Franklin Graham - All For Jesus: A Devotional

All For
J e s u s

A DEVOTIONAL

F RANKLIN G RAHAM
WITH ROSS RHOADS

Copyright 2003 by Franklin Graham with Ross Rhoads

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherexcept for brief quotations in
printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE:
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.

Scriptures noted KJV are from the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Graham, Franklin, 1952
All for Jesus : a devotional / Franklin Graham with Ross Rhoads.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7852-6482-5 (hardcover)
1. Jesus ChristPrayer-books and devotionsEnglish.
I. Rhoads, Ross, 1932 II. Title.
BT306.53.G73 2004
242dc22 2003020049

Printed in the United States of America
03 04 05 06 07 BVG 5 4 3 2 1

To the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Crusade Staff and Team Members

CONTENTS

SERVICE:
GOD CAN USE
ANYONE

I AM YOUR GOD

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sightwhy the bush does not burn up.

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses, Moses!

And Moses said, Here I am.

Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
(Exodus 3:16)

A fter forty years in the wilderness, Moses must have found the contrast of his new surroundings shocking. Wind blew sand, like a whirling tornado, stinging his face. The heat from the sun-baked earth radiated through his sandals. The relentless glare of the sun burned his face.

Try to imagine what Moses was thinking as he stood in the desert. He must have reminisced for years about how rich the soil was in Egypt compared to the arid flatlands of the desert. And how varied were the many delicacies of the royal menu and the fine oils that daily soothed his skin.

Now he is standing in a dry sea of sand with cracked lips, a bronzed face, and memories. At eighty years old, did he think, This is the way Im going to die? And he certainly reflected on the events that brought him to that place. Sometimes, when life mellows us, the things that are the saddest surface in our minds. We all think about the might-have- beens or the should-have-dones. We think about the personal scars that are less visible. As the desert sand scratched his face, perhaps Moses thought about how he had clawed in the sand, digging the hole to bury the Egyptian he had murdered.

Try to sense what Moses must have been feeling. It was just a regular day as he was standing in the desert, shielding his eyes from the sunwhen suddenly, a nearby shrub began to burn. Turning to look, he noticed that it didnt burn up. It probably wasnt a large bush, being in the desert, so, by the time he came closer, the flame should have died out, but it didnt.

The angel of the Lord appeared in that flame, and as Moses stared at the bush, God called his name. We might wonder if Moses said to himself, Who knows my name? My father-in-law doesnt care about my name. I married his daughter and Im a good son-in-law and Im working for him, but other than that, who really is thinking about me? Even God has forgotten me.

Do you ever feel that way?

Moses, Moses! Moses went further to get a better look, but God said, Stop right there! Dont come any closer. Not another step. Take off your sandals because the place where youre standing is holy ground.

Moses wanted to see how the bush was not consumed and understand what seemed impossible. We too want to understand the hows and whys of Gods work though they are often kept from us as a mystery. The value and purpose of following Gods ways are not in seeing but in believing what God wants to say to us. Blessed are those, Jesus said to Thomas, who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29). Dont rely on your senses alone to interpret what is happening in your life. There is always a deeper meaning.

We should pause in order to note that Moses was in isolation when he met God at the bush. Its good to be isolated at timesour Lord was. Scripture tells us that Jesus went out alone a great while before daylight to pray. Far too many of us dont have enough alone time. We often become mentally and spiritually barren because were so busy. Moses was certainly experiencing more alone than he had learned in the activity of the palace, and his solitude provided the perfect setting for God to speak.

In that inexplicable moment, God made a powerful statement to Moses. I am the God of your father. What? After Moses was just a couple of years old, he never saw his father again. Without his parents, he grew up and was educated in a foreign culture. Moses had no family identity now; he was just an old man with a regrettable past, leaning on a staff in a desert by a prickly, burning bush. But God said, I am the God of your father.

Do you remember me? God was saying, Your father believed in me. I was his God. Then He added, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobthe trinity of leadership in the Old Testament. And now you, Moses, He was saying. God was preparing Moses for the work ahead by reminding him of His past faithfulness to Moses forefathers. He often prepares us in the same manner.

Did you ever think that you might be a Moses? That in the ages to come you might be the next person, in whatever job or assignment you have, to be the fulfillment of Gods plan? That your regrets, however deep, may not disqualify you for pivotal service for the Lord God? His promises are not always fully realized in the present.

See the Lord in the lonely moments of your life and hear Him call you by name and say I am your God. Thats all you and I need. You do not always see the implications of your obedience to His words, nor do you always have insight into what your future will be in His eternal purpose.

Father, thank You that in an average, normal day we can see the hand of an all-powerful and an all-knowing God. In the deserts of life, You appear in the flame of Your presence. Thank You that You want us to know not only what You do, but who You are. Cause us today to remember that You are with us, watching us, ready to use us. In Jesus name, Amen.

THE GOD WHO INTERVENES

The LORD said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians... So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.

But Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?