Max Lucado’s most recent book, Glory Days, which is based on the Book of Joshua, carries many of the themes that resonate with today’s youth: dealing with doubt and recognizing God’s Word as the ultimate authority, as well as overcoming rejection.
Chapter 13, “You Be You,” seems to be the clarion call, though, in which Max writes, “No one else has your ‘you-ness.’ No one else in all of history has your unique history. No one else in God’s great design has your divine design. No one else shares your blend of personality, ability and ancestry. When God made you, the angels stood in awe and declared, ‘We’ve never seen one like that before.’ And they never will again.
“You are heaven’s first and final attempt at you. You are matchless, unprecedented and unequaled.”
“Consequently, you can do something no one else can do in a fashion no one else can.”
Glory Days originated as a sermon series and is Max’s letter to the church. He encourages readers to dare to believe our best days are ahead of us.
“I’ve always loved the Book of Joshua,” Max said. “There was a seven-year period when Israel went undefeated. We’re talking about a country and a people known for their struggle. So, what can we learn from this seven-year period? What did the Israelites know that we need to know? What did they witness that we need to experience?” he asked, pointing out that we stand to learn a lot about following God from the example of the Israelites.
Anticipating a youth version of Glory Days, Max said his favorite section to write was chapter 2, “Inherit Your Inheritance.”
“This chapter talks about living out of your inheritance. They were told to receive the land, not take the land. Joshua did not fight for but from, which is unique to Christianity. As a coheir with Christ, we have access to every spiritual blessing. The promise is that I—and you—can enjoy an attitude and outlook that Christ had, which is what Joshua could do,” Max said, referring back to learning from the Israelites.
“The big idea comes at the very end,” Max continued, “Not a single promise of God fell to the ground. If I were speaking to a group of youth, I would really work to sell them on living a life of these promises being a reality.”
