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Worth Saving

by Max Lucado 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 Listen to  UpWords with Max Lucado  at OnePlace.com           

The Secret of Success

             by Max Lucado 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 Listen to  UpWords with Max Lucado  at OnePlace.com           

Exposing the Permissive Will of God

by Dr. R.C. Sproul The distinction between the sovereign will of God and the permissive will of God is fraught with peril and tends to generate untold confusion. In ordinary language, the term  permission  suggests some sort of positive sanction. To say that God "allows" or "permits" evil does not mean that He sanctions it in the sense that He approves of it. It is easy to discern that God never permits sin in the sense that He sanctions it in His creatures. What is usually meant by divine permission is that God simply lets it happen. That is, He does not directly intervene to prevent its happening. Here is where grave dangers lurk. Some theologies view this drama as if God were impotent to do anything about human sin. This view makes man sovereign, not God. God is reduced to the role of spectator or cheerleader, by which God's exercise in providence is that of a helpless Father who, having done all He can do, must now sit back and simply hope for

The Emotional Healing of Benny & and; Suzanne Hinn

GUEST CBN.com  –  UNEXPECTED NEWS Earlier this month, Pastor Benny and his wife, Suzanne, officially announced that they were reconciling after being divorced for almost two years.  In February 2010, Don Price, the longtime senior advisor to Benny Hinn Ministries confirmed reports in the news that Suzanne had filed a petition of divorce in Orange County Superior Court on February 1, 2010.  She cited irreconcilable differences.  The couple had been separated since January 26, but the papers were filed about a week later.   Don issued a statement saying, “Pastor Benny Hinn and his immediate family were shocked and saddened to learn of this news without any previous notice.  The couple has been married for more than 30 years.  Later, in a letter to his partners, Pastor Benny shared his heart was broken at the filing of divorce papers from his wife.   Though Suzanne was under great stress, neither Pastor Benny, their children nor her parents expected this to happen – divorce was

Stunting Worship

           by Dr. R.C. Sproul The visual impact of the furnishings and the buildings of both the Old Testament tabernacle and temple was awesome. The eyes were dazzled with a sense of the splendor of God. Sound was vital to Old Testament worship. The choral compositions of the Psalms were moving to the Spirit. They were accompanied by the full harmony and rhythm supplied by the harp, the lyre, the flute, and trumpets. The piano and the organ are marvelous instruments, but they cannot produce the sounds that the other instruments provide. Hymns and choral anthems are greatly enhanced when they are supported with greater orchestration. Old Testament worship involved all five senses. The element of touch is missing in most Protestant worship. Charismatic groups emphasize the laying on of hands, which meets a strong human need for a holy touch. Early Christian worship involved the placing of the pastor's hands on each person with the pronouncement of the benediction.

Today I Will Make a Difference

Week of June 29 Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference. I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference. I will not let past failures haun

Thirsty on the Cross

Max Lucado - UpWords Week of April 20 by Max Lucado Jesus’ final act on earth was intended to win your trust. This is the final act of Jesus’ life. In the concluding measure of his earthly composition, we hear the sounds of a thirsty man. And through his thirst—through a sponge and a jar of cheap wine—he leaves a final appeal. “You can trust me.” Jesus. Lips cracked and mouth of cotton. Throat so dry he couldn’t swallow, and voice so hoarse he could scarcely speak. He is thirsty. To find the last time moisture touched these lips you need to rewind a dozen hours to the meal in the upper room. Since tasting that cup of wine, Jesus has been beaten, spat upon, bruised, and cut. He has been a cross-carrier and sin-bearer, and no liquid has salved his throat. He is thirsty. Why doesn’t he do something about it? Couldn’t he? Did he not cause jugs of water to be jugs of wine? Did he not make a wall out of the Jordan River and two walls out of the Red Sea? Didn’t he,

The Movement Continues

Max Lucado - UpWords by Max Lucado The belief of French philosopher Voltaire:  The Bible and Christianity would pass within a hundred years.  He died in 1778. The movement continues. The pronouncement of Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882:  “God is dead.”  The dawn of science, he believed, would be the doom of faith. Science has dawned; the movement continues. The way a Communist dictionary defined the Bible:  “It is a collection of fantastic legends without any scientific support.”  Communism is diminishing; the movement continues. The discovery made by every person who has tried to bury the faith:  The same as the one made by those who tried to bury its Founder: He won’t stay in the tomb. The facts.  The movement has never been stronger. Over one billion Catholics and nearly as many Protestants. The question.  How do we explain it? Jesus was a backwater peasant. He never wrote a book, never held an office. He never journeyed more than two hundred miles from his homet