Grace

claim when he said, “I am the way, and the truth,

fail to please him and apologize, but because he

and the life. No one comes to the Father except

wants to be your Father. Nothing more. All your

through me” (John 14:6, ESV). Confess that you

efforts to win his affection are unnecessary. All

have sinned and ask God’s forgiveness. Invite

your fears of losing his affection are needless.

him into your life and ask for God’s help to turn

You can no more make him want you than you

from your sin. If you wholeheartedly believe these

can convince him to abandon you. The adoption

things and want to become a part of God’s forever

is irreversible. You have a place at his table.

family, you can pray something like this:

If you have already accepted God’s offer into

Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and need

his family through placing your faith in Jesus

your forgiveness. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior,

Christ, then you can have confidence in your

who gave his life for my sins. I entrust my life to you,

status as God’s child. The Bible promises that

Father God. Please come into my life and help me live

nothing “in all creation will be able to separate

a life that pleases you. Amen.

us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39, ESV).

If you have not yet accepted God’s offer into

his family, you can do so right now. Not because you’ve earned it. But because he loves you and because the gift of salvation is available to all who profess him as Lord. Believe that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in your place for your sins. Believe that Jesus rose from the dead after three days, showing that God accepted him as your substitute. Believe Jesus’

Good News Tracts 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, IL 60187 Free Bible Club To learn more about the truth of the Bible enroll in the Truth Chasers Clubsm. (A ministry of CEF®). Sign up at www.truthchasersclub.com or mail your name, age, and address to PO Box 190 Warrenton MO 63383 to get started.

©2013 Good News Tracts. Printed in U.S.A. Taken from Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. For more information, visit www.thomasnelson.com. Bible references: Various.

because you try to please him and succeed, or

Max Lucado

MORE THAN WE DESERVE

G R E AT E R T H A N W E I M A G I N E

Long ago, even before he made the world, God

All of grace, I believe, is God’s definitive reply:

choices. You are God’s child. You get to call him

loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without

“Be blessed, my child. I accept you. I have adopted

“Papa.” You may approach God with “boldness”

fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been

you into my family.”

and “confidence” (Ephesians 3:12). You receive

to adopt us into his own family by bringing us

the blessings of his special love (1 John 4:9–11)

to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave

not the case with biological children. When the

and provision (Luke 11:11–13). And you will

doctor handed Max Lucado to Jack Lucado, my

inherit the riches of Christ and reign with him

dad had no exit option. No loophole. No choice.

forever (Romans 8:17).

him great pleasure. —Ephesians 1:4–5 (NLT)

There is something in you that God loves. Not

Adopted children are chosen children. That’s

He couldn’t give me back to the doctor and ask

just appreciates or approves but loves. You cause

for a better-looking or smarter son. The hospital

love. We were wired to receive it. The words I

his eyes to widen, his heart to beat faster. He loves

made him take me home. But if you were adopted,

give you are God’s. Receive them slowly. Don’t fil-

your parents chose you. They wanted you in their

ter, resist, downplay, or deflect them. Just receive

you. And he accepts you. Don’t we all yearn to know this? Or are there times when you feel like asking God, “Do you know who I am? In the great scheme of things, do I count for anything? Do I matter?”

So many messages tell us we don’t. We get laid

family. You object: “Oh, but if they could have seen the rest of my life, they might have changed their minds.” My point exactly.

God saw our entire lives from beginning to end,

birth to hearse, and in spite of what he saw, he was

off at work, turned away by the school. Everything

still convinced to adopt us into his own family by

from acne to Alzheimer’s leaves us feeling like the

bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And

girl with no date to the prom.

We react. We validate our existence with a flurry

of activity. We do more, buy more, achieve more.

this gave him great pleasure (Ephesians 1:5).

It really is this simple. To accept God’s grace is

to accept God’s offer to be adopted into his family.

Your identity is not in your possessions, talents,

We never outgrow our need for the Father’s

them.

My child, I want you in my new kingdom. I have

swept away your offenses like the morning clouds, your sins like the morning mist. I have redeemed you. The transaction is sealed; the matter is settled.

I, God, have made my choice. I choose you to be part of my forever family.

Let these words cement in your heart a deep,

satisfying, fear-quenching confidence that God will never let you go. You belong to him.

All our wrestlings, I suppose, are merely asking

tattoos, kudos, or accomplishments. Nor are you

this question: “Do I matter?”

defined by your divorce, deficiencies, debt, or dumb

instant, that you are loved by your Maker not

To live as God’s child is to know, at this very

claim when he said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV). Confess that you have sinned and ask God’s forgiveness. Invite him into your life and ask for God’s help to turn from your sin. If you wholeheartedly believe these things and want to become a part of God’s forever family, you can pray something like this:

Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and need

your forgiveness. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior, who gave his life for my sins. I entrust my life to you, Father God. Please come into my life and help me live a life that pleases you. Amen.

Good News Tracts Grace Based on the book Grace, Max Lucado explains that there is nothing we can do to deserve or earn God’s love—it’s only by God’s grace.

Bible references: Various.

Package contains 25 tracts.

GENERAL GOSPEL