, there is a pilot. Second, the pilot is alert, competent and kind. I know; he is my husband. He is seasoned and sensitive and has every intention of a successful flight. We are in good hands."

Three passengers. Three opinions. A plane with no pilot. A plane with a disengaged pilot. A plane with a seasoned and concerned pilot. Fast forward a few minutes. Turbulence shakes the plane like popcorn in a paper bag. Will the three passengers experience the flight in the same way? Of the three travelers, which is most prone to stay calm?

Nothing is more important than the right view of God. Nothing. I've seen the wealthy and highly educated crumple like cowards at the face of death. I've seen the simple and humble take their final breath with a smile and a song. The difference? They knew the Pilot.

You need to know the heart of the pilot. That is why the story of Jesus is in the Bible. He is the only picture of God ever taken. To know Jesus, is to know God. To know God is to know: this flight gets bumpy, but the Pilot? He knows how to get us home.

[Judy Harder]

Worth Saving

No one believed in people more than Jesus did. He saw something in Peter worth developing, in the adulterous woman worth forgiving, and in John worth harnessing.

He saw something in the thief on the cross, and what he saw was worth saving. And in the life of a wild-eyed, bloodthirsty extremist, He saw the apostle of grace.  He believed in Saul.

Don't give up on your Saul. When others write him off, give him another chance. Stay strong.  Call him brother.  Call her sister. It's too soon to throw in the towel. Talk to your Saul about Jesus, and pray.

God is at work behind the scenes. And remember this:  God never sends you where he hasn't already been.  By the time you reach your Saul, who knows what you'll find.

God used Saul, who became Paul, to touch the world.

Has God given you a Saul?

From Cast of Characters

[Judy Harder]

Your Family

Is your fantasy that your family will be like the Waltons? An expectation that your dearest friends will be your next of kin?  Jesus didn't have that expectation.

Look how Jesus defined his family in Mark 3:35: "My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants."

He recognized that his spiritual family could provide what his physical family didn't. If Jesus himself couldn't force his family to share his convictions, what makes you think you can force yours?

We can't control the way our family responds to us. We have to move beyond the naïve expectation that if we do good, our family will treat us right. I can't assure you your family will ever give you the blessing you seek, but I know this- God will.

Accept God as your Father! Let God give you what your family doesn't!

From Cast of Characters

[Judy Harder]

Nothing Compares With Him

To what can we compare God?  Who is like the Lord?

What you are to a paper airplane, God is to you.

Make one.  Challenge it to race you around the block.  Who's faster?

Invite the airplane to a game of one-on-one basketball. Will you not dominate the court? And well you should.

The thing exists only because you formed it and flies only when someone throws it.

God asks Isaiah:  "To whom will you compare me?  Who is my equal?" As if his question needed an answer, he gives one: I am God.  I alone!  I am God, and there is no one else like me.

King David marveled, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psalm 139:7)

You and I may have power.  But God is power. No one and nothing compares with Him!

From Cast of Characters

[Judy Harder]

A Godly Touch

The power of a godly touch. Have you known it? The doctor who treated you, or the teacher who dried your tears?  Was there a hand holding yours at a funeral?

Haven't we known the power of a godly touch? Can't we offer the same?

Some of you use your hands to pray for the sick. If you aren't touching them personally, you're writing notes, calling, baking pies. You've learned the power of a touch.

But others tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it's just that our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be.

We fear saying the wrong thing, or using the wrong tone or acting the wrong way. So rather than do it incorrectly, we do nothing at all.

Aren't we glad Jesus didn't make the same mistake? Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?

[Judy Harder]

You Are His

God's grace defines you!

Society labels you like a can on an assembly line. Stupid.  Unproductive. Slow learner.  Fast talker.  Quitter.  But as grace infiltrates, criticism disintegrates. You know you aren't who they say you are.

You are who God says you are:  "spiritually alive." Heavenly positioned, "seated with him in the heavenly realms."  "One with Jesus Christ."

Of course, not all labels are negative.  Some people regard you as clever, successful. But it doesn't compare with being "seated with him in the heavenly realms!"  God creates the Christian's resume!

Grace defines who you are.  The parent you can't please is as mistaken as the doting uncle you can't disappoint.

Listen, God wrote your story.  He cast you in his drama. You hang as God's work of art, a testimony in his gallery of grace.

According to Him, you are His.  Period.

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."  Ephesians 2:6