The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

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 what people thought of him. May we all aim to be more...

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.

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.

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 know exactly what that looked like, but I know I’d...

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 can relate, I pray this episode of the Max Lucado...

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 Week for Operation Christmas Child is Novembe...

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 learn what Jacob learned that night by the river....

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.

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 most crooked family tree.  Max shares m...

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 story and God’s never-ending grace in his n...

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 and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ...

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 more of Jacob’s story and God’s never-endin...

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 are no shortcuts with God. He doesn’t need our he...

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 for you.  Max shares more of Jacob’s story and...

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.

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 an encourager.

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. 

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 attention makes now a great time to remember that...

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 recognized his son, even when he stumbled toward him,...

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. 

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? You celebrate, right? If you rejoice when a preci...

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 into our lives. How can we own things without thi...

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.

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 Scripture, he offers you a worry-free life. I pray th...

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.