Just Like Jesus: A Heart Like His

Written by: Max Lucado
Published by: Thomas Nelson

I have always enjoyed reading Max Lucado's writing. He has written many good books, and he always writes in a way that is fun and easy to read.

I was excited to read Just Like Jesus because that is my goal... to grow to be just like my Hero. This book includes chapters on such subjects as forgiveness, compassion, and worship.

Who the book is for:

Anyone who longs to be like Jesus.

What I liked:

The message overall was good, leading the reader to follow in Jesus' footsteps.

Each chapter started with a Bible verse or two.

What I didn't like:

For me, this book was not one of my favorites from Max. I found it a bit boring and hard to read, and very basic.

My conclusion:

Definitely a disappointment for me, but still, possibly, worth reading.

I give Just Like Jesus 3 out of 5 stars.

*I think I will be passing this book on.

I received this book free to review from BookSneeze. The opinions expressed in this review are my true thoughts and feeling regarding this book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Great for family devotional or study. It is practical and reflective and creates pictures like Lucado usually does. Makes for a great sermon series.

I chose this book to review because of the author, Max Lucado. I enjoy his writing, because it's so easy to understand and always 100% positive and hopeful.

I'm not a religious person but still I find the idea of having a heart like Jesus something very interesting because it's all about being a good person, doing good for others and those are the things I'm all about however life isn't always that simple so I'm constantly searching for help in dealing with daily issues especially difficult people as I'm surrounded by them.

This book has 12 chapters and 12 extra Study Guide chapters so that you wont forget what you've just read as I often do. I find this very helpful and a great way to revert back for reminders instead of having to reread entire chapters again.

Here are some highlights from the book that really stood out and gave me something challenging & life changing to think about.

1. Imagine Jesus living your life. How different would your life be? How would your views on things change?
2. Be more mindful of how we react and behave in situations. Ask ourselves how would Jesus react/behave?
3. Show mercy to everyone.
4. When something negative is said to you, ask yourself would Jesus agree with that statement? if not discard it.

There are many, many more incredible lessons in this book but these are the ones I'm choosing to start with as to not overwhelm myself.

Even if you aren't a religious person like myself, this book will help you and relate to your life because that's how great of a writer Max Lucado is. When I read his books, I don't feel bad for not being religious or like I don't understand what he's writing about because he writes like a regular person. He makes you feel like you're listening to a good friend who has a whole lot of wisdom.

One part of the book that I am struggling with is showing mercy to everyone, no matter what they've done. Now even if you haven't read the bible, we all pretty much know that Jesus loves everyone and judges no one. That is the one part that I am finding very difficult to do and it will take time, maybe even years and that's okay.

If you'd like to read this book, you can find it on Amazon.com as well as many other book sites.

Disclosure: I received this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

We thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is outstanding and such a great expression of ALL that Jesus IS and does in our lives!

Even though I read this book relatively quickly, unlike many of the books that I review here, I decided to read through the book a second time. It is just that good. Written in Lucado's typical down to earth style, Just Like Jesus is an inspiration for us to try to live like Jesus and to develop a heart like His.

As humans, we have a hard time understanding God's love. We typically try to relate His love for us with our love. In his book, Lucado dispels this way of thinking. God's love isn't based on human love. We can not equate the love that God has for us with the love that we have for others.

"God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus."

This quote from early in the book caught my attention from the very beginning. Lucado takes care to explain this concept in his book in more detail.

"God loves you just the way you are. If you think his love for you would be stronger if your faith were, you are wrong. If you think his love would be deeper if your thoughts were, wrong again. Don't confuse God's love with the love of people. Don't confuse God's love with the love of people. The love of people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God's love. He loves you right where you are."

Lucado goes on to explain what it means to have the heart of Jesus. Generally when reading a book for review here, I will highlight three or four passages from which I choose to quote here in my review. However, by the time I was finished with Just Like Jesus the second time, I had over three pages of highlighted notes on my kindle edition of the e-book. There is just too many good quotes from this book to list them all in this review.

About a month ago, I did quote a verse of Scripture that Lucado talks about in his book.

"The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful about you. Zephaniah 3:17"

This verse of Scripture really grabbed my attention and Lucado changed my way of thinking about how God perceives us. God rejoices over us. He sings about us. How great is that? The knowledge that God is singing over us should make us want to be more like Him, be more like Jesus, have a heart like Him. In his book, Max Lucado explains the actions that we must take to achieve this goal. A goal of having a heart like Jesus.

Lucado also explains in his book that being like Jesus is not only important to ourselves but also important to those around us for which we set examples. At their very early age, I realized that I was setting an example for my children and for others. I also realized that this example could be a good one or a bad one, the choice was mine. Lucado spends some time in his book also talking about this very subject.

"Parents, what are your children learning from your worship? Do they see the same excitement as when you go to a basketball game? Do they see you prepare for worship as you do for a vacation? Do they see you hungry to arrive, seeking the face of the Father? Or do they see you content to leave the way you came?

They are watching. Believe me. They are watching."

Just Like Jesus, A Heart Like His, is a great book that will engage you, make you think, and give you a deeper understanding of God's love for us and how you can use His love as an example for your own life. I highly recommend this book to anyone, Christian and non-Christian alike. The book is well written and like all of Lucado's books, full of easy to understand concepts that you can use in your daily walk with Him.

I give this book 5 out of 5 books. If you desire a heart like Jesus, then you should pick up a copy of this book today.

Just Like Jesus, A Heart Like His is written by Max Lucado and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book is available now at your favorite Christian bookstore or online retailer.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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."

In 12 chapters Max Lucado walks us through some of Jesus attributes and reminds us that we are called to imitate Him, to have a heart like His. We are to have a forgiving, compassionate, listening, God-intoxicated, worship-hungry, focused, honest, pure, hope-filled, rejoicing, enduring heart. Perhaps Max summed it up best when he said having a heart like Jesus "means to kneel as Jesus knelt, touching the grimy parts of the people we are stuck with and washing away their unkindnesses with kindness". It sounds like a big order but when Max breaks it down, we realize just how obtainable it is.

Combining scripture with story illustrations we begin to not only understand that we truly can have a heart like Jesus, but we begin to want a heart like His. We are reminded that "how we look at life determines how we live life". We need to be focused on our goal of living Christ-like, conscious of our actions, and determined to reach the end of the race.

This is a great book and the companion book, [[ASIN:0849948509 Just Like Jesus Devotional: A Thirty-Day Walk with the Savior]], helps us to go deeper and personalize the lessons. All in all this is another great Lucado resources for drawing us closer to God.

I was fortunate to have received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book captures the truth of Jesus' life. It gives the reader a three-dimensional sense of how we should then live. Very motivational. Should be used...often

Max Lucado has two book with this same title. The [[ASIN:084994743X the first]] is a readable book drawing us to be to be followers of Jesus. [[ASIN:0849948509 The second]] takes much of the same material and rewrites it for use as a 30 day devotional. Though much of the same material exists in both volumes, they are not word for word duplicates. On the other hand, if the reader's interest is in reading a Max Lucado book, only one of these books needs to be chosen. It might be useful for a small group or church to offer both books, allowing each participant to choose the format most comfortable for each individual.

The books allows the reader to examine what it means to be a follower of Jesus - and, like most of Lucado's book, is very practical and down to earth. Conservative and biblical, the book, like most of Lucado's work, is full of modern stories, anecdotes, and parables. It is the stories, anecdotes, and parables, that make both books so inviting to the reader. The stories are set amidst scripture - both presented as stories and as truths that will define our faith.

Having worked through both books, I prefered the devotional format - but that is really a result of who I am rather than on one book being better than the other. Just Like Jesus will allow us to examine our lives - whether as a monograph or as a daily devotional.
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This review is based on free electronic copies of these books provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Book Description: Over and over Max tells us, "God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you there. He wants you to be just like Jesus." This is the crux of the book. God loves us too much to leave us just as we are, he wants to make us better, to make us as great as his Son. But how do we do that? ... That's what Max gets into in each chapter of Just Like Jesus.

Recommendations: If you are seeking and wanting to grow in your Christian walk, this is the book for you. It will both challenge you and encourage you to be just like Christ. I recommend reading each chapter as a daily devotional (or weekly devotional). Meditate on what Max says. Apply the principles he lays out. Really absorb his teachings and become more like Jesus than when you first pick up the book.

Review: This is definitely one I will want to re-read over and over again. Worth every penny of your investment. If you get it as an ebook, you will have tons of notes in the notes sections. If you buy the physical book, keep a highlighter and pen/pencil handy.

A must read for a more successful Christian walk!

Thank you to BookSneeze for providing me with a complementary copy of this book :)

Max Lucado is one of America's favorite writers with more than 100 million products in print. He serves the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, Denalyn.
This book is beautifully written. It helps us accept the simple truth that God loves us. Not only does He love each of us exactly as we are, He wants us, little by little, to become like Him. He loves us enough to live within us, making our hearts His home. Max reminds us of just how far God will go to transform us into His likeness. God loves us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us that way. More than anything, He wants us to be just like Jesus. This book helps us to understand the heart of Jesus.
The heart of Jesus is forgiving, compassionate, listening, God-intoxicated, worship hungry, focused, honest, pure, hope-filled, rejoicing and enduring. This may sound like too much, but this little book explains it all in an easy to absorb fast read. At the end of the book there is a complete study guide. The study guide covers each chapter seproup study separately and completely. It would be a great book for a group study, as well as a personal study. I can't think of a greater gift than to be like Jesus. Christ felt to guilt; God wants to banish yours. God wants to remove our bad habits. Jesus had no fear of death; God wants us to be fearless. Their are many more qualities that are covered in this book that we can learn from studying the heart of Jesus.

I give this book five stars.