{"id":302618,"date":"2012-10-22T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/gods-best-idea\/"},"modified":"2012-10-22T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-22T15:00:00","slug":"gods-best-idea","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/gods-best-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"God&#8217;s Best Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s so unique about grace? Everything!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2012-10-22.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"23.04M","filesize_raw":"24160793","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[4634],"podcast_series":[7907],"cwp_profile":[3362],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302618","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-grace","podcast_series-grace-more-than-we-deserve","cwp_profile-max-lucado","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302618\/gods-best-idea","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302618\/gods-best-idea","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"6UOc30yIRV\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/gods-best-idea\/\">God&#8217;s Best Idea<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/gods-best-idea\/embed\/#?secret=6UOc30yIRV\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;God&#8217;s Best Idea&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"6UOc30yIRV\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"What's so unique about grace? Everything!","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2012-10-22.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Bible says, \u201cIf any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; all things have become new.\u201d\u00a0 Max Lucado says it\u2019s a little like a heart transplant.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 When you give your heart to Jesus, He returns the favor.\u00a0 In some supernatural, miraculous way, He begins removing our heart.\u00a0 In the Bible, our heart is our will and our desires\u2014our longings.\u00a0 He pulls that out; and He places a new heart inside of us.\u00a0 So, \u201cYes, grace is what happened on the cross;\u201d but, \u201cYes, grace is more.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s what\u2019s happening right now because, as Christ\u2019s heart grows within you, He begins to reclaim, and change, and make you into that new person that He wants you to be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Monday, October 22<sup>nd<\/sup>.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Max Lucado joins us today to talk about the power of and the need for spiritual transformation in all of our lives.\u00a0 Stay tuned.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 And welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em>Thanks for joining us.\u00a0 You know, I saw what we were going to be talking about today; and I thought, \u201cNow wait.\u00a0 We\u2019re supposed to be talking about marriage and family stuff.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Oh!\u00a0 Do you think this topic relates to marriage and family?\u00a0 [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I guess it probably does; doesn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You can write this over the doorposts of your house.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMax Lucado joins us on <em>FamilyLife Today.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em>\u00a0Max, welcome to the broadcast.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, thank you, Dennis.\u00a0 It\u2019s really good to see you;\u00a0 and, Bob, it\u2019s good to see you again.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thank you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I don\u2019t think you need any introduction.\u00a0 His books have sold close to 100 million.\u00a0 One in ten Americans\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I know, I insulted him\u2014I said to him earlier, \u201cSo, you\u2019ve sold about 10 million copies of your books?\u201d\u00a0 He looks at me and, \u201cWell, it is past 80.\u201d\u00a0 I went, \u201cOkay!\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s like\u2014if you\u2019re going to guess a woman\u2019s age, guess low.\u00a0 If you\u2019re going to guess an author\u2019s books, guess high! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 No doubt about that.\u00a0 [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMax, I have to ask you this before we talk to you about your book, <em>Grace.<\/em>\u00a0 You said this is the first time you\u2019ve been with Bob in more than 20 years.\u00a0 What happened 20 years ago?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, yes.\u00a0 You stole him away from me!\u00a0 Dennis, you don\u2019t know this\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I do know this.\u00a0 [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 I came to San Antonio in 1988.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 In 1989, this gentleman, here, helped me start a radio program on the radio station KSLR.\u00a0 We went out, and had lunch, and we talked.\u00a0 He said, \u201cWell, just start a 15-minute radio program.\u00a0 We\u2019ll broadcast it on the radio station here and see how it goes.\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cHow do you do it?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 The reason for this is because Max\u2019s sermons fit well into\u2014if you chopped them up\u2014into about 12-minute segments.\u00a0 You could get four days; and then, the fifth day\u2014we did \u201cQ and A\u201d about whatever you had talked about on the program.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, only I would take the sermon, and sit down\u2014like we are today\u2014and kind of re-teach it.\u00a0 This gentleman, here,\u2014whom you\u2019ve worked with so many years\u2014he was really the instigator because he was living in San Antonio, at that time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Bob has been a gift to the body of Christ, beyond San Antonio.\u00a0 I\u2019m grateful, now, for more than 20 years of working together with Bob.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a real, real privilege.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou\u2019ve written this book on grace.\u00a0 I have to tell you, as I was reading it, I resonated with what you were saying.\u00a0 Grace is almost like a Christian slang word.\u00a0 We have cheapened it.\u00a0 We really haven\u2019t spent a lot of time really talking about it.\u00a0 That\u2019s really your passion and why you\u2019ve focused on this topic; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 There are many reasons for that\u2014that is exactly right, Dennis.\u00a0 One of the things that strikes me about grace is that it\u2019s so unique to the Christian message.\u00a0 You know, we live in a day\u2014that the tendency and the popular approach\u2014is to blend all religions.\u00a0 You know, \u201cIf you want to take this approach to God, you do so,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIf you want to take this approach to God, you do so.\u201d\u00a0 My contention is that\u2019s not intellectually honest because Christianity is unique.\u00a0 No other religion in the history of the world declares that its founder is\u2014number one\u2014a Savior; and then\u2014number two\u2014continually indwells the hearts of the adherents\u2014or the followers.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Yes, you made that point in the book\u2014that Buddha, Mohammed, none of them\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, they don\u2019t indwell their followers.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019re dead.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 They don\u2019t claim to be saviors.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re gone!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 So, you just can\u2019t say, \u201cWe\u2019re going to all end up in the same place.\u00a0 You just take your road; I\u2019ll take my road.\u201d\u00a0 That sounds awfully wonderful; but when you sit down and get intellectually honest with what Christianity is\u2014grace is what causes it to stand miles above and completely different than any other approach to God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 And I love the way you said it in the book.\u00a0 You said, \u201cGrace is God\u2019s best idea.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, it is!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 It really is the understanding that we contribute nothing.\u00a0 Every other world religion says you\u2019ve got to bring something in order for God\u2019s anger to be satisfied.\u00a0 Christianity says, \u201cIt\u2019s been done for you.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s been done.\u00a0 We bring nothing.\u00a0 We bring nothing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s a part of why I think the Christian community\u2014this is going to sound almost heretical\u2014we don\u2019t talk enough about grace because, I think, we still want to perform.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think you\u2019re right, Dennis.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019m guilty of it!\u00a0 I mean, we want to keep the rules.\u00a0 We want to perform the religious deeds.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as our good works outweigh our bad,\u201d you know, \u201cGod is pleased with us.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 And yet, it\u2019s not about that at all; is it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely not.\u00a0 And, again, that\u2019s why it\u2019s God\u2019s best idea.\u00a0 If it\u2019s up to me\u2014that\u2019s going to create either a person of arrogance or of utter insecurity\u2014arrogance because I think, \u201cOh, I did it!\u201d or utter insecurity because I think, \u201cI\u2019ll never do it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tUsually, what it creates is a blend\u2014kind of a roller coaster person\u2014who is always trying to prove himself but feels like he never\u2014or she never does.\u00a0 It\u2019s this roller coaster of guilt and arrogance that comes across in the forms of many religions.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You\u2019re speaking now of God\u2019s approval\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2014that we earn God\u2019s approval by doing good works.\u00a0 We\u2019ve earned them by virtue of forgiving another person or caring about another person.\u00a0 You\u2019re saying\u2014actually, you didn\u2019t say it\u2014Jesus said it, \u201cIf you want to receive forgiveness and grace, you have to receive Me.\u00a0 I am the way, the truth, and the life.\u00a0 No one comes to the Father except through Me.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus made it very, very clear.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s the first step; isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 I mean, that\u2019s the open door.\u00a0 We don\u2019t stand on the basis of our own good works or our own accomplishments.\u00a0 What\u2019s the first Beatitude?\u00a0 \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.\u201d\u00a0 Poverty-stricken\u2014we come to Jesus, poverty-stricken, in spirit.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think this is the core of the Christian message, and I think it does affect families.\u00a0 If I think I am saving myself and it\u2019s up to me, look at the burden that places on my shoulders.\u00a0 What kind of dad can I be?\u00a0 What kind of husband can I be when I\u2019m carrying that burden around?\u00a0 I\u2019m either going to live in arrogance or fear, every day of my life.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut if I can come to the point where I say, \u201cYou know what?\u00a0 God has saved me.\u00a0 I am secure.\u00a0 I may not know everything, but I know that I\u2019ve been bought by Christ.\u00a0 I am owned by Christ.\u00a0 I\u2019m secure for eternity.\u201d\u00a0 That just kind of equips me to be the kind of man that God wants me to be with my wife and my kids.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Max, you know there are some folks who hear talk about grace; and they get a little nervous.\u00a0 Christians get a little nervous because, if you say there\u2019s nothing you can do\u2014there\u2019s nothing you have to do\u2014why\u2014aren\u2019t we just writing everybody a ticket, now, to live according to the flesh?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes; and, of course, that\u2019s the question the Apostle Paul was asked.\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason we have Romans 6 in the Bible.\u00a0 He said, \u201cWhat shall we say, then?\u00a0 Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cNo, by no means!\u201d\u00a0 He goes on to explain that grace, appropriately received, creates holiness\u2014deeply desired.\u00a0 When you really receive grace, it creates just the opposite\u2014it creates a desire to do good\u2014not a desire to do bad.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 What we talk about here, on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, is a biblical approach toward marriage and family.\u00a0 We try to follow Christ\u2019s teachings of saying, \u201cIf you want to come after Christ, you\u2019ve got to pick up your cross, die to self, and follow Him\u2014obey Him.\u201d It\u2019s, ultimately, a heart issue because our hearts are selfish.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t make for a good marriage.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t make for a good family\u2014a bunch of selfish hearts.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love the way you start the book.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know this; but you and Barbara, my wife, share a common surgery\u2014radio ablation\u2014a heart catheterization that goes into the heart, and burns a pea-sized spot of tissue in the heart to block pathways, to return the rhythm of the heart back to normal.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Now, I knew Barbara had had that done back in the \u201880s; right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, she actually had it done in\u2014I believe it was 1990, by the guy who invented it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Really!?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Did you have that done at some point?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 I did; I did.\u00a0 Mine was performed by the guy who studied under the guy who invented it.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure they know each other.\u00a0 I had to go to Cleveland to have it done at the Cleveland Clinic.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 When was this\u2014that this happened?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 That was about 2009 or 2008. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 So was your heart starting to beat real fast?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Oh, it was terrible.\u00a0 It was\u2014we all look back at some section in our life and say, \u201cThat was the toughest part of my life.\u201d\u00a0 That was really rough\u2014when your heart just accelerates to about 120-130 beats per minute, for no reason, and stays there for three or four minutes.\u00a0 Then, the beat is erratic.\u00a0 You feel like you\u2019ve just run a marathon.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want to go back to your story, though, because, as they were rolling you into surgery, you were kind of kidding the doctor.\u00a0 Share with our listeners what you\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I was trying to be cute, you know\u2014trying to bring a little levity to a serious moment.\u00a0 I mean, how often do they take something and stick it inside of your heart?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly the language they used with me, Dennis, because I said, \u201cSo, you\u2019re going to take this little catheter\u201d\u2014this ablation tool\u2014ablate means to burn.\u00a0\u00a0 I said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to take this little tool and you\u2019re going to burn the inside of my heart?\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cWell, as long as you\u2019re in there, burning the bad parts of my heart,\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cI\u2019ve got some greed\u2014I\u2019ve got some selfishness\u2014I\u2019ve got some stubbornness\u2014\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 \u201cCan you burn all that out?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I loved it!\u00a0 I love the line, and I love the picture of that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 I said, \u201cCan you do that?\u201d\u00a0 He gave me a good line.\u00a0 He said, \u201cThat\u2019s out of my pay grade.\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 But, in the book, I say, \u201cIt\u2019s not out of God\u2019s.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 He\u2019s in the business of going inside our hearts\u2014and burning, or recreating us\u2014from the inside out.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I think that grace\u2014yes, it\u2019s a forensic thing\u2014it\u2019s an accomplished thing, at the cross.\u00a0 It\u2019s a transaction that took place.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want us to limit grace, though, to what Jesus <em>did<\/em>.\u00a0 I think we need to open our minds up to what\u2014 grace is one of the words to describe what God <em>does<\/em>\u2014His living presence, inside our hearts, changing us from one person to the next.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou talk about something that can bring hope to a dying marriage!\u00a0 If I look across the table at a woman, in whom Christ dwells, and she looks across the table, at a person in whom Christ dwells, we may be going through a hard time; but Jesus can love her, and Jesus can love me.\u00a0 So, there's hope, as long as Jesus is within our hearts.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I love the illustration and the story that you used in the book to talk about how God transplants His life in ours.\u00a0 You share about a skiing accident that took the life of a 13-year-old girl.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 Todd and Tara Storch took their daughter, Taylor, on a ski trip.\u00a0 It was a spring-break ski trip.\u00a0 Taylor, at the time, was 13 years of age.\u00a0 She died in a ski accident.\u00a0 Boy, can you imagine?\u00a0 It just turned what was to be a wonderful spring break week into disaster.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTaylor\u2019sGift.org is where a person can even read about this story.\u00a0 It\u2019s a powerful and compelling story.\u00a0 They, by the end of the day, had to make a decision, \u201cDo we donate her organs?\u201d\u00a0 They chose to do so.\u00a0 Through a really unique series of circumstances, they discovered the recipient of their daughter\u2019s heart.\u00a0 They got in touch with Patricia Winters\u2014the lady in Phoenix\u2014at the time, 45 years of age\u2014who desperately needed a heart.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey got in touch with her and made arrangements to visit her in Phoenix.\u00a0 One of the local news stations in Dallas, where Todd and Tara still live, followed them to Phoenix.\u00a0 They heard about this and followed them\u2014sent a crew out\u2014to Phoenix.\u00a0 So this is all on tape.\u00a0 It\u2019s just the most unbelievable story of Todd and Tara walking in to Patricia Winters\u2019 house.\u00a0 The three of them hug for a long time.\u00a0 They just weep, and weep, and cry.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, Patricia Winters is a nurse.\u00a0 So, she had a stethoscope.\u00a0 She retrieved the stethoscope.\u00a0 She invited them to come and hear their daughter\u2019s heart.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to be hard-hearted not to be brought to tears by this moment because it\u2019s\u2014Patricia sits still.\u00a0 Tara places the stethoscope against Patricia\u2019s chest, and she puts it to her ears.\u00a0 She says, \u201cOh, it\u2019s so strong!\u00a0 It\u2019s so strong.\u201d\u00a0 I use that story, Dennis, in the book, just to ask the question, \u201cWhen she heard that heart, whose heart did she hear?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe heard her daughter\u2019s heart.\u00a0 It was in a different body, but she still heard her daughter\u2019s heart.\u00a0 The grace message says, \u201cWhen you give your heart to Jesus, He returns the favor.\u00a0 He removes your heart, and He places His within it.\u201d\u00a0 In some supernatural, miraculous way, He begins removing our heart.\u00a0 In the Bible, our heart is our will and our desires\u2014our longings.\u00a0 He, literally, pulls that out; and He places a new heart inside of us.\u00a0 So, \u201cYes, grace is what happened on the cross;\u201d but, \u201cYes, grace is more.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s what\u2019s happening right now because, as Christ\u2019s heart grows within you, He begins to reclaim, and change, and make you into that new person that He wants you to be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 It does take a little while for the transplant to acclimate.\u00a0 I mean, that\u2019s true, biologically; but it\u2019s true, spiritually, as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 It is!\u00a0 Dennis, I met someone in your ministry today who had a heart transplant five years ago.\u00a0 He had heard this story; and he said, \u201cThat\u2019s true.\u00a0 It takes a while for the body to adjust to the new heart.\u201d\u00a0 In the same way, it\u2019s true in our faith.\u00a0 You know, we <em>grow<\/em> in Christ.\u00a0 That\u2019s the phrase we use\u2014Christ really grows in us.\u00a0 He grows inside of us and changes us, as the heart grows.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 While you were talking, I was thinking of the well-known passage in \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEzekiel 36\u2014it\u2019s speaking of this grace.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The promise is, \u201cI will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness and from all your idols.\u00a0 I will cleanse you and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you.\u00a0 I will remove the heart of stone from within your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.\u00a0 I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that amazing?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 When I read that story\u2014that you shared in your book\u2014I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d\u00a0 He comes to live within us.\u00a0 That visual picture of that heart transplant is the picture of Christianity\u2014what we\u2019re talking about here.\u00a0 Grace, in the person of Jesus Christ, not only forgives us, but takes up residence, to cleanse us, on a daily basis, from our selfishness\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2014give us strength to obey and keep God\u2019s Word, which our flesh still doesn\u2019t want to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I just kind of rejoiced.\u00a0 I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s a great reminder, for all of us, of Who lives in us and how we need to make sure our hearts are beating according to the Father\u2019s heart.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think it gives us hope; doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 There are things that I don\u2019t like about me; but as I understand that Jesus lives inside me, I think, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m not going to be the same me tomorrow that I am today.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe, you can\u2019t forgive your husband.\u00a0 That\u2019s okay\u2014Jesus can forgive him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll take up residence, within you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m talking about something supernatural here.\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about something that we just kind of conjure up.\u00a0 I believe that when a person gives their heart to Christ, He gives His heart to them.\u00a0 He begins a miraculous transformation\u2014sometimes, comes in fits and spurts\u2014sometimes, it comes in a 100-yard dash.\u00a0 It\u2019s irregular, but it happens.\u00a0 It happens.\u00a0 When grace happens, that person is a different person.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I was having breakfast, this morning, with a couple who have got a child, who is a prodigal\u2014not walking with the Lord.\u00a0 This young woman\u2019s got a boyfriend.\u00a0 The mom and dad I was meeting with\u2014they are getting ready to meet with the guy and the daughter\u2014to talk about their relationship\u2014to talk about what\u2019s going on.\u00a0 As we talked, I remember saying\u2014and I remember praying, at the end\u2014that they would need grace, in that moment, because the impulses of the flesh\u2014in that situation\u2014anger, shame, and discouragement about the choices the daughter is making.\u00a0 Yet, how they want to respond\u2014in that moment\u2014is how Jesus would respond if He were sitting across from that young woman and that young man.\u00a0 We don\u2019t do that naturally, but God\u2019s grace enables us to do what we don\u2019t normally do; right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s a good point, Bob, because grace is that power that enables us to do and to be who God wants us to be.\u00a0 Remember when Paul prayed three times for the thorn in the flesh to be removed.\u00a0 The response of Jesus was, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you,\u201d \u2014\u201cMy sustaining power\u2014My sustaining\u2014not just My saving power\u2014but also, My <em>sustaining<\/em> power\u2014is enough.\u00a0 I will get you through this.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 To that person, who is listening today\u2014maybe they\u2019ve been driving down the freeway, running errands, or on a trip\u2014they\u2019ve stumbled across our broadcast\u2014and the concept of grace has kind of caused them to turn their heads toward the radio.\u00a0 They go, \u201cI\u2019m not sure I have that kind of relationship with God.\u201d\u00a0 What would you say to that person who may feel like they\u2019re standing on the outside, looking in, trying to understand something that is profoundly life-changing?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I would say a couple of things:\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason Jesus came to the earth\u2014the reason that Jesus walked on the earth\u2014the reason God came\u2014in the form of Jesus Christ\u2014is to tell us that we cannot save ourselves, but that He can save us.\u00a0 If you have been dismissing religion because you don\u2019t think you\u2019re good enough or because you think the place is full of hypocrites\u2014probably, what you\u2019re dismissing is not grace; but you\u2019re dismissing a man-made version of religion.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tConsider this gift.\u00a0 The Bible calls grace a gift.\u00a0 It is the gift of God that saves us.\u00a0 Consider it.\u00a0 Look at it.\u00a0 Examine it.\u00a0 Say, \u201cYes,\u201d to Jesus.\u00a0 Just say, \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 The minute somebody hears that invitation\u2014they say, \u201cYes, but what if I mess up?\u201d or, \u201cWhat if I don\u2019t understand it all?\u201d or, \u201cWhat if I accept it, and then I blow it?\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason it\u2019s called grace!\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason it\u2019s called grace!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod, in the act of grace, makes a covenant with you.\u00a0 He makes a covenant with you to save you.\u00a0 He makes the covenant.\u00a0 So, then, the power is not you\u2019re holding on to Him; but the power is Him holding on to you.\u00a0 You just trust Him.\u00a0 Jesus said, \u201cUnless a person becomes like a child, he\u2019ll never enter the kingdom of heaven.\u201d\u00a0 Just kind of take a child-like faith and say, \u201cOkay, Father\u2014okay, Papa\u2014I trust you.\u201d\u00a0 The invitation is yours to accept.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t do it myself.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u201cI want Jesus Christ to be my Savior, my Lord, my Master, and my Redeemer.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Max:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 He hears that prayer.\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand it all because I had that transplant, in my heart, a number of years ago; and I\u2019m still trying to grasp it.\u00a0 But I can promise you it is the most important decision you\u2019ll ever make, in all of your life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 If somebody goes to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, on the left-hand side of the screen\u2014there is a tab there that says, \u201cTwo Ways to Live\u201d.\u00a0 If you click on that, it talks more about what we\u2019ve been talking about here:\u00a0 \u201cWhat does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ?\u00a0 What does it mean to have new life in Christ\u2014to be a recipient of God\u2019s grace?\u201d\u00a0 Go to FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never understood what it means to follow Jesus, click on that tab that says, \u201cTwo Ways to Live\u201d \u2014at FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014 and see if that doesn\u2019t clarify some things for you and point you in the right direction, spiritually. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhile you\u2019re on our website, consider getting a copy of Max Lucado\u2019s new book called <em>Grace.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em>I think this is a subject that a lot of people have a surface understanding of, and we need to dig a little deeper.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got copies of the book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center.\u00a0 Go to FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 Again, the book, by Max Lucado, is called <em>Grace.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em>You can order from us, online, or you can order by calling 1-800-358-6329.\u00a0 That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY\u201d.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I think about the subject of grace\u2014and I think, in a lot of ways, those folks who help support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> have been very gracious toward us and toward the work that we\u2019re trying to do here.\u00a0 FamilyLife exists to effectively develop godly families\u2014the kind of families who change the world, one home at a time.\u00a0 Our mission is to see every home become a godly home, to keep pressing biblical truth in your direction\u2014the direction of those around you\u2014so that people will embrace it and live by it.\u00a0 That\u2019s one of the reasons we have conversations like the one we\u2019re having today, where we talk about grace.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe want to say, \u201cThanks,\u201d to those of you who have helped support this ministry in the past.\u00a0 We appreciate your financial partnership.\u00a0 This month, if you\u2019re able to help with a donation to defray the cost of producing and syndicating this daily radio program, we would like to send you, as a thank-you gift, two audio CDs\u2014a conversation we had with author and speaker, Shaunti Feldhahn, about a book she wrote called <em>For Women Only<\/em>\u2014a book that looks at what men say, most often, is most important to them, in their marriage relationship with their wife.\u00a0 It\u2019s an interesting conversation.\u00a0 The CDs are yours as our thank-you gift when you make a donation, this month, to support the ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGo to FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 Click the button that says, \u201cI CARE\u201d.\u00a0 Make an online donation, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY.\u00a0 Make your donation over the phone.\u00a0 Just ask for the CDs, <em>For Women Only<\/em>; and we\u2019ll be happy to send those out to you.\u00a0 Again, we do appreciate you standing with us and your partnership in the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe hope you can be back with us again tomorrow.\u00a0 Max Lucado will be here again.\u00a0 We\u2019ll continue our conversation about God\u2019s grace.\u00a0 I hope you can be here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you.\u00a0 However, there is a cost to produce them for our website.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2012 FamilyLife.\u00a0 All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302618"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302618"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302618"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}