The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

Hi, friend. Welcome back to the Encouraging Word Podcast. Today’s episode is for anyone who knows what it’s like to lose everything, who knows what it’s like to feel far from God. Listen to this promise found in Psalm 139: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” God is not far from you, my friend. He is with you.

Hello, friend. Thanks for joining me. Today’s episode finds us in the pit with Joseph. Sold into slavery by his own brothers and sent to Egypt with nothing. Nothing except a dream given to him by God. No matter how dire his circumstances, nothing could take away the call of God on his life. And nothing can take away the call of God on yours, my friend.

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re doing well today. For the next few episodes, we’ll be looking at the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. He didn’t have it easy—abandoned, abused, wrongfully imprisoned. Perhaps you can relate to some of what Joseph faced. If so, I’m going to give you a sneak peek at the big promise of his story: with God’s help, you will get through this.

Hello Friend! I'm coming to you with a special bonus episode on this Good Friday. I pray you have a blessed Easter weekend. He is risen, indeed.

We’ve arrived at Holy Week. This is the most significant week in the Christian calendar. In the coming days, someone will attend a church service for the first time. Someone will hear the gospel for the first time and choose to follow Jesus. And the celebration in heaven will be jubilant. We’ve spent the last few episodes discussing the promises of John 3:16. As we wrap up this series ahead of Easter Sunday, I want to talk to you about eternity—the reality of hell and the great hope of heaven. “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Hi, friend. I sure hope you’re doing well. Today’s episode zeroes in on one of my favorite words in John 3:16: “whoever.” Whoever believes in him. Such a wonderful promise. The gift of salvation and the hope of heaven is available to whoever believes. And who isn’t a “whoever”?

Hello, friend. I hope you’re well today. No one is immune to the anxiety in our world. Global concerns—wars, catastrophic weather events, a worldwide pandemic still fresh in our memories. Personal concerns—mental health issues, relationship challenges, financial concerns. The bottom line is this: it’s not a good time to be at odds with God. A heart right with God can survive in a world gone wrong. But when the heart is alienated from God, there is no way for life to be right. My prayer for you today is that you have a very clear answer to that question: “Am I right with God?”

Hi, my friend. I hope you’re doing well today. For the next few weeks on the podcast, leading up to Easter, I’ll be sharing from one of my favorite verses. I’ve been asked what I would choose if I could only preach one topic or one passage for the rest of my life. I think this is it—John 3:16. The Hope Diamond of the Bible. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

This week on the podcast we're looking at what is, for many people, the challenge of life. Forgiving people who have hurt us. Forgiveness is not easy but, I believe with the Lord's help, the grace we have received from God can overflow into the lives of others.

Our topic for this episode is God's greatest gift to us, grace. I've preached a lot of sermons on grace, I've written a few books on grace, but I never get tired of talking about this gift of being made right with God through his grace. As perfectly summarized in 1 Corinthians 5:18-21, "All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him. God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins. And he gave us this message of peace. So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is as if God is calling to you through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God."

This week on the podcast we’re turning our attention to a favorite passage of mine found in Matthew chapter 6: “Give us this day our daily bread.” No prayer better summarizes our relationship with God than this expression of trust. God’s treatment of fear has always been trust. These are fear-filled days, aren’t they? We see it in newscasts and on our neighbors’ faces. We’re anxious. So, I can’t think of a more appropriate phrase to focus on than this simple, profound prayer of trust.

What happens when we believed we are loved by God? What do we do? How do we act? Might I suggest that the primary purpose of the Christian is this: to worship. When we worship God for who he is and all he has done for us, it reinforces what we know to be true of God’s character, enables us to receive his love, and changes how we see the world as people made in his image.

Our theme for today’s episode is faithfulness, and to help us understand the concept of faithfulness we’re looking at the life of Joseph. Joseph’s story reminds us that when we trust God and respond with faith, He can bring triumph from tragedy.

This week is Valentine’s Day, so it feels appropriate to bring you an episode about love. February 14th may prompt us to show extra affection to those dearest to us, but what do we do when people are hard to love? May these words from the apostle John serve as an encouraging reminder: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Thank you for joining me this week on The Encouraging Word podcast. The last few episodes we’ve been talking about the fruits of the spirit, and our topic today is kindness. In this episode I share a story from the Bible about two figures you likely know and one you may not. I can think of no better story to illustrate the lasting impact of the kindness of a friend.

Hello friend. Thanks for joining me on the Encouraging Word Podcast. This week we're discussing the importance of patience. The reality is we are all "works in progress" until the return of Christ.

Hello, my friend. What do you do when an unexpected storm blows into your life and disrupts everything? Where do you find strength to battle anxiety and fear? The Bible offers an answer in Philippians chapter 4. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Hello there my friend. Thank you so very much for joining me today. We're beginning the year with some episodes looking at the big ideas of the Bible. We started last week by talking about the purpose of the Bible, why it matters and why it's important to study it. This week we're moving on to some concepts found in scripture that you might know as the fruit of the Spirit. Today's episode is about joy. Not the kind of joy that depends on circumstances, but the kind of joy that depends on Christ.

Happy New Year! Welcome back to the Encouraging Word podcast. It's resolution season. All over the world people are resolving to exercise more, spend less, try a new hobby. A common resolution for people of faith is to read the Bible more and if that resonates, today's episode is for you! The Bible is the most important book for the Christian. It answers the two most fundamental questions of the human heart. How did I get here? How do I get where I'm supposed to be? If you or someone else you know is asking these questions I can think of no better habit then to build this year as a year in which you study the Bible.

It’s that time of year when we're choosing gifts to give for Christmas. As the hero of the holidays, Jesus deserves our finest gift. But what could that be? We can look to the angels to know what Jesus really wants from us this Christmas. As a reminder, The Encouraging Word Podcast will be off next week, but we’ll back with new episodes in January. Merry Christmas, friend!

Hello friend. Thanks for joining me today.  Can you believe we’re halfway through December? Christmas will be here in just a few days. As you’re no doubt busy preparing for the holidays, I pray today’s episode gives you a few moments to reflect on the Savior who comes at just the right moment. 

Hi friend. I hope you’re doing well today.  The past few episodes we’ve been talking about what it looks like to live in a way that reflects God’s glory to the world around us. We’ve considered different aspects of life where we can take the focus off ourselves and put it on God. For some, the most difficult time to do that is when we’re succeeding. It’s wonderful to be good at something but remember this: God made you good so you can make him known.

Hello my friend. I hope you’re having a good day.   As we continue this series about living a life that reflects the glory of God, might I suggest that includes your struggles? We all have things in our lives we would change, things we wish we didn’t have to deal with. Illness, financial challenges, difficult relationships. But take comfort in this truth, friend: there is nothing you will face that God has not ordained, and he will use it for his purposes.

Hello friend. I hope you’re doing well today.  This week on the podcast we’re looking at an issue that plagued the Philippian church—legalism. They trusted the work of Jesus but were trying to add a little something on their own. If you ever find yourself looking for “Jesus plus” something else, the apostle Paul says to you what he said to the Philippians: “Now I am right with God, not because I followed the law, but because I believed in Christ. God uses my faith to make me right with him.” 

Hello friend. Thanks for joining me on the Encouraging Word Podcast.  We’re tackling a new topic today. For the next few weeks we’ll be talking about living a God-centered life. Now that might sound simple, but living a God-centered life means not living a me-centered life. Not quite so easy, but with God as our helper, it’s possible. 

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things." God calls us to walk out sacrificial love. I pray this message encourages you.

Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me this week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. We really live in contentious times. This episode is releasing the day before a Presidential Election here in the United States. Regardless of the outcome, some people are going to be disappointed. Maybe angry. Including some Christians. But, no matter which candidate wins the Oval Office, we know who occupies the throne. As followers of Christ, we're called to and empowered to live in unity with other believers. So, may this message be a blessing. Let's pray for this election. Let's pray for our leaders at every level. Let's love our neighbors. And, let's trust that what God says will happen, will happen.

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. This week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we conclude our study of heaven’s timeline and what happens next. As I’ve studied and taught on this topic, I’ve been asked many times, “So, Max, are we living in the end times?” I think we are. And in today’s episode we consider the signs that indicate we are in the last days and how that knowledge compels us to live. 

Hello, friend. Welcome to the Encouraging Word Podcast. For the past several weeks we’ve been studying heaven’s timeline and God’s plan for the ages.Today’s episode brings us to a challenging topic. What happens to those who reject Jesus? There will be a judgment day. It will be a sobering event. But you don’t have to fear it. You don’t have to wonder the outcome. Jesus has done everything possible to point you toward heaven. The good news about the bad news of the final judgment is that it need not be your news. Your only task is to say “yes” to him.

Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me this week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. This world is not paradise. It doesn’t look like the perfect Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter one. Devastating weather events, ongoing war, famine and illness – all symptoms of our fallen world where Satan prowls. But a day is coming, friend. A day when Christ is crowned, and we will reign with him, and God will have his Garden.

This week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast, as we continue our study of heaven’s timeline, we’re looking at the second coming of Christ. It won’t be like the first. Baby Jesus, sleeping in the manger – this is a familiar image. But it’s not the image of Christ’s return. When he comes again, it will be to rule and reign and answer the prayer of Matthew chapter 6: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the Encouraging Word Podcast. We’re working our way down heaven’s timeline and God’s plan for the ages. Today we come to the period of tribulation. Scripture tells us this will be a dark, chaotic time, in part because the church and those who follow Jesus will be gone. But Scripture also tells us that this darkness won’t last forever, and even in the days of tribulation, there is reason to hope.

In last week’s episode of The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we talked about the rapture, and today we’re talking about what happens to the church after the rapture. I know these can be unsettling topics, but take heart, my friend – great celebrations in heaven await us.

Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we're continuing our study on the end times. What purpose does the rapture serve? How can I believe that it will take place? Those are the questions we're beginning to answer today...

What do you know about the millennium? The 1,000 year reign of Christ as described in revelation. Maybe you've never heard of it, maybe you're confused by the thought of it, maybe you don't understand the purpose of it, or maybe you’re fascinated by it. Regardless of where you are in your consideration of this wonderful and intriguing promise, I think you'll find today's discussion helpful as we dig into the question "Millen-what?"

We're continuing our study on the end times, and on today's episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we're going to look at passage in the book of Daniel. Now bare with me, it is a bit challenging, but it is an important prophecy that warrants our careful examination. That's what we're doing today...digging into Daniel chapter 9.

Did you know that God has great plans for you? We get a glimpse of His plans for you in the Garden of Eden. A perfect garden where God's children, made in His image, live in perfect relationship with Him, with each other and perfected bodies in paradise. This story of the garden is more than a story...it's a picture, a description. It's a forecast of where our story is going to end up. I hope you've said yes to Christ, because when you say yes to Christ, God stamps yes on your heart. What you're about to hear is a preview of what awaits all who say yes to God.

Hello friend. As I mentioned last week this Fall on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast we'll be in a series called "What Happens Next.” Over the next several episodes we're going to look back at major events in the bible and we'll look forward to what Jesus has promised for the future. Let's do this with hope and urgency, and standing firm on the promises of Christ. There truly is more to life than this life. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books!

Join us for a special episode where K-Love's Lauree Austin sits down with Max Lucado to answer questions about his new book "What Happens Next"!

In this special episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we're sharing an exclusive preview of Chapter 6 of Max's new book, What Happens Next. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books! RELATED POSTS:Heaven's Time Line

In this special episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we're sharing an exclusive preview of Chapter 1 of Max's new book, What Happens Next. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here.You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books!

This summer on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast we’ve been talking about what we can do to give every day a chance. That can feel especially challenging on a day when things don’t go according to plan, when you’re bumped off track. Just ask the apostle Paul. You think he planned to go to prison? You think Paul said to himself, “Some time in jail would do wonders for my ministry”? Of course not! But he trusted the work of Christ. May we do the same. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here.You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books!

Thanks for joining us today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast. On this episode we’re looking at a story in the New Testament about a daughter and the faith of her father. When the situation seemed hopeless, the father went to Jesus. And because he did, his family saw a miracle. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here.You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books!

Do you ever feel anxious? I know there’s plenty to worry about – between wars and extreme weather and the economy, not to mention the more personal concerns of health struggles or strained relationships. But I also know what God says about worry. If you want to worry less, today’s message is just what you need.Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books!

In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast, we’re looking back at the most important days in the history of our faith – the first Easter weekend. If you’re struggling in the pain of Friday or the silence of Saturday, may you remember that, in Christ, the celebration of Sunday is coming.  Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here.You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books!

Thanks for joining us on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast this week. As we continue our series “Every Day Deserves a Chance,” let’s consider something that has derailed many a day – unforgiveness. Forgiving an offense doesn’t come easily, but doing so grows our understanding of grace. As you experience God’s mercy, and then share it with others, your heart begins to change. And your day has a chance.  Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here.

In Luke chapter 17 we read the story of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy. This story tells us two important truths: one, it demonstrates the mercy of Christ. And two, it reminds us that God noticed a grateful heart. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. 

John the Baptist called Jesus “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Isn’t that something? He doesn’t just delay your sin or shove it way down in a drawer. He takes it away. May you rest today in that security.

Imagine, on the most difficult day of your life, you encounter Jesus. That’s what happened to the thief on the cross. At his lowest moment, he was met with kindness and grace. And on your worst day, that kindness and grace will meet you too.

Hello, friend. I hope you’re having a good day. But if you’re not, perhaps today’s message will help turn that around. Here on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast, we’re beginning our summer series today called “Every Day Deserves A Chance.” You’re likely familiar with the passage from Psalm 118: “This is the day the Lord has made.” But some days just don’t feel God-designed. My prayer is that over the next several weeks we’ll come to see that every day—a day at the dentist, a day your company downsizes, even a day you say goodbye to a loved one—every day deserves a chance.Buy Gospel in Life at HarperChristianResources.com/Gospel