In The Grip Of Grace

How does He feel about me when I snap at anything that moves? When I've failed as a parent? Have I drifted too far? The answer is found in one of life's sweetest words-grace. It is God who lovingly holds us in the eternal grip of His grace. Our good deeds won't help. Perfect performance is not required. The God who made us has redeemed us and covered our sinfulness with His righteousness. His holiness is sufficient for all our sin. And that's grace. Best-selling author Max Lucado proclaims the grace of God to be "the greatest discovery of my life." And he wants to share that discovery by taking us on a journey through the mountaintop truths found in Paul's letter to the Romans.

有時你拚命求一樣東西，卻始終得不到。你並非吹毛求疵，你只不過是遵守祂的命令：「將你們所要的告訴神。」

你只想求神開一扇門，或者應允你的禱告，你也會因此感恩。所以你禱告並等候。沒有答案。禱告且等候。還是沒有答案。你再禱告，再等候。

我能問你一個很重要的問題嗎？假如神回答「不」，怎麼辦？如果神說：「我的恩典夠你用的。」你會知足嗎？
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「恩典意謂世上沒有任何人、事、物能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。」「誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？」是世上的宴樂嗎？是與人比較嗎？是自義的律法主義嗎？還是，我們選擇「靠著愛我們的主，在這一切的事上已經得勝有餘了」

作者以詼諧幽默的事例，讓我們了解，在一切的困境中，惟有神的恩典能夠成就一切，而且，單靠恩典！全書行文流暢、淺白易讀，書後並附有研讀指引，讓讀者在輕鬆中有豐富的領受。

作者簡介：
路卡杜（Max Lucado），美國最受歡迎的基督徒作家之一，著述豐富，多為暢銷之作，曾獲多次美國基督教福音派出版人聯會「金章獎」（Gold Medallion Awards, ECPA）。其作品不但扎實的聖經基礎，更富精彩的想像力，能幫助讀者在平淡、熟悉的事物中探得另一番奧妙，領受更深的真理。除研經、靈修性書藉，作者亦擅長兒童故事寫作。

目錄：
致謝
引言　自製衣服 Vs. 恩師之袍
第1章　流落大河邊的四兄弟
第一部　一團混亂
第2章　慈愛之神也會生氣
第3章　假如我們變成蟋蟀
第4章　所求的都是同一個月亮
第5章　血統純正的水手＆美人魚刺青
第二部　奇妙的神
第6章　改變局勢的打擊手
第7章　保了個永恆的天堂險
第8章　不同償還的信用卡
第9章　一份永禮物，三份祝福
第10章　乞丐可享皇家盛宴
第三部　天壤之別
第11章　你會習慣更高的標準
第12章　早早自首，幸福久久
第13章　所需惟有「降落傘」
第14章　誰能救你免於撞牆之苦？
第15章　散步在恩典的花園中
第16章　足夠大的天國海軍船艦
第17章　十字架是時間長度的答案
結語 別忘了關照我
附註
研讀指引 show less

I've read many Lucado books and this one seems a bit different than his other stuff. This is almost a commentary on the Book of Romans. Selected passages were taken from Romans specifically relating to grace, and Lucado devotes entire chapters to that passage. As usual he adds illustrative stories and asks pointed questions to the reader. This is another terrific Lucado book. However, it seems to get a bit more heavy into Scripture rather than Lucado's usual and unique storytelling. Nevertheless, a decent read... but not his best.

Here are some of my favorite quotes taken from this book:

"We know He has a tattoo, and we know what it says. "I have written your name on my hand," He declares (Isa. 49:16)"

"Your parents may have forgotten you, show more your teachers may have neglected you, your siblings may be ashamed of you; but within reach of your prayers is the maker of the oceans. God!"

"You are saved not because of what you do, but because of what Christ did."

"If your sin were too great for his grace, he never would have saved you in the first place."

"God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut. And, if it takes a thorn in the flesh for Him to make His point, He loves us enough not to pluck it out."

"Content. That's the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than He already has."
"Confessed sin becomes the bridge over which we can walk back into the presence of God."

"Mercy understood is holiness desired."

"Holiness demands that sin be punished. Mercy compels that the sinner be loved."

"God's highest dream is not to make us rich, not to make us successful or popular or famous. God's dream is to make us right with Him."

"If a society deletes God from the human equation, what sandbags will they stack against the swelling tide of barbarism and hedonism?"

"Every star is an announcement. Each leaf a reminder. The glaciers are megaphones, the seasons are chapters, the clouds are banners. Nature is a song of many parts but one theme and one verse: God is."

"God loves his children, and he hates what destroys them."

"Many don't understand God's anger because they confuse the wrath of God with the wrath of man. The two have little in common." show less

In his vivid prose, Lucado illustrates the grace of God. His points are loosely based on the first chapters of Romans, and he uses several modern day parables to illustrate the barriers that people put up to receiving God's grace. It's a uplifting and sometimes challenging look at how legalism, judgementalism, and "I can do it myself"ism seperate us from God. This audio version was an execellent adaptation, I loved the "ka-ching" sound effects that they used when they were talking about the sound the old credit card machines made. Give this one a listen for some uplfting Biblically based teaching.

You can't go wrong reading a Max Lucado book. There is plenty to learn, even if you've heard it before. Lucado has a way of explaining biblical concepts in a clear and often humorous way that makes reading his books worthwhile and entertaining.

Started out very good--I like his parables and explanations. Unfortunately, he seemed to reiterate his point way too many times for me. I understood the analogies the first time and then he would explain the same point another 3 or 4 times until I was bored to tears. Great book for someone who is struggling with the faith or more of a beginning Christian but it was just too slow for me. I did not finish the book--I read about 3/4 of the way through but I just did not seem to be learning anything new after the first few chapters.

My first encounter with extra-biblical book grace (yes, you can quote me on that). There are some good parables to be found in this book. It's worth recomending simply for the role it played early on in my spiritual formation.