God Came Near: God's Perfect Gift
By Max Lucado
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Join bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado as he brings to life the most important event in history: when God Came Near.
It all happened in a moment--a most remarkable moment: God came near. He came not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as One whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that held him were not manicured, but callused and dirty. No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party. No hoopla. God came near, just for you.
In God Came Near, Max reminds us that just because we want a calm life doesn't mean we'll have one. The minute you sink down in the easy chair of life, heaven pushes the remote and changes the channel:
- The financial aid office says "no."
- A doctor says "pregnant."
- The boss says "transfer."
- The test grade reads "F."
- The auto mechanic says "totaled."
Despite the challenges we face on earth, the Bible gives us a chance to be eyewitnesses of Jesus' majesty. We can take on our problems, we can have a fresh start tomorrow, and we can rest assured in the safety of God's embrace. Christ entered our world, and, as a result, we can enter his.
God Came Near invites you to travel back in time and celebrate Christ the Son of God as he became man. When you catch a vision of this incredible moment, let it mark the beginning of a new perspective, a new life, and a new appreciation for Jesus. Because when you see the truth of his life, it will change yours forever.
Max Lucado
Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print. Visit his website at MaxLucado.com Facebook.com/MaxLucado Instagram.com/MaxLucado Twitter.com/MaxLucado Youtube.com/MaxLucadoOfficial The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast
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Reviews for God Came Near
6 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WOW!!! This book hits a grand slam! Max Lucado beautifully paints words into imagery like no other author. One of my all time faves!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pure poetry. This is how I can best summarize "God Came Near". Lucado is a master craftsman of the written word. Able to bring new insight and perspective to God's word with language that is beautiful and creative. Emotion is drawn out and deep thoughts are invoked. This is by far the best Lucado book I've read and quite possibly his signature work. If you feel God is some distant cosmic force, then please read "God Came Near" where you will see, hear, and touch God in a very personal way as if He is right before your very eyes. Some of my favorite chapters include: 6) Twenty Five Questions for Mary, 10) Women of Winter, 14) No Accident, and 21) Light of the Storage Closet. And, some of my favorite quotes include:Christianity, in its purest form, is nothing more than seeing Jesus. Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating him who we see. To see His majesty and to imitate him... that is the sum of Christianity.The best way to deal with our past is to hitch up our pants, roll up our sleeves, and face it head on. No more buck-passing or scapegoating. No more glossing over or covering up. No more games. We need a confrontation with our Master.When our sins catch up with us we can do one of two things: run or wrestle.Jesus' death was not the result of a panicking, cosmological engineer. The cross wasn't a tragic surprise. Calvary was not a knee-jerk response to a world plummeting towards destruction. It wasn't a patch-job or a stop-gap measure. The death of the Son of God was anything but an unexpected peril.No, it was part of a plan. It was a calculated choice. "It was the LORD's will to crush him." The cross was drawn into the original blueprint. It was written into the script. The moment the forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of a cross appeared on the horizon. And between that moment and the moment the man with the mallet placed the spike against the wrist of God, a master plan was fulfilled.To limit God's revelation to a cold list of do's and don'ts is as tragic as looking at a Colorado road map and saying that you'd seen the Rockies.If there was hesitation on the part of his (Jesus) humanity, it was overcome by the compassion of his divinity.His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely loved this book!
Book preview
God Came Near - Max Lucado
Also by Max Lucado
INSPIRATIONAL
3:16
A Gentle Thunder
A Love Worth Giving
And the Angels Were Silent
Come Thirsty
Cure for the Common Life
Every Day Deserves a Chance
Facing Your Giants
God Came Near
He Chose the Nails
He Still Moves Stones
In the Eye of the Storm
In the Grip of Grace
It’s Not About Me
Just Like Jesus
Next Door Savior
No Wonder They Call Him
the Savior
On the Anvil
Six Hours One Friday
The Applause of Heaven
The Great House of God
Traveling Light
When Christ Comes
When God Whispers Your Name
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
All You Ever Need
Because I Love You
Best of All
Coming Home
He Chose You
Hermie, a Common Caterpillar
Hermie and Friends Bible
If Only I Had a Green Nose
Jacob’s Gift
Just in Case You Ever Wonder
Just Like Jesus (for teens)
Just the Way You Are
Milo, the Mantis Who
Wouldn’t Pray
Next Door Savior (for teens)
Punchinello and the Most
Marvelous Gift
Small Gifts in God’s Hands
Stanley the Stinkbug
Tell Me the Secrets
Tell Me the Story
The Crippled Lamb
The Oak Inside the Acorn
The Way Home
With You All the Way
You Are Mine
You Are Special
Your Special Gift
GIFT BOOKS
A Heart Like Jesus
Everyday Blessings
For These Tough Times
God’s Mirror
God’s Promises for You
God Thinks You’re Wonderful
Grace for the Moment, Vol. I & II
Grace for the Moment Journal
In the Beginning
Just for You
Just Like Jesus Devotional
Let the Journey Begin
Max on Life Series
Mocha with Max
One Incredible Moment
Safe in the Shepherd’s Arms
Shaped by God
The Cross
The Gift for All People
The Greatest Moments
Traveling Light for Mothers
Traveling Light Journal
Turn
Walking with the Savior
You: God’s Brand-New Idea!
FICTION
An Angel’s Story
The Christmas Candle
The Christmas Child
BIBLES (GENERAL EDITOR)
He Did This Just for You
(New Testament)
The Devotional Bible
Grace for the Moment Daily Bible
9780849921216_ePDF_0004_001©1986, 2004 Max Lucado
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version® (NIV). © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Other Scripture references are from the following sources:
The Living Bible (TLB). © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
The New King James Version (NKJV). © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV). © 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.
J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (PHILLIPS). © J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
The New Jerusalem Bible (TJB). © 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Used by permission.
Today’s English Version (TEV). © American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.
ISBN 978-0-8499-2121-6 (Special Edition)
The Library of Congress has cataloged the earlier edition as follows:
Lucado, Max.
God came near / Max Lucado.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN 978-0-8499-4454-3 (SC)
1. Incarnation—Meditations. I. Title.
BT220.L82 2004
232'.1—dc22
2004019567
Printed in the United States of America
08 09 10 11 12 13 QW 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Sir,
they said, we would like to see Jesus.
JOHN 12:21
We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 PETER 1:16
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW EDITION
Eyewitnesses of His Majesty
PART I
HIS INCARNATION
And the Word became flesh . . .
1. The Arrival
2. Just a Moment…
3. Absurdity in the Flesh
4. Mary’s Prayer
5. Limb-Climber or Branch-Sitter
6. Twenty-Five Questions for Mary
7. Christmas Night
and dwelt among us . . .
8. Out of the Carpentry Shop
9. Just Call Me Jesus
10. Women of Winter
11. When God Sighed
12. The Question for the Canyon’s Edge
and we beheld His glory, . . .
13. A Tale of Two Trees
14. No Accident
15. Rediscovering Amazement
full of grace and truth.
16. Hope
17. Eternal Instants
18. What Do You See?
Part II
OUR IMITATION
A student . . . who is fully trained will be like his teacher .
19. He Forgot
20. Facing the Facts
21. Light of the . . . Storage Closet?
22. Blind Ambition
23. Warnings
24. Father’s Day: A Tribute
25. Family Sedans of the Faith
26. Insensitive Slurs
27. A Song in the Dark
28. In the Mud of Jabbok
29. A Little Bit of Hangin’
30. Carmelita
31. Seeing the Summit
READER’S GUIDE
NOTES
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This new edition gives me another opportunity
to thank the folks who helped launch the first.
Thanks again to:
Liz Heaney and the Multnomah staff:
They don’t come any better.
Jim Woodroof, Rubel Shelley, Richard Rogers and
Joan Carrigan (my sister):
Your encouragement and suggestions were invaluable.
Carl Cope:
What would I do without your eleventh hour aid and twenty-four hour friendship?
The Rio team:
Amigos queridos!
Stanley Shipp:
One of the finest men on earth.
The elders of the Highland Church of Christ:
I appreciate the pastoral care and prayers.
And most tenderly, thank you, Denalyn:
If a star fell each time I thought of you, the sky would be empty.
To Steve and Cheryl Green
"A faithful friend is a sure shelter,
whoever finds one has found a rare treasure."
SIRACH 6:14
INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW EDITION
Chalk it up to an interruption. God tapped humanity on its collective shoulder. Pardon me,
he said, and eternity interrupted time, divinity interrupted carnality, and heaven interrupted the earth in the form of a baby. Christianity was born in one big heavenly interruption.
Just ask the Bethlehem shepherds. We know so little about these men. Their names? Their ages? How many were on duty that night? We don’t know. But this much we can safely assume: they had no expectations of excitement. These are sheep they are watching. That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep
.¹ We count sheep to go to sleep!
Besides, this is the night shift. Might as well watch paint dry. Shepherds watching sheep sleep? Saying that sentence is more exciting than doing their job. Their greatest challenge was staying awake! These men expected no excitement.
Nor did they want any. Any excitement was bad excitement—wolves, mountain lions, poachers. Shepherds treasured the predictable. They coveted the calm. Their singular aim was to be able tell their wives, Nothing happened last night.
Just because they wanted a calm night, however, didn’t mean they would get it. And, forgive the reminder: just because you want a calm life, don’t bank on having it. The minute you sink down in the easy chair of life, heaven pushes the remote and changes the channel:
Bullet The financial aid office says no.
Bullet A doctor says, pregnant.
Bullet The boss says, transfer.
Bullet The test grade reads, F.
Bullet The auto mechanic says, totaled.
Bullet The auto insurance says, expired.
I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.
²
And our typical initial response is the same as that of the shepherds. Fear. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened.
³
Change always brings fear before it brings faith. We always assume the worst before we look for the best. God interrupts our lives with something we’ve never seen, and rather than praise, we panic! We interpret the presence of a problem as the absence of God and scoot!
Good thing the shepherds lingered. Otherwise they might have missed the second verse.
Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord.
⁴
I hope you’ll do what the shepherds did—linger near the manger. The writings of this book seek to help you do just that.
Over two decades have passed since I completed this project. Much of it was written in one of two closets: our storage closet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or my in-laws’ closet during a lengthy Christmas visit in 1987. Much has changed since those days. For one, I know longer write in a closet. For another, my family grew from two little girls to three, and they’re no longer little girls, but young women.
But though much has changed, the big stuff has remained the same. The biggest news is still the best news . . . Christ entered our world. As a result, we can enter his.
May he use these words to show you how.
MAX LUCADO
EYEWITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY
Christianity, in its purest form, is nothing
more than seeing Jesus.
Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing
more than imitating him who we see.
To see His Majesty and to imitate him,
that is the sum of Christianity.
For fifty-one years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn’t see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness.
And then, he could see.
A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. I never would have dreamed that yellow is so . . . yellow,
he exclaimed. "I don’t have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can’t believe red.
I can see the shape of the moon—and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is.
He’s right. Those of us who have lived a lifetime with vision can’t know how wonderful it must be to be given sight.
But Bob Edens isn’t the only one who has spent a lifetime near something without seeing it. Few are the people who don’t suffer from some form of blindness. Amazing, isn’t it? We can live next to something for a lifetime, but unless we take time to focus on it, it doesn’t become a part of our life. Unless we somehow have our blindness lifted, our world is but a black cave.
Think about it. Just because one has witnessed a thousand rainbows doesn’t mean he’s seen the grandeur of one. One can live near a garden and fail to focus on the splendor of the flower. A man can spend a lifetime with a woman and never pause to look into her soul.
And a person can be all that goodness calls him to be and still never see the Author of