DEVOTIONAL BY BILLY GRAHAM – HOPE FOR EACH DAY

He Is Here to Help

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ROMANS 8:35

After His resurrection Jesus came to His disciples, meeting them between the garden with its empty tomb and the city with its mob still passionate with hate. He said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren” (Matt. 28:10).

In the midst of a world filled with danger, hatred, and war, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ are just as relevant as when He spoke them. He still says to all who love Him, “Do not be afraid.” He comes to you in the hospital room or in the midst of a family tragedy.

He comes to you in the midst of an unexpected business reversal or physical crisis. And He says, “Don’t be afraid. I’m alive, and I’m here to help you. The Cross shows the depth of My love, and the Resurrection shows the depth of My power. Nothing can ever separate you from Me!”

 DEVOTIONAL BY CHARLES STANLEY – ON HOLY GROUND

Amazing Grace

Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. – Ephesians 2:13

It is little wonder that the hymn “Amazing Grace” is sung so resoundingly in churches across the world. Its vivid imagery reminds us of the preeminence of grace and its indispensable role in our salvation and sanctification. But what makes grace so amazing?

God’s grace is amazing because it is free. No currency exists that can ever purchase grace. We are usually suspicious of anything free, but God’s offer is without any hidden strings. He bore the cost for our sins (therefore, it is not cheap grace) so that He could extend it freely to any man on the basis of faith—not intellect, status, or prestige.

God’s grace is amazing because it is limitless. His grace can never be exhausted. Regardless of the vileness or number of our sins, God’s grace is always sufficient. It can never be depleted; it can never be measured. He always gives His grace in fullness.

God’s grace is amazing because it is always applicable. Do you need wisdom? God’s grace provides it through His Word. Do you need strength or guidance? God’s grace sustains you by His Spirit. Do you need security? God’s grace supplies it through His sovereignty.

The amazing grace of God! Full and free! Without measure! Pertinent for your every need!

 DEVOTIONAL FROM POSTCARDS FROM HEAVEN – CLAIRE CLONINGER

I Am Closer Than Your Heartbeat

My dearest child,

I am calling you into a place of rest, into a haven of stillness.  The world can be a tyrant, pushing and rushing and driving you.  You need not yield to its merciless rhythms.  I will give to you a peace that the world cannot give or comprehend.  I will place my peace within you.  I will draw you to me out of the rush and confusion and will teach you to enter my rest.

Though the world swirls around you like a mad whirlpool, my Spirit at the center of your being is a fountain of stillness and pace.  There, I am closer than your heartbeat.  There, you vcan be still and know that I am God.

Enter my rest.  There you will know me.

I am…  God

Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

 ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

 ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

 ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

 ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Psalm 100

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

DEVOTIONAL BY OSWALD CHAMBERS – MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

The Discipline of Spiritual Perseverance

Be still, and know that I am God . . . —Psalm 46:10

Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified. Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is noble and of God. But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God. He brings fulfillment, “because you have kept My command to persevere . . .”

Continue to persevere spiritually.