Recently Added Devotionals
Making your life journey count
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 20, 2018
We’ve all heard it said that life is a journey. And it’s true. But sometimes life’s challenges can cause you to lose hope and even to despair.
The cure for sin
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 19, 2018
What if we learned that someone had the cure for cancer and kept it to themselves? How wicked that would be.
Jesus came to find us
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 16, 2018
Do you realize that religion doesn’t seek the one true God? That may surprise you, but it’s true. Religion is nothing more than man’s frail effort to create God in his own image.
Rebelling against God
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 15, 2018
As humans, we have a built-in desire to disobey God. You and I got it from our parents and they got it from their parents, and we all inherited this desire from Adam. This is why sins don't make us sinners. We sin because we are sinners!
The problem of sin
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 14, 2018
Do you know why you and I feel guilty at times? Well, it’s because we are guilty!
We are sinful, but the truth doesn't end there.
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 13, 2018
I know there are people who don't like to hear about sin. They think it’s a meddlesome or outdated topic. But it’s against the backdrop of our sin that you and I can truly see all that Jesus has done for us. The depth of our sin speaks directly to the great depth of God's love.
The shelter from life's storms
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 12, 2018
When I was a pastor living in Hobart, Oklahoma, the parsonage had a little hiding place… a storm cellar in the backyard. And every now and then the storm siren would go off warning of the possibility of a tornado in the area. When that happened, people would run to their storm cellars to ride out the storm in a secure place.
The wisdom of waiting
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 9, 2018
There is a key password for connecting with God. The word is patience. If you and I want to move toward an enduring faith, it begins with patiently waiting on and listening to God.
Overcoming the fog of doubt
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 8, 2018
“…he must increase, but I must decrease.”
—John 3:30
As a pastor, I’ve had many people ask me, “Why they are facing such painful life circumstances?” And this is a very understandable question to ask. Life circumstances like grief, sorrow, suffering, and heartache can stop us in our tracks.
And often, I have to answer these people by saying, “I honestly don’t know why.” Some things are imponderable. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we won’t understand sometime, but we may not know this side of heaven.
So there’s nothing wrong with you and I asking why. In fact, if you’re asking questions, you’re in good company. When John the Baptist, the man who introduced Jesus to the world, was imprisoned for preaching repentance, he also found himself in the dungeon of doubt. He sent word to Jesus, asking, “Lord, are you truly the Messiah or should we expect another?”
Now, if John, who Jesus called the “greatest man born of woman,” could feel the fog of doubt, take heart. But also determine to continue to move forward in faith… to trust… to believe… to hope.
Let the questions of life build your faith! Each trial is a lesson that can teach you about the content of your faith, the character of your commitment, and the caliber of your spiritual maturity.
Trust in him… let Jesus increase in your life… and you will find your way to a place of absolute dependence in him and a victorious, enduring faith!
LET THE QUESTIONS OF LIFE BUILD YOUR FAITH!
Stop wrestling with God
By Dr. Jack Graham | March 7, 2018
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?
— Habakkuk 1:2
Habakkuk was a prophet of God who lived about 2600 years ago. Now interestingly, his very name means “one who wrestles with God.” And that’s exactly what he’s doing in today’s verse.
Habakkuk is angry, argumentative, and anxious. He’s looking at the moral decay of his day, the spiritual decline and injustices, and he wants to know what God is going to do about it. Nothing’s making sense. He’s disillusioned and questioning God’s ways.
Now, I’m sure you and I can identify with Habakkuk in some way. Maybe you’re grappling with God and questioning why things happen as they do. Clearly, we live in painful and perplexing times. War and death, suffering and disease, calamity and disaster are part of our daily experiences.
And like Habakkuk, there may be times when you call out to heaven and get no answer. But listen, when this happens, you mustn’t let the fog of doubt dampen your faith.
Follow Habakkuk’s lead and push on through the doorway of doubt. As someone once said, “A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.”
You will be tested and challenged. It’s a fact of a Christ-follower’s life, but you can choose how to respond to these tests.
When doubts arise, don’t wrestle with God, but let your faith be ignited by your trust in almighty God!
A FAITH THAT CANNOT BE TESTED IS A FAITH THAT CANNOT BE TRUSTED.