“Max on Life”—Book review

Should you read this book?

Yes, if you have questions about real life stuff, such as these asked in the book:

• Why should we pray for help when God already has an answer?
• Don’t I have the right to ask my husband to stop ogling women?
• How can I trust that God is powerful enough to take care of me?
• It’s a struggle for me to pray; does it mean I’m a weak Christian?
• How can a good God permit deformities in babies?
• How do we know what is a command and what is cultural?
• I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep; how can I calm my mind?
• Does anyone actually pray without ceasing?
• Can you give us one important piece of advice to share with our daughter on her wedding day?
• Is there a biblical way to handle finances in a marriage?

Max gives his answers with scriptures. And even though these answers are snippets (only a few paragraphs per question), they’re informative. Inspirational. Influential.
About stuff that matters to you. Like these quotes.

Why NOT read this book?

It’s snippets.
Max answers 172 questions about life and God in one book. How in depth can he go? Not very. I found a few answers to be too cliché and not helpful at all. For example:

God takes care of millions of birds, billions of flowers. Can he take care of your children? Certainly. How do you stop worrying? Jesus made it clear. Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life. (Matt. 6:25 Amplified Bible) Pretty blunt answer. Stop it!

Just say no to worry. Slap at it like a bloodsucking mosquito.

BUT, don’t let that stop you. Most of the answers are still helpful to many questions you’ve been asking.

Categories include:

• God, Grace, and “Why am I here?”
• Conflicts, Calamities, and “Why me?”
• Prayer, Scripture, and “Why church?”
• Sex, Romance, and “Any chance of a second chance?”
• Diapers, Disagreements, and “Any hope for prodigals?”
• Work, Money, and “Where’s the lifeline?”
• Cemeteries, Heaven, Hell, and “Who goes where?”

Because I never pass up an opportunity to review a Max Lucado book from Thomas Nelson, I have these quotes (and many more!) to share with you from Max on Life.

* Impatience is selfishness with time. We don’t like to waste it. People get in our way and slow things down, so we burn them with impatience! The Greek word for patience means “taking a long time to boil.”

* Question 27.
IS GOD WILLING TO USE ANYONE TO CHANGE THE WORLD?
EVEN PEOPLE WHO’VE LIVED UNGODLY LIVES?

I hope so. If God chose only righteous people to change the world, you could count them all on one finger—Jesus.

* Fear’s main goal is to keep you from God’s plan for your life, so don’t allow it to win.

* The essence of worship is simply this: giving God the honor he deserves. To worship is to applaud the greatness of God.

* The longer you date a nonbeliever, the longer you postpone the opportunity for God to bring the right person your way. If you are a child of God and you marry a child of the Devil, you’re going to have trouble with your father-in-law.

* It’s no accident that hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing.

When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: “You matter to me and to God.” You may think you are saying, “Come over for a visit.” But what your guest hears is, “I’m worth the effort.”

* We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one?

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Do you enjoy Max Lucado books too? Have a favorite?