These things have I written unto you that believe . . . that ye may know that ye have eternal life . . .

—1 John 5:13

Recently I read that it will cost this country a hundred billion dollars to get one man safely to Mars. It cost God the priceless blood of His only Son to get us sinners to heaven. By tasting death for every man, Jesus took over our penalty as He erased our guilt. Now God can forgive. In a moment of thanksgiving, Paul once exclaimed, “He loved me and gave Himself for me!” Will you repeat these words right now, even as you read? If you do, I believe you will have cause to be thankful too, and that you will experience the love of God in your heart. Try it and see. The Bible teaches that you can be absolutely sure that you are saved.

Find Out More About God’s Amazing Love in ‘The Cross’

Prayer for the day

Father, although my finite mind cannot understand all the wonders of the Gospel, I thank You for the assurance of my salvation through Christ.

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I, even I, am he that comforteth you . . .

—Isaiah 51:12

There is also comfort in mourning, because in the midst of mourning God gives a song. His presence in our lives changes our mourning into song, and that song is a song of comfort. This kind of comfort is the kind which enabled a devout Englishman to look at a deep dark hole in the ground where his home stood before the bombing and say, “I always did want a basement. Now I can jolly well build another house, like I always wanted.” This kind of comfort is the kind which enabled a young minister’s wife in a church near us to teach her Sunday school class of girls on the very day of her husband’s funeral. Her mourning was not the kind which had no hope—it was a mourning of faith in the goodness and wisdom of God; it believed that our heavenly Father makes no mistakes.

Prayer for the day

Oh heavenly Father, who knows what agony and grief are because of the sacrifice of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ-I thank You for the comfort which embraces all those who love You.

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But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control . . .

—Galatians 5:22,23 (TLB)

Christ can rid you of inner conflict. Man without God is always torn between two urges. His nature prompts him to do wrong, and his conscience urges him to do right. Antagonistic desires and crossed-up emotions keep him in a state of personal instability. Medical men have almost concluded that this conflict is the basis of much physical breakdown and nervous collapse. Many doctors now believe that among the contributing causes of the common cold are stress, tension, and inner conflict. Paul must have been in the midst of such a personal civil war when he cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Then he answered his own question when he said, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

How to Practice the Fruits of the Spirit in Your Life

Prayer for the day

Only Your Holy Spirit, Lord, can control my innermost feelings. Help me to be conscious of Your presence this day.

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Christ taught you! If you have really heard his voice . . . then throw off your old evil nature-the old you that was a partner in your evil ways . . .

—Ephesians 4:20-22 (TLB)

Paul before his conversion was not meek. Proudly and brutally, he apprehended all Christians and sought to destroy them. He was bigoted, selfish, and vaunted. But when he wrote his warm and affectionate letter to the churches of Galatia, he said, among other things, “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . gentleness, goodness . . . meekness.” His meekness was something God-given, not something man-made. It is not our nature to be meek. On the contrary, it is our nature to be proud and haughty. That is why the new birth is so essential to each of us. That is why Jesus frankly and pointedly said not only to Nicodemus but to every one of us, “Ye must be born again.” Meekness begins there! You must have a change of nature.

Do I need to change my personality to become meek and mild? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Prayer for the day

Heavenly Father, give me the same kind of meekness that You gave to Jesus.

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Who is a God like unto thee . . . he delighteth in mercy.

—Micah 7:18

Many people want to hear what God says just out of curiosity. They want to analyze and dissect it in their own test tubes. To these people, God may remain the great cosmic silence “out there somewhere.” He communicates to those who are willing to hear and receive Him, and willing to obey Him.

Jesus said that we must become humble as little children, and God has most often revealed Himself to the meek and the humble—to a shepherd boy like David, to a rough desert man like John the Baptist, to shepherds watching their flocks, to a girl named Mary. How does God speak? How can a blind man see? How can a deaf man hear?

From the beginning God spoke to man. Adam heard the voice of the Lord in the Garden of Eden. Adam had two sons, Cain and Abel, and God spoke to them. Cain spurned that which was revealed to him, but Abel was obedient to the Word of God. Abel’s response showed that a man tainted and handicapped by sin could respond to God’s overtures. Thus, in the beginning, God began by revelation to build a bridge between Himself and people.

Is God more like a stern judge or a merciful father? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Prayer for the day

How merciful You are, almighty God. I seek to show this same mercy.

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If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him.

—James 1:5

Peace with God and the peace of God in a man’s heart and the joy of fellowship with Christ have in themselves a beneficial effect upon the body and mind, and will lead to the development and preservation of physical and mental power. Thus, Christ promotes the best interest of the body and mind as well as of the spirit—in addition to inward peace, the development of spiritual life, the joy and fellowship with Christ, and the new strength that come with being born again. There are certain special privileges that only the true Christian can enjoy. There is, for example, the privilege of having divine wisdom and guidance continually.

Why is it important to seek God’s wisdom when making a decision? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Prayer for the day

Let me live so close to You, almighty God, that Your wisdom will invade my mind continually.

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Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

—Psalm 119:11

When temptations come, let me suggest that you ask God for strength—and also to show you the way He has prepared for your escape. One other word of counsel; be very sure that you do not deliberately place yourself in a position to be tempted. All of us are not subjected to the same weaknesses and temptations. To one, alcohol may be the temptation; to another, it may be impure thoughts and acts; to another, greed and covetousness; to another, criticism and an unloving attitude. Regardless of what it may be, be sure that Satan will tempt you at your weak point, not the strong. Our Lord has given us an example of how to overcome the devil’s temptations. When He was tempted in the wilderness, He defeated Satan every time by the use of the Bible.

Billy Graham: Overcoming Temptation

Prayer for the day

With the shield of Your Word, I will face temptation, almighty God.

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“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”

—James 1:26

The problems of the world could be solved overnight if men could get victory over their tongues. Suppose there was no anger, no profanity, no lying, no grumbling or complaining; suppose there were no dirty stories told, no unjust criticism—what a different world this would be! The Bible teaches that a man who can control his tongue can control his whole personality. We should ask ourselves three questions before we speak: Is it true? Is it kind? Does it glorify Christ? If we would always think before we speak, there would be much less evil speaking, and there would soon be a spiritual awakening that would sweep the church in America.

The Danger of Harsh Words

Prayer for the day

May I remember how important it is to keep a check on my tongue. I pray that my conversation this day will be pleasing in Your sight, Lord.

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And Jesus said, . . . and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

—Mark 14:62

The world in which we live is full of pessimism. No Christian has the scriptural right to go around wringing his hands wondering what we are to do in the face of the present world situation. The Scripture says that in the midst of persecution, confusion, wars, and rumors of wars, we are to comfort one another with the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming back in triumph, glory, and majesty. Many times when I go to bed at night I think to myself that before I awaken Christ may come. Sometimes when I get up and look at the dawn I think that perhaps this is the day He will come. He has told us Christians to be watching constantly and to be ready, “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). Do you think Christ will come today? “Probably not,” you say. It is on just such a day that He may come. What a glorious time of reunion it’s going to be, when we shall be caught up with Him!

How Will We Know When Jesus Has Returned?

Prayer for the day

Thank You, Jesus, for the hope that even today I may have the joy of seeing You face to face!

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I create new heavens . . .

—Isaiah 65:17

What kind of place is heaven?

First, heaven is home. The Bible takes the word “home” with all of its tender associations and with all of its sacred memories and tells us that heaven is home. Second, heaven is a home which is permanent. We have the promise of a home where Christ’s followers will remain forever. Third, the Bible teaches that heaven is a home which is beautiful beyond every imagination. Heaven could not help but be so, because God is a God of beauty. Fourth, the Bible teaches that heaven will be a home which is happy, because there will be nothing to make it sad. In heaven families and friends will be reunited. God’s house will be a happy home because Christ will be there. He will be the center of heaven. To Him all hearts will turn, and upon Him all eyes will rest.

Read 5 Answers on Heaven From Billy Graham

Prayer for the day

As I think of the promise of an eternal home with You and the reunion with my loved ones—I rejoice!

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I have loved thee with an everlasting love . . .

—Jeremiah 31:3

No human experience can fully illustrate the imputed righteousness of God, as conceived by His infinite love. It is a mystery—incomprehensible and inexplicable. Like the mystery of the sun’s heat and light, we cannot measure it or explain it, and yet we could not live without it. Writing of the mystery of completed righteousness, Paul said, “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. . . . But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:7, 9). What God has wrought in us is wonderful. But His work has just begun. He has a wonderful, exciting, thrilling future for all of His believing children.

Take a couple minutes to see how much God loves you.

Prayer for the day

My finite mind cannot grasp all there is in store for those of us who love You—but this does not take away the joy and expectation all Your love has prepared—everlastingly!

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. . . you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life . . .

—Colossians 3:12 (TLB)

Modern writers depict the pessimism of our time and many of them throw up their hands in despair and say, “There is no answer to man’s dilemma.” Hemingway once said, “I live in a vacuum that is as lonely as a radio tube when the batteries are dead, and there is no current to plug into.” Eugene O’Neill in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” typifies the philosophical attitude of our day. He says, “Life’s only meaning is death.” I say to Hemingway and to O’Neill, who have already gone on, “There is more to life than death.” There is more to life than a radio tube that needs a place to plug into. Jesus taught us the dignity and importance of being a person. God put us on this earth for a purpose, and our purpose is fellowship with God and to glorify God.

What is the meaning of life? Watch Billy Graham’s sermon to find out more.

Prayer for the day

Loving Father, Your love for me transcends the hopelessness of this life and gives me the purpose I so desperately need.

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He that loveth his brother abideth in the light . . .

—1 John 2:10

This age in which we live could hardly be described as conducive to a sensitiveness of the needs of others. We have developed a veneer of sophistication and hardness. Abraham Lincoln once said, characteristically, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.” Much of the world is calloused and indifferent toward mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that for many people there has never been a rebirth. The love of God has never been shed abroad in their hearts. Many people speak of the social gospel as though it were separate and apart from the redemptive Gospel. The truth is: there is only one Gospel. We must be redeemed, we must be made right with God before we can become sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love our fellowmen as we ought.

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team shares God’s compassion with people in crisis. Find out more.

Prayer for the day

Help me to feel another person’s hurt and be concerned, Father, so that I may shed the light of Your love in an uncaring world.

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Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

—1 John 1:3

God made you! You were fashioned in His own image! You were made in the image and likeness of the Creator. God had a purpose in making you. His primary purpose is that you would have fellowship with Him. If man does not have fellowship with God, he is lost, confused, and bewildered. Since he does not find his place, he has a sense of not fitting. There are thousands of people who admit and confess that they are unhappy. Economic security, recreation, pleasure, and a good community in which to live have not brought about the peace and happiness that they expected. The reason is that man was created in the image of God and cannot find complete rest, happiness, joy, and peace until he comes back to God.

Go Deeper: Read “5 Things Jesus Wants Women to Know”

Read about how to walk daily with God.

Prayer for the day

Help me this day, Father, to tell others of the fellowship that can be theirs. Your love will enable me.

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“But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him – how can God’s love be within him?”

—1 John 3:17 (TLB)

You know that the hardest thing for you to give up is your money. It represents your time, your energy, your talents, your total personality converted into currency. We usually hold on to it tenaciously, yet it is uncertain in value and we cannot take it into the next world. The Scripture teaches that we are stewards for a little while of all we earn. If we misuse it, as did the man who buried his talent, it brings upon us the severest judgment of God. The tithe is the Lord’s. If you use it for yourself, you are robbing God. We are to take the tithe as a standard, but to go beyond the tithe is an indication of our gratefulness for God’s gifts to us. In the midst of sorrow and trouble, this life has many blessings and enjoyments which have come from the hand of God. Even our capacity for love is a gift from God. We show our gratitude by giving back to Him a part of that which He has given to us.

Go deeper: Read more about the history and purpose of tithing.

Prayer for the day

Give me a generous heart, Father, that does not grudgingly give back to You all that is rightfully Yours.

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For if the blood of bulls and of goats . . . sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, . . . purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

—Hebrews 9:13,14

To have a guilty conscience is an experience. Psychologists may define it as a guilt complex and may seek to rationalize away the sense of guilt; but once this has been awakened through the application of the law of God, no explanation will quiet the insistent voice of conscience. Many a criminal has finally given himself over to the authorities because the accusations of a guilty conscience were worse than prison bars. The Bible teaches that Christ cleanses the conscience. To have a guilty conscience cleansed and to be free from its constant accusation is an experience, but it is not the cleansing of the conscience that saves you; it is faith in Christ that saves, and a cleansed conscience is the result of having come into the right relationship with God.

Why does it seem like some people don’t have a conscience? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Prayer for the day

I stand in awe of the magnitude of Your forgiveness, Father.

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Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . .

—Hebrews 10:25

I will not argue with you about nature inspiring thoughts of God. David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” But at the same time, I would give you no comfort about absenting yourself from the house of God. The Bible says, “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it.” If our Lord loved it enough to die for it, then we should respect it enough to support and attend it. I like what Theodore Roosevelt once said, “You may worship God anywhere, at any time, but the chances are that you will not do so unless you have first learned to worship Him somewhere in some particular place, at some particular time.”

How do I keep from getting distracted during worship? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Is it OK to skip church and just rest on the Sabbath? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Prayer for the day

Down through the years, beloved Lord, Christians have met to worship You. Thank You that I am a part of this blessed family.

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If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there . . .

—Psalm 139:8

I believe it is possible to know what God is like. The Bible declares that God is Spirit, that He is not limited to body; He is not limited to shape; He is not limited to force; He is not limited to boundaries or bonds; He is absolutely immeasurable. Thousands of people are trying to limit God to certain spheres, and relegate Him to certain categories that are the product of their own speculation. There is no limit to God. There is no limit to His wisdom. There is no limit to His power. There is no limit to His love. There is no limit to His mercy. Men change, fashions change, conditions and circumstances change, but God never changes.

Prayer for the day

I limit You so many times, Lord. Forgive my finite mind and fill me with Your wisdom, power, and mercy, so that I can touch those You love this day.

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Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires.

—Psalm 51:10 (TLB)

You were created in the image and likeness of God. You were made for God’s fellowship, and your heart can never be satisfied without His communion. Just as iron is attracted to a magnet, the soul in its state of hunger is drawn to God. Though you, like thousands of others, may feel in the state of sin that the world is more alluring and more to your liking, some day—perhaps even now as you read these words—you will acknowledge that there is something deep down inside you which cannot be satisfied by the alloy of earth. Then with David, the Psalmist who had sampled the delicacies of sin and had found them unsatisfying, you will say, “Oh God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.”

Prayer for the day

How I long for You, God, yet so often my heart is drawn away from Your leading. Like David, I desire a clean heart.

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For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

—Philippians 1:21

Helen Keller, who is a classic example of handling life’s handicaps, said, “I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God.” Some people with handicaps drown themselves in self-pity, and thus limit their usefulness and service to mankind and to God. The Apostle Paul knew the pangs of suffering. He used his infirmity rather than allowing his infirmity to use him, and he used it for the glory of God. He seized everything, even death, to glorify his Lord. No matter which way fate turned, he was one jump ahead of it, and using it to magnify his Savior.

Prayer for the day

Even my handicaps can be used by You, Lord Jesus. Like the Apostle Paul, let me rise above them for Your glory.

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