Who Am I? By Billy Graham   •   June 27   •   Topics: Soul & Spirit SHARE12 TWEET HomeDaily DevotionWho Am I? teenager with box on head What a glorious Lord! He who daily bears our burdens also gives us our salvation. —Psalm 68:19 (TLB) Edward Dahlberg, the writer, observed, “At 19, I was a stranger to myself. At 40, I asked, ‘Who am I?’ At 50, I concluded I would never know.” This unexplored personal wilderness is the home of millions of people. Ninety-two percent of all Canadian university students, according to June Callwood, the Toronto sociologist, don’t really know who they are. The Bible says that man is an immortal soul. When God made man in the first place, He created him and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). One’s soul is the essence, the core, the eternal and real person. And he will be restless until he opens his life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Prayer for the day Almighty God, knowing I am Your

God Made Us Unique By Billy Graham   •   May 22   •   Topics: Soul & Spirit HomeDaily DevotionGod Made Us Unique group of young people Our soul waiteth for the Lord . . . —Psalm 33:20 I am a soul—and I have a body! The body is the house in which the soul lives. When Oliver Wendell Holmes was in his 80th year, a friend hailed him and asked, “How are you?” “I’m fine,” said Holmes, “the house I live in is tottering and crumbling, but Oliver Wendell Holmes is fine, thank you.” In this materialistic age we often forget that the real, the abiding part of us is invisible. Much time, money, and effort are expended to perpetuate the physical part of us, and too many are unconcerned about their spiritual health and nurture. Hence doctors’ offices are overcrowded, and many ministers’ counseling rooms are empty. When God created man, He made him distinctive, different from the other animals. “He breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul.” He clothed him with inte

Complete Victory By Billy Graham   •   May 20   •   Topics: Sin, Soul & Spirit SHARE3 TWEET HomeDaily DevotionComplete Victory man cheering at game . . . greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. —1 John 4:4 Paul once wrote, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye can not do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17). This is the battle or the tension that is present in us to a greater or lesser degree. So, you see, the spiritual lag that you feel is explained in the Bible. That does not mean that you accept it as the way it should be. You should make all necessary preparations for this battle which the Bible says “is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces.” In Ephesians 6 we read that the Bible tells what preparation you should make. In the meantime, always remember that “where sin abounds, grace did much more abound.” You can have complete vict

Love Despite Ourselves By Billy Graham   •   May 15   •   Topics: God's Love SHARE5 TWEET HomeDaily DevotionLove Despite Ourselves disheveled man . . . all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags . . . —Isaiah 64:6 The Bible teaches that all our righteousness-falling short of the divine standard as it does-is as filthy rags in the sight of God. There is absolutely no possibility of our manufacturing a righteousness, holiness, or goodness that will satisfy God. Even the best of us is impure to God. I remember one day when my wife was doing the washing. The clothes looked white and clean in the house, but when she hung them on the line they appeared soiled and dirty, in contrast to the fresh-fallen snow. Our own lives may seem at times to be morally good and decent; but in comparison to the holiness and the purity of God, we are defiled and filthy. In spite of our sins and moral uncleanness God loves us. He decided to provide a righteousness for us. That is the reason that He

The Unpayable Debt By Billy Graham   •   April 28   •   Topics: Grace The Unpayable Debt hands reaching out of jail cell Who gave himself for our sins . . . —Galatians 1:4 Years ago King Charles V was loaned a large sum of money by a merchant in Antwerp. The note came due, but the king was bankrupt and unable to pay. The merchant gave a great banquet for the King. When all the guests were seated and before the food was brought in, the merchant had a large platter placed on the table and a fire lighted on it. Then, taking the note out of his pocket, he held it in the flames until it was burned to ashes. The king threw his arms around his benefactor and wept. Just so, we have been mortgaged to God. The debt was due, but we were unable to pay. Two thousand years ago God invited the world to the Gospel feast, and in the agonies of the cross, God held your sins and mine until every last vestige of our guilt was consumed. Prayer for the day In gratitude I kneel before You, Lord Jes

God, Our Helper By Billy Graham   •   April 27   •   Topics: God's Will HomeDaily DevotionGod, Our Helper man holding out hand I am like a sheltered olive tree protected by the Lord himself. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. —Psalm 52:8 (TLB) Turn to your Bible and read the wonderful stories of men who were alone in godless surroundings but who, by the help and presence of the living God, made a marvelous contribution to their own times. Joseph was surrounded by sin and intrigue in Egypt. His master’s wife tried to seduce him. He was tested by imprisonment, but through it all he trusted in God and sought to know and do His will; and he stands today as a wonderful example of the keeping and strengthening power of God in the heart of a man who believed in Him. Prayer for the day In the dark days, I will put out my hand and You, loving Lord, will be there.

He Is Alive! By Billy Graham   •   April 24   •   Topics: Jesus Christ, Supernatural Home Daily Devotion He Is Alive! cross with white cloth Because I live, ye shall live also. —John 14:19 For personal Christianity, the resurrection is all-important. There is a vital interrelation to the existence of Christianity itself, as well as to the individual believer, in the message of the Gospel. The Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, said, “Do you want to believe in the living Christ? We may believe in Him only if we believe in His corporeal resurrection. This is the content of the New Testament. We are always free to reject it, but not to modify it, nor to pretend that the New Testament tells something else. We may accept or refuse the message, but we may not change it.” Christianity as a system of truth collapses if the resurrection is rejected. That Jesus rose from the dead is one of the foundation stones of our faith. Prayer for the day Lord, let me live today with the constant thought

Love in Action By Billy Graham   •   April 21   •   Topics: Love, Missions & Service Home Daily DevotionLove in Action guys huddling and praying Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ . . . —Ephesians 5:2 (TLB) There is no doubt that we need social reform. If success is ever to be realized, our generations must work together and listen to each other, which is one of the first requirements of cooperation. At this point, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is relevant as the great reconciler. The Apostle John, in his first epistle, declared, “To you, young men, I have written,” and, “To you, fathers, I have written.” This is to the young activists and to the old guard, “It is by this that we know what love is: that Christ laid down His life for us. And we in our turn are bound to lay down our lives for our brothers. But if a man has enough to live on, and yet when he sees his brother in need shuts up his heart against him, how can it be said that the divine love dwe

Depend on Him By Billy Graham   •   April 19   •   Topics: Holy Spirit Daily DevotionDepend on Him walking on beach at sunset I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit's instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won't always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. —Galatians 5:16 (TLB) To walk in the Spirit is a challenging and inspiring exercise, for it combines activity with relaxation. To walk means to place one foot in front of the other. If you stop doing this, you are no longer walking-you are standing still. Walking always implies movement, progress, and direction. Sin shall no longer rule or dominate you when you are allowing the Holy Spirit to live Christ’s life through you. It is living by faith, living by trust, living in dependence upon God. If we look to our own resources, our own strength, or our own ability, as Peter did when he walked on the water, we will fail. You cannot live the Christian life by yourself.

The Return of the Lord By Billy Graham   •   April 14   •   Topics: End Times HomeDaily DevotionThe Return of the Lord man and woman praying together Our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ is; and we are looking forward to his return . . . —Philippians 3:20 (TLB) The Scriptures indicate that we are living in man’s day. But there is coming a day that will be called the Day of the Lord. In the midst of hopelessness, there is hope! And that hope is centered in the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the will of man runs riot in the earth. Then the will of the Lord will alone be done. Until that time, we are under orders from the King of kings to proclaim His message. When we engage in evangelism, we are obeying His great command to “go and proclaim.” In doing so, we are hastening the day of His return. Prayer for the day As I live in the hope of Your return, give me the wisdom and love to reach those around me.

Looking for a cause? By Billy Graham   •   April 13   •   Topics: Evangelism HomeDaily Devotion Looking for a cause? young woman praying Brethren . . . present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. —Romans 12:1 In a book called “The Age of Longing” we read that an American girl married a radical revolutionary in Paris. She had lost her faith at an American University—lost all the religious faith she had, and all the things her parents had told her. She was asked why she married him. She said, “He’s the first person I have ever known who believes something strong enough to die for it. Although I don’t believe exactly as he does, I was attracted to this man who had found a cause.” I find that young people today are looking for a cause, and they are not looking for something easy. Some time ago a university student in Moscow told one of my colleagues, “You Christians say that you are going to win the world, bu

What Is Most Important? By Billy Graham   •   April 10 Home Daily Devotion What Is Most Important? hands on casket For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ must still be dead. And if he is still dead, then all our preaching is useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless. . . . The fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead . . . —1 Corinthians 15:13,14,20 (TLB) I was invited to have coffee one morning with Konrad Adenauer before he retired as the Chancellor of Germany. When I walked in, I expected to meet a tall, stiff, formal man who might even be embarrassed if I brought up the subject of religion. After the greeting, the Chancellor suddenly turned to me and said, “Mr. Graham, what is the most important thing in the world?” Before I could answer, he had answered his own question. He said, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is alive, then there is hope for the world. If Jesus Christ is in the grave, then I don’t see

Do Not Trust Your heart By Billy Graham   •   April 9 HomeDaily DevotionDo Not Trust Your heart man looking over water And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him . . . —Luke 23:33 One of the ironies of human nature is that it often has a way of rejecting the best and accepting the worst. Why did the crowd ask for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus? The answer is in the biblical statement, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jesus is just as divine today and just as much alive as He was on that first Good Friday.  Yet millions today don’t accept Him. His goodness is still a rebuke to our badness; His purity still shows up our impurities; His sinlessness still reveals our sinfulness; and unless we allow Him to destroy the evil within us, the evil within us still wants to destroy Him. This is the conflict of the ages. Prayer for the day Lord Jesus, when I reflect upon the

What Makes Christianity Different? By Billy Graham • April 7 Daily DevotionWhat Makes Christianity Different? cross steeple with blue sky He is not here, but is risen. —Luke 24:6 Something distinguishes Christianity from all the religions of the world. Not only does it carry the truth of the redemption, by the death of our Savior for our sins on the cross, but it carries the fact that Christ rose again. Only the Christian faith claims that its Leader died and rose again and is alive at this moment. Many gravestones carry the inscription, “Here lies . . . ,” but on Christ’s tomb are emblazoned the words, “He is not here.” Christianity has no shrines to visit, no dusty remains to venerate, no tombs at which to worship. Many good men have lived, and still live, in the memory of those who knew them, but there is only one Man who conquered death-Jesus Christ-and He will live forever. Prayer for the day The account of Your resurrection never ceases to bring me joy, Lord Je

What a Savior! By Billy Graham • April 5 Daily DevotionWhat a Savior! white cross with crown of thorns It was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day. —Luke 24:46 (TLB) What was the power and influence that changed the cross from an instrument of bloody torture into the most glorious and beloved of all symbols? The Romans crucified thousands of people before and after Calvary. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, no right-minded person would have glorified anything so hideous and repulsive as a cross stained with the blood of Jesus. By the miracle of His rising from the grave, Jesus placed the seal of assurance upon the forgiveness of our sins. A dead Christ could not have been our Savior. An unopened grave would never have opened heaven. By bursting the chains of the tomb, Jesus proved Himself to all ages the conqueror of sin. The sacrifice on Calvary had fulfilled its purpose; the ransom price paid for your

Not Just a Man By Billy Graham • April 3 HomeDaily Devotion Not Just a Man Jesus in stained glass And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. —Colossians 1:17 Napoleon was right when he said, “I know men, and I tell you, Jesus is more than a man. Comparison is impossible between Him and any other human being who ever lived, because He was the Son of God.” Emerson was right when he replied to those who asked him why he did not include Jesus among his Representative Men, “Jesus was not just a man.” Arnold Toynbee was right when he said, “As we stand and gaze with our eyes fixed upon the farther shore, a simple figure rises from the flood and straightway fills the whole horizon of history. There is the Savior.” Prayer for the day My Savior, I worship and revere Your name for You are the risen Christ, beloved Son of God.

The Hope of Resurrection By Billy Graham   •   March 31   •   Topics: Hope Home Daily Devotion The Hope of Resurrection mountain lake He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus . . . —2 Corinthians 4:14 The resurrection of Christ brings hope. The late Emil Brunner once said, “What oxygen is for the lungs, such is hope for the meaning of human life.” As the human organism is dependent on a supply of oxygen, so humanity is dependent on its supply of hope. Yet today hopelessness and despair are everywhere. Peter, who himself was given to despair during the episode of Calvary, writes in a triumphant note, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” There is hope that mistakes and sins can be forgiven. There is hope that we can have joy, peace, assurance, and security in the midst of the despair of this age. There

Cleansed by the Blood By Billy Graham • March 29 • Topics: Forgiveness HomeDaily DevotionCleansed by the Blood . . . unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. —Revelation 1:5 Blood is mentioned 460 times in the Bible. Fourteen times in the New Testament Jesus spoke of His own blood. Why? Because by the shedding of His blood, He accomplished the possibility of our salvation. He paid the penalty for our sin and redeemed us. The penalty for our sin and rebellion is death; Jesus stepped out and said, “I’ll take that death.” He voluntarily laid down His life and took the penalty we deserve. That’s what the cross is all about. The blood of Jesus Christ not only redeems us, it justifies us. Being justified means more than being forgiven. I can say, “I forgive you,” but I can’t justify you. But God not only forgives the past, He clothes you in righteousness as though you had never committed a sin. Yet it cost the blood of His Son on the cross.

The Greatest Act of Humility By Billy Graham • March 27 • Topics: Pride HomeDaily DevotionThe Greatest Act of Humility cross . . . he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. —Matthew 23:12 In almost every instance in the Bible, as well as in life, pride is associated with failure, not success. We hear a great deal about the inferiority complex, but the superiority complex of pride is seldom spoken of. It was pride that caused the fall of Lucifer, and he became Satan, the devil. It was pride that led King Saul down to a shameful and untimely death. It was pride that caused Peter to deny his Lord. The greatest act of humility in the history of the universe was when Jesus Christ stooped to die on the cross of Calvary. And before any man can get to heaven, he must kneel at the foot of the cross and acknowledge that he is a sinner, that he has broken the Ten Commandments of God, and that he needs the grace of God in Christ. No man can come proudly to the Savior.

Be Sensitive By Billy Graham • March 25 • Topics: Love HomeDaily Devotion Be Sensitive rapid response team If a person isn't loving and kind, it shows that he doesn't know God—for God is love. —1 John 4:8 (TLB) Jesus wept tears of compassion at the graveside of a friend. He mourned over Jerusalem because as a city it had lost its appreciation of the things of the Spirit. His great heart was sensitive to the needs of others. To emphasize the importance of man’s love for men, He revised an old commandment to make it read, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . and thy neighbor as thyself.”  This generation is rough and tough. I heard a little boy boasting one day about how tough he was. He said, “On the street I live on, the farther out you go the tougher they get, and I live in the last house.” Until you have learned the value of compassionately sharing others’ sorrow, distress, and misfortune, you cannot know real happiness. Prayer for