Book Review: Outlive Your Life

“God has given this generation, our generation, everything we need to alter the course of human suffering.” Max Lucado.

If that statement doesn’t hit you, the rest of this book will.

As with many of Lucado’s writings, he masterfully (by the Grace of God) hits that special nerve in each of us, that makes us stop dead in our tracks and realize, that we are called to do something.

This latest gem from Max navigates seamlessly through the first 12 chapters of the Book of Acts, and offers some Biblical and modern examples of how we are to change the world, together.

From describing the first 120 that formed the first church, to not “forgetting the bread”, this book touches the heart, and demonstrates that alone we can do nothing, but all of us can do something.

Throughout the book, there’s a subtle reminder: God called ordinary people to do His work. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

There’s close to 2 billion people that are desperately poor. 1 billion are hungry. There’s more slavery today than ever before.

My hunch is that if you are reading this, and you become hungry, you can go into your kitchen and find something to eat. A billion of our brothers and sisters cannot.

I highlighted one sentence in this book, and I hardly ever highlight books, especially when I loan them to others to read.

First, let the church act on behalf of the poor.

That is what will have to happen. We cannot rely on our governments to do that. We cannot rely on charitable organizations to do that. There are awesome organizations that do great work, but they cannot make the dent that the church could make.

In closing, Max reminds us that the book of Acts, unlike other New Testament books, has no conclusion. Why? Because the work is not finished.

Blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”