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It doesn’t matter if it’s a good day, a hard day, or somewhere in-between—we need the hope God offers every day. Max shares words of hope and help through simple, one-minute daily devotionals to encourage you to take one step closer to Jesus.
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In these tough times, could you use a word of encouragement? From Max Lucado, a pastor for over 40 years and bestselling author whose books have sold more than 145 million copies in over 50 languages, The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast is all about the greatest story ever told—the living Savior who brings you a lifetime of hope. With rich biblical insight, heartwarming storytelling, and Max’s comforting tone, you’ll be empowered to place your faith in a loving God who is always near you ...
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Listen to Today's Devotion “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay” (1 Peter 4:9 NLT). The Greek word for hospitality compounds two terms: love and stranger. The word literally means to love a stranger. All of us can welcome a guest we know and love, but can we welcome a stranger? Every morning in America more than…
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I’m so glad you’re joining me today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast because we’re talking about my favorite subject – grace. Maybe you’ve walked with God for a long time. Maybe you’re just beginning to ask questions about the Bible. No matter where you find yourself, Paul’s letter to the Romans is for you. And in the next few episodes, w…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing. When you open your door to someone, you’re sending this message: “You matter to me and to God.” Do you know people who need this message? Your hospitality can be their hospital. All you need are a few basic practices. I…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Our society is set up for isolation. We communicate via e-mail and text messages. Our mantra: “I leave you alone. You leave me alone.” Yet God wants his people to be an exception—people of hospitality. “Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News—that Jesus is…
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Listen to Today's Devotion What if the missing ingredient for changing the world is teamwork? “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19 MSG). This is an astounding promise. The Jerusalem church found a way to work together. They found common ground in the …
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Listen to Today's Devotion None of us can do what all of us can do. Remember Jesus’ commission to the disciples? “You”—speaking to all of you collectively—”will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8 NIV). Jesus didn’t issue individual assignments. He works in community. “Jesus is the head of the body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:18 NCV). I am not his b…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Acts 2:38 records the sermon of the apostle Peter. In it, he says, “Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven.” We cherish pardon, don’t we? And God offers it. He does not give us what we deserve. He has drenched this world in grace. It has no end. It knows no limits. It…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again” (John 6:35 NLT). You know, the grain-to-bread process is a demanding one. Bread is the end result of planting, harvesting, and heating. Jesus endured an identical process. He was born into this world. And then he was cut down, bruised, an…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Reading from Acts chapter 2 (NIV): “Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind, came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other…
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Welcome to the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. Maybe you’re having a busy day. Or a busy week. Or a busy decade. I can relate. There’s so much to do! We have work and kids and friends and church. If your to-do list is leaving you a bit depleted, Jesus has a word for you. “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you r…
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Listen to Today's Devotion God loves all people groups and equips us to be his voice. He teaches us the vocabulary of distant lands, the dialect of the discouraged neighbor, the vernacular of the lonely heart, and the idiom of the young student. God outfits his followers to cross cultures and touch hearts. Pentecost makes this promise: if you are i…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Pentecost was the busiest day of the year in Jerusalem, and Jesus’ followers were gathered in prayer. Not separated from society, but smack-dab in the center of it. Once God had them where he needed them, the Holy Spirit came upon them suddenly. First as wind, then as individual tongues of fire. Individual flames hovering…
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The last few weeks on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’ve been talking about the gifts and abilities God gives each of us. Identifying and using our gifts is important, but more important is remembering our gifts aren’t about us. As Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 4, “And Christ gave gifts to people—he made some to be apostles, some to …
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Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re talking about an idea that eludes so many of us – contentment. It’s hard, isn’t it? We watch our co-worker get promoted, our neighbor come home in the new car, not to mention every time we go on social media it looks like everyone else is living the good life. Friend, if you’re struggling with…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re looking at one of the final parables recorded in the book of Matthew. In it, Jesus tells a story about a master who gives different amounts of money to his servants. But the story isn’t really about the money; it’s about how the servants used what they were given. God has given ea…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we are diving into Galatians Chapter Six. There, Paul writes, “Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” In other words, only you can be you. And you can only be you. You cannot be anyone else. That is the message of today’s episode: b…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, I want to share with you a way to discover how your uniqueness can expand the kingdom of God and how looking back can help you move forward.由Max Lucado
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re talking about knowing God’s will. The Bible has some things to say about this. And as you come to know God more, you will come to better understand his will.由Max Lucado
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Welcome back to a new episode of The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. Multiple times in his New Testament letters, Paul uses the analogy of the human body to explain unity in the church. It is a great illustration – we understand if a foot tried to be a hand or an eye tried to be an ear, the body would not work as designed. The ear is not bette…
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In this week’s episode of The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we are looking at what Jesus has to say to someone who has grown weary with their work. Job dissatisfaction is something many, if not all, of us experience at some point. The apostle Peter did until a simple encounter with Jesus made an enormous difference in how he approached his w…
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This week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we are starting a new series that I hope encourages you. Especially if you find yourself searching for purpose or trying to discern God’s will for your life. Whether you are deciding what to study after high school or determining how to spend your days in retirement, or anywhere in between, you …
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It's hard to believe it's time to turn the calendar to a new year. If you're anxious about the future, you're not alone. As we say goodbye to one year and hello to the next, I urge you to face the future with faith. That's what we'll be talking about in this special Encouraging Word for the new year.…
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Emmanuel. God with us. We say it every year. We sing it in carols, and we read it on greeting cards. A short phrase that says so much. The greatest gift you’ll ever receive can’t be bought or wrapped. It’s God himself. God. With. Us. That's exactly what we're talking about today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. I pray great joy for you t…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we meet some more characters in the story of Jesus’ birth: the Magi. They were unexpected visitors to a young Jewish family, but we learn something so important from their journey to worship the King – Jesus came for everyone who looks for him.…
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Thanks for joining me for another episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. Today we return to Matthew chapter one and learn a bit more about Joseph. We learn why Joseph was chosen to be the earthly father of Jesus. It’s not because he was well-known or well-spoken or well-educated. But he was more concerned with obedience to God than wha…
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If your faith could use a lift this holiday season, join us here on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast for the next few weeks. We’ll spend some time in the book of Matthew as we study and celebrate the arrival of Jesus. This week, we focus on the genealogy of Jesus. We see how Matthew turns a boring genealogy into an uplifting theology.…
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In today's episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we look at the Apostle Paul's instructions in Philippians 4 to "Come to God with Thanksgiving". He suggests that being thankful makes us happier, and less anxious. Sounds like a good reason to focus on gratitude, today and every day.由Max Lucado
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Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we conclude our series studying the life of Jacob, and it seems fitting we do so by looking at his death. I know, not exactly a fun topic. But Genesis tells us something important about Jacob’s death. Jacob, for all his foibles and flaws, died by faith. At the end of his life, he worshiped. I don’t …
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If you ever wonder if God has a place for those who doubt, and those who struggle, Scripture has plenty of examples for you. The disciples, who spent more time with Jesus than anyone, needed proof of his resurrection. And Jacob, who encountered God in miraculous ways when he wasn’t even looking for him, still had dark chapters in his story. If you …
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Today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast finds Jacob confronting his checkered past. He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to face the brother he had tricked all those years before. If you, like Jacob, are afraid or ashamed to face your past, remember this promise: anyone who is in Christ has become a new person. National Collection W…
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When I first began writing a book about Jacob, the working title was Faith with a Limp thanks to the story in today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. It’s the story of a strange, but significant experience in Jacob’s life. It took me a while to make sense of this story, but over the years I’ve learned we all have moments when we…
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Israel is under attack. Just the announcement was enough to heavy our hearts. Perhaps you, like I, have been unable to turn away from the news reports. But there is good news: Jesus, the one who warned of these days, will deliver us from these days.由Max Lucado
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Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. In this episode, we’re talking about family. Perhaps you’ve known your share of family drama. Jacob’s family knew drama. And yet, they might be the most influential family in history – the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Their story reminds us God works through even the …
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Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. You’ve heard it said, “We reap what we sow”? Jacob certainly experienced this. God used it to shape him, to teach him, to sanctify him. What might God be using in your life to get your attention, to prepare you for your part in his plan? Max shares more of Jacob’s…
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Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. We have a tendency to try to negotiate with God. We say things like, “If I get this job, I’ll be kinder to my spouse.” I’ve done this. Jacob did this – we see it in Genesis 28 when he says, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we find Jacob as a fugitive. He’s fled his home, running away from his angry brother. He’s penniless and in an unfamiliar land. But in this most unexpected place, Jacob encounters God in a dream. God met Jacob when Jacob wasn’t even looking for him, and God will meet you too. Max shares…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, Max shares a story about a time in college when he used a shortcut to get what he wanted. Spoiler alert: It didn’t work out too well for him. Jacob used a shortcut too. He was impatient, and he manipulated his family to get his way. It didn’t work out well for them either. Friend, there…
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We’re starting a new series today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast. We’re going to be spending some time studying the life of Jacob. If you’ve ever wondered if you’ve stumbled one too many times for God to use someone like you, if you could benefit from an encounter with God’s unending, unbending, unswerving love, then Jacob’s story is fo…
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In past episodes of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’ve talked about praying for our children and speaking encouraging words to our spouses. These things are so important, and, by God’s grace, we’ll do them often. But what about when it’s really, really hard? The Bible has something to say about this too: Love bears all things.…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re talking about how we talk. The words we say to one another, especially to our spouse and to our family, have a tremendous impact. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life is in the power of the tongue.” What we say to the people closest to us matters. Let me encourage you today to be …
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Parenting. It’s a challenging, worry-inducing job. But it’s not one you’re left to do alone. In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re talking about the power of a praying parent. May the story of Jairus in Mark chapter 5 remind you that God hears the prayers of parents because our kids were his before they were ours.…
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For many of us, mid-August means summer is coming to a close. We’re planning for back-to-school or fall work projects. As we prepare to resume busier schedules and stricter routines, we’re going to spend the next few weeks on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast talking about God’s plan for home and family. More outside demands for our time and …
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In the last episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we focused on the father of the prodigal son. Today we’re looking at the older brother, the responsible one who stayed home and did what was expected, and honored his family. Jesus included the older brother character to remind us we don’t decide who’s in and who’s out. The father reco…
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Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we’re continuing our study of Luke 15. Most of us know the story of the prodigal son – the boy who rebelled and left home. But just as central to the story is the father who eagerly awaited his return. If your heart needs a reminder of God’s passionate love for you, I pray this episode encourages you…
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In the next few weeks on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re going to look at some of Jesus’ most well-known teaching – the Lost and Found parables in the gospel of Luke. Think about how disappointing or discouraging it is to lose something important to you. Now think about how happy and relieved you are when you find it. What do you do?…
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Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re spending another week in Matthew chapter 6, studying what Jesus has to say about stuff. Our world is full of stuff; it’s part of life. Most of us like our stuff, and that’s ok. The Bible doesn’t tell us we can’t enjoy possessions, but it does offer some guidance about how those possessions fit…
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Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we’re talking about one of the most profound parts of a life of faith: prayer. When Jesus taught about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, he emphasized simplicity and humility. If you’ve ever struggled with how to approach God in prayer or wondered if He hears you, this message is for you.…
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Would you like to worry less? Maybe even not worry at all? It’s possible! The past several weeks on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we’ve been talking about receiving the love of God, about drinking deeply from his well of love so that we can love and serve others. Receiving God’s love means trusting in what he offers, and, according to Scr…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we’re taking a look at the promise Paul shares in Romans chapter 8: that nothing, no bad circumstance or bad decision, can separate us from the love of Christ. May you, like Paul, be convinced of that promise.由Max Lucado
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Not much in life stays the same. We change, our friends change, and the world around us changes. But not God; God doesn’t change. It’s foundational to his character – he’s the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast, I encourage you to anchor yourself to God’s unwavering strength and unchan…
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