DEVOTIONAL BY BILLY GRAHAM – HOPE FOR EACH DAY

God’s Hand of Blessing

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.  – James 1:17

In the midst of the Lord’s Prayer are these familiar words: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). They remind us that we are dependent on God for everything, and He is the giver of every blessing. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

Some people say, “Why should I pray for my daily bread? I can take care of my own needs!” But listen: If it weren’t for God’s love and grace, you wouldn’t have anything. We need to pray this prayer every day, because we need to be reminded to trust God in everything.

This prayer reminds us also of Jesus’ words: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). Thank God for all His gifts—especially Christ, the greatest gift of all.

DEVOTIONAL BY CHARLES STANLEY – ON HOLY GROUND

The Faithfulness of God

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.
For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” – 

At times in our spiritual walk we feel as though all of heaven is shut up before us. We find ourselves wondering whether God has forgotten us or we have done something to disappoint Him. But nothing we do surprises God. He is omniscient and perfectly in tune with our every thought.

God has chosen to love you, even in sin, with an unconditional love. His love is based not on your performance but on His grace. You could never in your own strength perform up to God’s standards. He loves you just as much when you stumble and fall as He does when you closely follow Him. This is not an excuse for sin but an opportunity to learn to love Him better.

Along the pathway of faith each of us can expect to face times of trials and difficulty when it appears that God is distant and removed from us. Yet we walk not by sight but in the reality of the promise that He will never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5–6). Faith always looks beyond the immediate to the eternal.

The times you feel God is doing nothing in your life are usually the very times He is doing His greatest work. Be of good courage; He may simply have you protected under the cover of His hand while He works out the necessary details for your advancement. Trust Him, and you will find Him faithful.

DEVOTIONAL FROM POSTCARDS FROM HEAVEN – CLAIRE CLONINGER

I Am Drawing Good From Bad

Dearest Child,

Everything in your life can be used as a part of my plan for good.  Yes, even the bad things.  Even the very situation that you think is intolerable or hopeless or unredeemable.
Trust me.  This thing, too, will work together for your good and my glory.

How is that possible?  It is possible because you love me, because you have been called to walk in my ways, and you have answered yes to that call. Even now I am in the process of drawing good from the bad.  I am committed to taking whatever evil comes into your life and bringing good out of it.

All things will work together for good.  Not just some, but all.  Even your own failures and faults are areas of sin are opportunities for me to work. Commit them to me.  Confess
them.  Put them under the blood of my Son.  Even these things will give you cause to praise me.

Trust me in this. – God.

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

 ¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had
received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

 ¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 ²² “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

 ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not
scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

 ²⁸ “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For everyone
who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Psalm 123

¹ I lift up my eyes to you,to you whose throne is in heaven.

² As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.

 ³ Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.

⁴ We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.

DEVOTIONAL BY OSWALD CHAMBERS – MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

The Undetected Sacredness Of Circumstances

All things work together for good to them that love God. — Romans 8:28

The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you cannot understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God is bringing you into places and among people and into conditions in order that the intercession of the Spirit in you may take a particular line. Never put your hand in front of the circumstances and say – I am going to be my own providence here, I must watch this, and guard that. All your circumstances are in the hand of God, therefore never think it strange concerning the circumstances you are in. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to enter into the agony of intercession, but to utilize the common-sense circumstances God puts you in, and the common-sense people He puts you amongst by His providence, to bring them before God’s throne and give the Spirit in you a chance to intercede for them. In this way God is going to sweep the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being indefinite,or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession, and the human side is the circumstances I am in and the people I am in contact with. I have to keep my conscious life as a shrine of the Holy Ghost, then as I bring the different ones before God, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for them.

Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, but the Holy Ghost makes intercession in our particular lives, without which intercession someone will be impoverished.