Angels
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Psalm 34:7 RSV
Years ago there was a television program called Charlie’s Angels. These “angels” were three attractive women who were involved in fighting crime. In the theater, people who finance expensive productions are called “angels” because without them, the shows would never get to the stage. These are modern interpretations of the word angel, but the idea is correct, nevertheless.
Angels are beings who help people against evil forces, and they do perform certain duties, without which we could not always be able to achieve a certain goal or station in life.
In the Bible, there are several instances when angels revealed themselves to man. Although these instances occur mostly in the Old Testament, perhaps the most famous appearance occurs in the New Testament, when Mary is visited by an angel and told that she is to bear the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Mostly, though, angels are invisible. Of course this does not make them any less real than you would be to me if I happened to be blindfolded. Our ability to see angels or not to see them has nothing at all to do with their existence and their role in protecting us from certain harms.
Though we do not pray to angels, and man, for the moment, is only “a little lower than the angels,” they are just one more example of how God cares for and keeps us against the forces of Satan, which are constantly trying to defeat us.
Truly, angels are God’s “secret agents.”
Our Father and our God, thank You for Your angels who protect me daily from Satan’s demons. And thank You for all that these “secret agents” do to keep me from harm. Help me to see them with my heart if not with my eyes. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Storms Of Life
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.
Isaiah 26:3
Once while flying between cities on the African continent, I began to share my faith in Christ with some reporters who were accompanying me. None seemed interested in hearing the Gospel.
Suddenly, the place entered a very turbulent storm. The plane shook and began to bounce up and down.
After we had successfully come through the storm, one of the reporters approached me and said, “What were you saying about life after death?”
When Jesus was on the Sea of Galilee with some of His disciples, a storm came up and began to toss the boat around. His disciples cried out in fear, but Jesus slept at the stern of the boat, unafraid and unintimidated by the weather.
When they awakened Him, He rebuked them for their lack of faith, and then He rebuked the storm. Both the storm and the disciples were silenced!
There is a wonderful old hymn which says, “He gives us peace in the midst of the storm.” In life there are all kinds of storms: storms of unbelief; storms of materialism (mostly brought about by those who want more material things than they have); storms of secularism, moral degeneracy, and international tensions.
Jesus was at peace in the midst of that storm because He and His Heavenly Father had a relationship that gave Him peace. It is that type of relationship that God wants to have with us.
Are storms in your life making you afraid? You can have peace despite the storms. Stay close to Jesus Christ. Read God’s Word. Pray.
Our Father and our God, I come to You with these frustrations and stresses on my life. I pray earnestly for Your peace to calm my aching soul and soothe my troubled heart. Remind me of Your power to overcome the world and its stresses. In the name of the One who brings peace. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
God’s Power Revealed Through Prayer
Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:17–18
How many times have you heard someone say, “All I can do is pray”?
All I can do is pray?! You might as well say to a starving man, “All I can do is offer you food,” or to a sick person, “All I can do is give you medicine that will make you well,” or to a poor child, “All I can do is buy the toy you most want for your birthday.”
Praying unlocks the doors of heaven and releases the power of God. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” And Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22).
Many of us want to do a work for God, but few of us want to spend hours in prayer to God. It goes against our natural inclinations to pray, which is precisely why prayer counts so much with God. It is unnatural. It is, in fact, supernatural! And it always gets God’s attention.
I am sometimes amused when people tell me, “God answered my prayer.” What they mean is that God gave them what they asked for. But if He had not granted their request, He would still have answered their prayer. We forget that “No” and “Wait” are also answers, as is “Yes.”
I have answered every request made by my children to me. The answer has not always been what they wanted, but it has always been in accordance with what I have thought was best for them at the time. God is the same way, except that His answers are always right and good and best, while mine may or may not have been.
And remember, whether prayer changes our situation or not, one thing is certain: prayer will change us!
Our Father and our God, thank You for the incredible blessings You have given me. I praise You for Your great generosity and constant care. Please give me the heart to hear Your answers to my prayers, even when the answer is “Wait” or “No.” Help me to accept Your lordship of my life, knowing that You have only my greatest good in mind. Through Christ, my Lord. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Freedom Of Choice
Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your father served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 RSV
We hear a lot about “freedom of choice” these days. But think about it. The very word choice presupposes at least two alternatives.
When Joshua asked the Israelites to “choose this day whom you will serve,” the choice he gave them was between God and the false god, Baal. Before waiting for their reply, Joshua announced his choice, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Choices are offered throughout the Bible as they are throughout our lives. Repeatedly throughout the Scripture, choices are made by God and man.
God commands man to make those choices, but only after providing him with sufficient information so that his choices will be informed ones. Because of truth in lending and truth in labeling laws, one cannot apply for a loan or buy a product in a supermarket without being furnished with certain information.
This information is necessary in making intelligent choices. God has given us information about Himself, including His holiness, man’s sinfulness, God’s provision for that sin, Jesus Christ, and scores of promises to man about what will happen if he accepts God’s promises and what will happen if he does not. Galatians 6:6–8 says, “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Some time ago there was a television show called Truth or Consequences. The host of the program used to say to the contestants, “If you don’t tell the truth, you will have to pay the consequences.” It is the same with choices. If you make the wrong choice, you will have to pay the consequences. But if you make the right choice, you receive all of the benefits. So it is best to choose wisely, as Joshua did, because the choices we make have the potential for affecting our lives for better or for worse.
Our Father and our God, I want to serve You with all my heart and soul. Help me, Lord, to always make wise choices that lead me into Your presence. Give me wisdom and discernment so that my life will always glorify You. I need Your guidance and help in walking safely through Satan’s minefield of temptations and sins. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
God Is A Person
It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22–23
When I was a small boy, I thought of God as an old man with a long white beard. After all, hadn’t Michelangelo painted Him that way?
Later, as I read the Bible, and after I had accepted Christ as my Savior, I realized that God is a spirit, yet He has the attributes of a person: He thinks; He speaks; He communicates; He loves; He becomes angry; He grieves.
Because God is a person, He feels that which we feel. After all, we are made in His image, so it is to be expected that we would be able to communicate our deepest feelings and emotions to God.
God communicates with us in two ways. First, He communicates with us through His written Word, the Bible. It tells us who God is, who we are, and why we need a Savior so that we might have that relationship with God which sin has broken.
Second, God communicates with us through His Son. Jesus said that no man can come to the Father except through Him. We have that access to Jesus, and thus to God, through salvation.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes.
Our Father and our God, sometimes I can’t express my deepest emotions. But I know that Jesus can express my very heart to You and that You understand. Thank You, Father, for Your great compassion and faithful love. In the name of Christ, amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Value Of A Man
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
Psalm 8:4
A certain rich man died and the question was asked at his funeral, “How much did he leave?”
“He left it all,” came the reply.
Often, I hear someone introduced this way: “This is Bob, and he works for . . . ,” as if where a person works determines his or her value. I have noticed that it is usually only the well-to-do or those who are thought of as “successful” who are introduced this way.
Yet God does not judge us by success. He loves each person the same because your value and mine does not come from what we do or have, the clothes we wear, the house in which we live, or the type of car we drive. Our value comes from the fact that God made us and Christ died for us. And so, whether we have things or not, we are just as valuable to God.
God gave all that He had—His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—because He valued us so highly, even when we did not value Him. Since God thought this much of us, shouldn’t we show that we value Him by putting Him first in all that we do—our family life, our business life, our spiritual life?
There is a song which says, “Put Jesus first in your life, let Him handle all the problems that come your way . . . you have searched in vain for something; now you don’t want that something you’ve found. Put Jesus first in your life, and turn your life around.”
The actual value of an object is that which is placed on it by the owner or buyer.
God has shown the value He has placed on you by sending His Son to redeem you.
Our Father and our God, I bow humbly before You, remembering my total dependence on You. Without You I am nothing, but because of Your Son I am sanctified, I am justified, I am saved. Thank You for valuing me enough to sacrifice Jesus in my place. I am Yours because of the blood of Your blessed Son, Jesus. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010.
The Ultimate Protection
For he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.”
Hebrews 13:5–6 RSV
Some years ago when our son Ned entered a new school, he met some boys from the city who thought they were pretty tough. Ned had never had to confront boys from the streets who had much experience in defending themselves and who witnessed fights as a regular occurrence. The boys from the city soon began picking on him.
Another boy, who had befriended Ned, saw that in order for our son to survive, he would have to learn to defend himself; so he taught Ned a few basics of karate and some of the other martial arts. After much practice, Ned demonstrated his new skills on one of the boys who had been harassing him, and the bullies stopped picking on him.
God wants to teach us how to defend ourselves against sin. Satan, the ultimate bully, attacks us at our weakest points and wants to defeat us so that we will not be effective for God.
In the Bible God offers us some spiritual “training,” which builds us up inside in much the same way as physical exercise and discipline can build us up on the outside. But, like exercise or training in martial arts, we must be consistent in our reading of Scripture and diligent in its application to the situations and circumstances around us. God has not promised to shield us from trouble, but He has promised to protect us in the midst of trouble.
Nothing can touch us apart from God’s will. If something does touch us, we can be sure that it is for the purpose of building us up into a stronger and more effective witness so that God can use us to do battle with the evil bully of history, the devil.
Remember, God will never fail you or forsake you!
Our Father and our God, thank You for Your extraordinary love and concern that accompany me daily. Teach me that You are in control of everything that happens in my life. I’m comforted to know You’re always there. Help me apply the truth of Scripture, the fellowship of prayer, and commitment to You in my life daily. Through Jesus, amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Lost And Found
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
John 14:6 RSV
Recently, while returning to my hotel in a major city, the driver turned left when he should have turned right, and it took him awhile to figure out how to get to our destination. He had to stop and check his road map.
Often in life just one wrong turn, just one wrong decision can take us where we do not want to go or, more importantly, can keep us from going where we do want to go.
There is an ancient saying that “all roads lead to Rome.” When one is lost on a road to Rome or anywhere else, all that is needed to find the way is a good road map or directions from someone who knows the way.
Not all roads lead to God, as some suggest. There is a roadblock which keeps man from reaching God, no matter what road he takes. That roadblock is sin. But God has provided a map—the Bible—and He has provided One who knows the way and can give directions—Jesus Christ.
Christ said, “No man comes to the Father but by me.” Not only does Christ give directions to the Father through Himself, but He also gives us daily directions as to His Father’s will for our lives. Like directions from a map or a person in our travels, we can follow them and get to our desired destination, or we can ignore them and become lost.
Remember, Jesus did not say, “I am one of the ways, or one of the roads you can take to get to the Father.” What He said was, “I am the way.” Determine to follow Christ and never be lost!
Our Father and our God, wrong choices and dead ends have often blocked my ability to live my life fully for You. Take away my sin and lead me toward full acceptance of the leadership and guidance that You provide through the Holy Spirit. I will follow Jesus as the way, truth, and life. In His name I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
A Clean Slate
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
Did you ever have the experience in a school of erasing an entire blackboard? When the slate has been wiped clean, it is as if nothing at all had ever been written on it.
This is what God does for us when we come to Him confessing our sin. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
How many times in your life have you wished you could start all over again with a clean slate, with a new life? Resolve right now to allow God to wipe your slate clean by confessing your sins and letting Him give you a brand-new start.
The apostle Paul did this when he said, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14 RSV).
Our Father and our God, I come to You conscious of my sins and failures but confident in Your love and mercy toward me. Thank You for giving Your wonderful grace and forgiveness to me and for wiping the slate of my life totally clean. Let me start all over with You and live in Your purpose for my life, now and forever, through Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Focus On The Future
For ever, O God, thy word is settled in heaven.
Psalm 119:89
As the Christian with the Bible in his hand surveys the world scene, he is aware that we do not worship an absentee God. He is aware that God is in the shadows of history and that He has a plan. The Christian is not to be disturbed by the chaos, violence, strife, bloodshed, and threat of war that fill the pages of our daily newspapers and our television screens and computers. We know that these things are the consequences of man’s sin and greed. If anything else were happening, we would doubt the Bible. Every day we see a thousand evidences of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Every day as I read my newspaper I say, “The Bible is true.”
No matter how foreboding the future, the Christian knows the end of the story of history. We are heading toward a glorious climax. Every writer of the New Testament believes that “the best is yet to be.”
As John Baillie has said, “The Bible indicates that the future is in God’s hands. If it were in our hands, we would make a mess of it. The future is not in the devil’s hands, for then he would lead us to destruction. The future is not at the mercy of any historical determinism leading us blindly forward, for then life would be without meaning. But the future is in the hands of One who is preparing something better than eye hath seen, or ear heard, or has entered into the heart of man to conceive.”
Our Father and our God, because I know You are the mighty God and You hold my future safely in Your omnipotent hands, I am not afraid to face life and all its struggles. With my whole heart I believe I can do all things with the strength that Christ Jesus my Lord gives me day by day. Your Word and Your Son are settled forever in my heart, Father. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. And now I wait with anticipation for Christ’s victorious return. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
A Glimpse Of Heaven
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 2:14
The description of heaven and the holy city given in Revelation 21 and 22 is beyond understanding. The Bible talks about gates of pearl, streets of gold, a river of life, and a tree of life.
It is a place so beautiful that when John, the apostle, caught a glimpse of it, the only thing to which he could liken it was a young woman on the crowning day of her life: her wedding day. He said that the holy city was like “a bride adorned for her husband.”
The Bible teaches that heaven will be a home which is happy. I know many beautiful homes that are not happy. They are homes made beautiful by everything that culture and wealth can do, yet there is something wrong, something lacking. They are homes that bring to mind the wise man’s words, “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife” (Proverbs 17:1).
God’s house will be a happy home because there will be nothing in it to hinder happiness (Revelation 21:4). This world has in it much happiness for those who know how to find it.
Sooner or later, however, something interferes. No face is so perfect but that it has some blemish. Every rose has its thorn, every cup of sweet has its drop of gall, but in the Father’s house there will be nothing to mar the happiness.
Think of a place where there will be no sin, no sorrow, no quarrels, no misunderstandings, no hurt feelings, no pain, no sickness, no death. That is heaven!
Our Father and our God, the images and thoughts of heaven are exhilarating and astounding. I cannot grasp even a small part of what it must be like. Thank You for inviting me to live eternally with You there. The hope that anchors my soul in this life is bound securely to Your promise of heaven hereafter. Help me to be ready when Jesus comes to take me there. In His name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Devil Defeated
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years . . . [where he] will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:2, 10 NIV
The most powerful being in all the world today, outside of God Himself, is the devil. At the temptation he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and he said in effect, “I will give you all of these if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Jesus did not dispute him. Satan had the power to give Jesus the cosmos, the world system of evil. But, thank God, our Lord quoted Scripture, and that’s one thing the devil can’t stand! The Scripture—which is God’s truth—defeats him every time.
In 2 Corinthians 4:4 he’s also called “the god of this age.” That means that he’s the director of false religions and philosophies of the world. The Bible says the whole cosmos (world) is under his control. What’s going to transpire if something doesn’t happen to Satan? Who’s going to dispose of Satan? Humanity is helpless before him. Man is unable to chain him. The church cannot dethrone him. Legislation is impotent. The United Nations does not know how to handle him. They don’t even understand that they’re dealing with a spiritual power—an enormous power of evil in the world today.
Let’s not forget one fact, however. There is One who is more powerful than Satan! This One defeated him two thousand years ago through the cross and the empty tomb. The devil didn’t want Jesus Christ to go to the cross, because he was afraid of what Christ would do on the cross. He knew that when Christ died on the cross, He was bearing the sins of the whole world. And God was saying to mankind from the cross, “I love you. I want to forgive you of all of your sins. I want you to be My child, and one day to join Me in heaven.” And if Jesus had come down from the cross, we couldn’t be saved. We couldn’t go to heaven. That’s why the devil didn’t want Him on the cross. That’s why they taunted Him, “If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Satan suffered his greatest defeat at the cross, and in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Father and our God, fill me with the Holy Spirit so I will not be tempted to pursue the kingdoms of this world that Satan offers. Give me great contentment as Your child, knowing You are truly the God of this age. Help me to wait patiently for the coming Christ, who will finally bind Satan and usher into heaven those who are found faithful to Him. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
A Covenant For Christians
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him.
Revelation 22:3
It all started in the Garden of Eden, a place located somewhere between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East. In that Garden God gave a great promise: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). As we approach the end of the age, the head of Satan is being battered and bruised as the forces of God gain momentum. Under the command of God, Michael the archangel is now organizing his forces for the last battle—Armageddon. The last picture in the Bible is one of heaven.
Many years ago I was visiting the dining room of the United States Senate. As I was speaking to various people, one of the senators called me to his table. He said, “Billy, we’re having a discussion about pessimism and optimism. Are you a pessimist or an optimist?” I smiled and said, “I’m an optimist.” He asked, “Why?” I said, “I’ve read the last page of the Bible.”
The Bible speaks about a city whose builder and maker is God, where those who have been redeemed will be superior to angels. It speaks of “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). It says, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (vv. 4–5).
The next verse has a thrilling last word to say about angels: “These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”
Christian and non-Christian alike should meditate on the seventh verse, where God says, “Behold I come quickly: blessed is he who keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Where do you fit in this prophetic picture?
Our Father and our God, we are optimistic about the future through You! I know Jesus Christ has already led us to victory over death and evil through the cross. Until that day comes, give me courage to live a holy and righteous life as a servant of Christ the Lord. In His name I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Jesus Is Victor
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:15
We Christians need to rely constantly on the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that Christ dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are the dwelling place of the Third Person of the Trinity. We should not demand that He help us, the way we might a servant. Instead, we should ask Him to come in and do it all, to take over in our lives. We should tell Him how weak, helpless, unstable, and unreliable we are. It is important that we stand aside and let Him take over in all our choices and decisions. We know that the Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8), and what a comfort that should be to the weakest of us.
It is impossible for us to hold out in the Christian life—but He can hold to us. However, it is very difficult for Him to hold us if we are struggling, fighting, and striving. We should just relax and rest in the Lord, letting go all those inner tensions and complexes. We should rely completely on Him. I should not fret and worry about important decisions—I should let Him make them for me. Do not worry about tomorrow—He is the God of tomorrow, He sees the end from the beginning. Do not worry about the necessities of life—He is there to supply and provide. A true victorious Christian is one who, in spite of worries, inner conflicts, and tensions, is confident that God is in control and will be victorious in the end. In reliance on the Holy Spirit, we will find that many of our physical and mental ailments will disappear along with many worries, inner conflicts, and tensions.
Whatever our difficulties, whatever our circumstances, we must remember, as Corrie ten Boom used to say, “Jesus is victor!”
Our Father and our God, I praise Your glorious name for sending Jesus Christ, who is the Victor eternal. He is the mighty One; He is the holy One; He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Master of my soul and the Guide for my life. And He shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah! Praise the name of Jesus! In Him I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Crown Of Life
Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
The Bible has much to say about the brevity of life and the necessity of preparing for eternity. We need a new awareness of the fact that death is rapidly approaching for all of us, and that the Bible has many warnings for us to prepare to meet God. The rich with all their wealth cannot buy a reprieve from the death sentence that hangs over every man. The poor cannot beg one extra day of life from the “grim reaper” who pursues every man from the cradle to the grave.
The Scripture says, “What is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Even the cynical and secular at times think deeply about life and eternity. I am convinced that if people gave more thought to death, eternity, and judgment, there would be more holy living and a greater consciousness of God.
Too many Christians try to put off the thought of death and of the fact that all children of God will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of how they spent their time here on earth.
Job says that his days are “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.” In North Carolina I have visited textile mills and have watched the giant looms which turn out cloth for the nation. The shuttles move with the speed of lightning, scarcely visible to the naked eye. The Bible says this is the chronology of eternity. Though you live to be seventy, eighty, or ninety years old, that is but a snap of the finger compared to eternity. Put your hand on your heart and feel it beat. It is saying, “Quick! Quick! Quick!” We have only a few brief years at the most. Let’s live them for the Lord.
Our Father and our God, my life is going by so quickly, and I have so many things I want to do for You and Your Kingdom. Help me, Lord, to choose wisely the activities and projects I undertake here on earth. Let each one glorify and magnify You in some way. Direct me to the things You have in mind for me to do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Demands Of Faith
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13
A number of years ago I spent Christmas Eve on the battlefields of Korea. It was a beautiful evening; a half moon was in the sky; snow was several inches deep. Picking our way along in a small helicopter, we finally landed at a base hospital right behind the front lines. We could see the glow of the artillery over the side of the mountain.
In the hospital were several men who had just been carried back from their patrol post. One casualty, an ex-football player from one of our Southern universities, was a battle-hardened marine. His doctor whispered to me, “Part of his spine has been shot out, and he’ll never walk again.”
Because of his injury he was forced to lie face downward. He said, “Mr. Graham, we have been looking forward to your coming, and I’d like to see your face.”
I got on my back on the floor and looked up into the face of that tough marine.
“I know that I’m in bad shape,” he said, “but I want you to tell people when you get back to America that I’d gladly die for my country.”
Would you give the same dedication to Jesus Christ? He gave no less for you, and He demands no less from you.
Our Father and our God, I know I am in the middle of spiritual warfare every day. Give me the courage to say I will gladly die to stand for You! Perhaps I shall have to die physically, socially, financially, or in some other way, but help me to hold the banner of Christ high in my life, no matter what comes. In His name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Angel’s Announcement
And the angel said unto them, Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10
Does it not seem mysterious that God brought the first message of the birth of Jesus to ordinary people rather than to princes and kings? In this instance, God spoke through His holy angel to the shepherds who were keeping sheep in the fields. This was a lowly occupation, so shepherds were not well educated. But Mary in her song, the Magnificat, tells us the true story: “He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away” (Luke 1:52–53). What a word for our generation!
What was the message of the angel to the shepherds? First, he told them not to be afraid. Over and over again the presence of angels was frightening to those to whom they came. But unless they came in judgment, the angels spoke a word of reassurance. They calmed the people to whom they came. This tells us that the appearance of angels is awe-inspiring, something about them awakening fear in the human heart. They represent a presence that has greatness and sends a chill down the spine. But when the angel had quieted the fears of the shepherds, he brought this message: “For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11).
I could preach a dozen sermons on those two verses for they contain so many important theological themes. But note that the angel does not preach the Gospel. Rather, he witnesses to it and demonstrates again the overwhelming concern angels have for it.
The good tidings were that the Savior had come. The people needed somebody who could bring them back into fellowship with God, because the blood of bulls and goats could not do this in any permanent way. But the blood of the Savior could. The angel message was that God had come, redemption was possible, the Lord had visited His people with salvation. What a testimony to the evangel this was!
Our Father and our God, I celebrate the glad tidings of the birth of Jesus! Thank You for the testimony of angels who acknowledge and confirm His divinity to faithless people. I treasure above all other things the sweet fellowship I have with You through Your beloved Son, in whom I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
The Christmas Sacrifice
[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:25 NIV
“ [Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 NIV
Do we look at ourselves, our trials, our problems, when we are suffering? Do we live under the circumstances, instead of above the circumstances? Or do we look at the One who knew more suffering than we are able to conceive?
In Table Talk Martin Luther said, “Our suffering is not worthy the name of suffering. When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Savior Jesus Christ.”
There are several things about the life of Christ that reveal His role as the “suffering servant” Messiah. We cannot begin to trace every aspect of this search through His life, but consider these truths:
In Isaiah 53 the sufferings of the Savior are so minutely pictured that one might well read it as the record of an eyewitness, rather than the prediction of a man who wrote eight hundred years before the event.
Observe that Jesus’ life began in the midst of persecution and peril. He came on a mission of love and mercy, sent by the Father. An angel announced His conception and gave Him His name. The heavenly host sang a glorious anthem at His birth. By the extraordinary star, the very heavens indicated His coming. In Himself He was the most illustrious child ever born—the Holy Child of Mary, the divine Son of God. Yet no sooner did He enter our world than Herod decreed His death and labored to accomplish it.
Notice, too, that He assumed a role of deep abasement. The Son of the eternal Father, He became a tiny, helpless infant and was made in the likeness of man. He assumed our human nature with all its infirmities, and weakness, and capacity for suffering. He came as a child of the poorest parents. His entire life was one voluntary humiliation. He came to be a servant and to minister rather than to be ministered unto.
Our Father and our God, accept my humble thanks and praise for Jesus, the provider of my hope and salvation. Help me, like Him, to suffer the tribulations and troubles of this life with trust in You, with patience and peace, with my eyes focused on heaven. Teach me to minister joyfully rather than to expect others to minister to me. In the name of Jesus, the suffering servant. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Led By The Lamb
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17
This is the supreme reality of heaven. There will be an intimate relationship between Christ and His church throughout eternity. He will be “the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne,” and He shall feed His own and shall lead them to fountains of living waters.
With this great certainty and assurance, the future holds no terrors we cannot face. Beyond the crisis lies heaven and the utopia of our dreams. Thus the Christian should never be filled with fear, discouragement, or despondency.
If you do not know Christ as Savior, the future is bleak and dark and pessimistic indeed. Surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let Him come to your heart and transform you and change you.
Courage, faith, and fortitude come from the cross where Christ emptied Himself and humbled Himself, even to the death on the cross. Jesus said, “In the world you will have troubles; but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.”
Oliver Goldsmith, the Irish poet and playwright, penned these insightful words:
Hope, like a gleaming taper’s light,
Adorns and cheers our way;
And still, as darker grows the night,
Emits a brighter ray.
You and I as Christians know the source of that “brighter ray.”
Our Father and our God, thank You for the ability to live in confidence and joy because of Jesus the Lamb. I am not afraid of the future or of passing through death from this world to Yours. I find my courage in my Savior, who has shown me the way to heaven by way of the cross. In Him, who has been resurrected, I celebrate life! In His name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Soul Food
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in health; I know that it is well with your soul.
3 John 2 RSV
The Bible teaches that a person is more than just a body—each of us is actually a living soul! Our souls are created in the image of God. Just as our bodies have certain characteristics and appetites, so do our souls. The characteristics of the soul are intelligence, emotions, and will. The human soul or spirit longs for peace, contentment, and happiness. Most of all, the soul has an appetite for God—a yearning to be reconciled to its Creator and to have fellowship with Him forever.
In our world, we give most attention to satisfying the appetites of the body and practically none to the soul. Consequently we are one-sided. We become fat physically and materially, while spiritually we are lean, weak, and anemic. Or we spend enormous amounts of time and money on fad diets, expensive exercise machines, and health clubs. For many people, these things only demonstrate their preoccupation with the physical side of life. To be sure, our bodies have been given to us by God, and we are to take care of them in every way possible. But even more important is taking care of our souls. The apostle Paul told Timothy, “Train yourself in godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7–8 RSV).
The soul actually demands as much attention as the body. It demands fellowship and communion with God. It demands worship, quietness, and meditation. Nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God, and without God it is restless and in secret torment.
Our Father and our God, my soul thirsts for Your eternal refreshment and satisfaction. It yearns to be in Your presence and to drink in Your glory and majesty. I come to You in worship and meditation now, Father, and I pray for Your peace and quietness to enter my heart and mind through the loving touch of Jesus Christ, through whom I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).