I was recently given the chance to preview Max Lucado's new book Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference. I was first introduced to Lucado's inspirational writings as a 20-year old reading Six Hours One Friday: Anchoring to the Power of the Cross (Chronicles of the Cross). Max's new book takes his writing to a new level. Lucado's goal in this book is to help the reader to see that God has created and saved us not just to exist and do our best on our way to heaven, but to use our moment in God's story to make a impact for eternity. Lucado draws from the inspirational accounts of the explosion of the early church in Acts to inspire the church to "make a big difference during a difficult time." Like most everything else I have read from Lucado, this book was a refreshing fountain of encouragement. In his unique style, Max makes many of the stories from the first twelve chapters of Acts come alive. You are literally drawn into the stories as participants given an opportunity to see God take ordinary people and do extraordinary things. He shares one question he pondered that rocked his world: "When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?" It's a fair and poignant question that the church in America should be shaken to answer. Throughout the book, I was encouraged and challenged that God has created me and called me to do more than the life I have crafted. Just like he took nobodies, average Joe's, and outcasts in the first century, he wants to use us today to advance the gospel and expand his glory in ways never before imagined.
I would highly recommend Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference
to any Christian who would dare to believe that there is more to Christianity than a comfortable life. Lucado's writing style has a way of engaging even those who don't regularly read books. You just might find yourself challenged to dream in ways you never have before.
