Quotes from Max Lucado

God wants to be as close to us as a branch is to a vine. One is an extension of the other. It's impossible to tell where one starts and the other ends. The branch isn't connected only at the moment of bearing fruit. The gardener doesn't keep the branches in a box and then, on the day he wants grapes, glue them to the vine. No, the branch constantly draws nutrition from the vine. Separation means certain death.

Earthly fears are no fears at all. All the mystery is revealed. The final destination is guaranteed. Answer the big question of eternity, and the little questions of life fall into perspective.

The motto on the front door says "Happiness happens when you get." The sign on the lesser-used back door counters "Happiness happens when you give.

God] dispenses his goodness not with an eyedropper but a fire hydrant. Your heart is a Dixie cup, and his grace is the Mediterranean Sea. You simply can't contain it all. So let it bubble over. Spill out. Pour forth. 'Freely you have received, freely give' (Matt. 10:8 NIV).

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. —JOHN 14: 27 NLT

The ripple of today's lie is tomorrow's wave and next year's flood.

The cross, the zenith of history. All of the past pointed to it, and all of the future would depend upon it. It's the great triumph of heaven: God is on the earth. And it is the great tragedy of earth: man has rejected God.

The difficulties have taken much away. I get that. But there is one gift your trouble cannot touch: your destiny.

His life is an example. I pray that God will heal Jim's body. But until he does, God is using Jim to inspire people like me. God will do the same with you. He will use your struggle to change others.

God is fond of you. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. If He had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Face it, friend, He's crazy about you.

You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have

God answers the mess of life with one word: grace.

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand.

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

If prayer depends on how I pray, I'm sunk. But if the power of prayer depends on the One who hears the prayer, and if the One who hears the prayer is my Daddy, then I have hope.

No wonder Chelsea's memory had become her greatest weapon, a sword she wielded, wounding others to protect herself. For decades she had waged this war, but at what cost? Now she stood alone on the battlefield, bleeding and bruised. There were no victors in this war, and Chelsea counted herself among the casualties.

He empowers us to be what he calls us to be.

Jesus did not enter the world to help us save ourselves. He entered the world to save us from ourselves.

PRECIOUS AS IT IS TO PROCLAIM,          Ã¢â'¬Å"CHRIST DIED FOR THE WORLD,"          EVEN SWEETER IT IS TO WHISPER,          Ã¢â'¬Å"CHRIST DIED FOR ME.

You don't have to live with a dehydrated heart. Receive Christ's work on the Cross, the energy of his Spirit, his lordship over your life, his unending, unfailing love. Drink deeply and often. And out of you will flow rivers of living water. from Come Thirsty

Just as a happy child cannot mis-hug, the sincere heart cannot mis-pray.

In the treatment of anxiety, a proper understanding of sovereignty is huge. Anxiety is often the consequence of perceived chaos. If we sense we are victims of unseen, turbulent, random forces, we are troubled.

The next time you fear the future, rejoice in the Lord's sovereignty. Rejoice in what he has accomplished. Rejoice that he is able to do what you cannot do. Fill your mind with thoughts of God.

Happiness is less an emotion and more a decision, a decision to bear with one another.