Billy Graham - Peace for Each Day

Consider your ways... and build the temple.

H AGGAI 1:78

P eople by nature build, tear down, and rebuild. We build our hopes, get disappointed, and then search for renewed hope. That is why we are fond of New Years resolutions. They are very popular in our culture today, though most are seldom kept. We get busy; we forget; we fail. Making resolutions, though, at least forces us into a moment of honesty about our need to change.

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves before the Lord. When we do this with sincerity, the Lord reveals where we fall short. This turns us back to God and helps us realize that we are incapable of living lives pleasing to Him apart from His help day by day, hour by hour.

Have you taken inventory lately? Have you considered where you stand with God? As you begin this new year, return to the Lord and consider Himthe One who gives you everything. Consider your ways and build on His foundation. And in this place, the Lord says, I will bring peace (Haggai 2:9 NLT ).

What is one area you are seeking Gods help this year?

[Your Response Here]

Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.

E PHESIANS 2:20

I ts easy to focus only on physical well-being or emotional happiness as we prepare for the future. It is not necessarily wrong to be concerned about some of these things. But is this all it takes to prepare?

The answer is no; even the securest financial plan and the finest health care arent enough to hold us steady when the challenges come. Will a full bank account satisfy you when disability takes away your freedom or death robs you of someone you love? Will robust health shield you against the storms of loneliness or grief? We need a solid foundation beneath our livesa foundation that will give us strength and stability no matter what happens. And the time to build it is now.

God does not want us to drift aimlessly through life, desperately seeking happiness and security and peacebut never finding them. Nor does He want us to build our lives on an unstable or impermanent foundation. God has already provided the foundation we need!

What is one step you can take today to build your foundation on God?

[Your Response Here]

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God... will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

P HILIPPIANS 4:67

P rayer is one of our greatest privileges as Gods children. Think of it: the God of the universe wants us to bring every concern to Him! I have never met anyone who spent time in daily prayer, studied Gods Word regularly, and was strong in faith who was ever discouraged for very long.

Does God always answer our prayers the way we wish? No, not necessarilynor has He promised to do so. He sees the whole picture, but we dont. Sometimes He says No or Not now. But God has promised to hear us when we pray and to answer our prayers in His time and in His way (1 John 5:14).

Prayer isnt just asking for things we want. Prayer is really a place where you meet God in genuine conversation. True prayer includes thanking and praising Him for who He is and all He does.

No matter how dark and hopeless a situation may seem, never stop praying. We cannot afford to be too busy to pray.

How can you readjust your schedule to spend time praying today?

[Your Response Here]

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1 P ETER 4:10

J ust as our bodies need exercise to be strong physically, our faith needs exercise if we are to be strong spiritually.

It has often been noted that several rivers flow into the Dead Sea, but no river flows from it. Thats why its water has become so saturated with minerals over the centuries that nothing is able to live in it. Without any outlet it indeed has become a dead sea. The same is true with us. If we keep faith to ourselves, if we never allow it to flow through us to enrich others, and if it has no outlet, then we will find ourselves like the Dead Sealifeless and spiritually dead.