And God Said, "I AM". Is That Sufficient for You?

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month. 

Moses needed an answer.  How about you?  Do you need an answer from God?  God wanted Moses to do something.  Moses response was basically, “Who says so?”  God’s answer to Moses was, “I AM”.  That is the basic answer we all need from God.  The answer isn’t “God is”.  That we understand by faith or else we cannot come to God.  Moses was talking to the God who is and Moses already believed in Him.  God’s answer was, “I AM”.  That is His great Name.  That is His all sufficient answer. 

I AM what?  That is our natural human response.  That was not Moses’ response, however.  Moses understood.  Moses understood that with those two simple words God had expressed about Himself all that He needed in order to make demands.  He had expressed all He needed to make promises.  He had expressed all He needed to deserve worship. 

So what did those two words mean to Moses? What did that Name that we now translate Jehovah imply?  I AM all powerful.  I AM able to do all. I AM worthy. I AM and there is no one else.  I AM the maker of you all, the keeper of your world and the judge who all of you will face in the future.  Yes, that is what those two words meant to Moses.  In short, God said I AM all sufficient in all ways, at all times, for all things and by all means. 

That should be a sufficient answer for us.  God is sufficient for our needs.  He knows all, can do all, has all, and has declared His all sufficient and unfailing love for all those who believe in His dear Son Jesus Christ.  Dear God, Jehovah, Great I AM, hear the prayer of my heart, my hurts, my needs, my confession, my insufficiency and in Your greatness have mercy upon me.  I AM is the answer to everything we ask humbly before His throne. 

Thomas Olivers, paraphrasing a Hebrew hymn of praise, gave us the wonderful hymn “The God of Abram Praise”.  Let us praise the Great I Am together with two verses of Oliver’s majestic words, “The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above; Ancient of everlasting days, and God of Love; Jehovah, great I AM! By earth and Heav’n confessed; I bow and bless the sacred Name forever blessed.  The God of Abraham praise, whose all sufficient grace shall guide me all my happy days, in all my ways. He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God! And He shall save me to the end, thro’ Jesus’ blood.”  He can do all things for us because He is the Great I AM.  Praise that glorious Name today.  Worship Him in the certain Hope of I AM.    

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new options for publishing your Christian book. 

The Twofold Lamb of God

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month. 

We like to take our grandchildren to the petting zoo.  They reach out timid hands to feed the donkeys and horses.  They are hesitant with the baby pigs and calves.  But when we come to the pen for the lambs and kids they are ready to walk right in.  There is something so welcoming and safe about a little lamb. 

Jesus has a blessed name: Lamb of God.  Lambs don’t roar.  I have never seen a lamb charge at a single child at the petting zoo.  Lambs eat peacefully from the hands of the little children who go into their pen to feed and pet them.  The children are comfortable with the lambs.  They find them to be good friends.

Jesus is that blessed Lamb of God who is kind to little children.  He is that blessed Lamb of God who is safe for them to be around.  He is that blessed Lamb of God who welcomes their attentions and love.  He is that blessed Lamb of God who is happy to be their friend. 

But Jesus, the blessed Lamb of God, is more than that.  I don’t take my grandchildren to the slaughter house to see those lambs processed for our meal.  That little lamb will give its life to feed my family.  Jesus the blessed Lamb of God is that lamb as well.  He laid down His life for the sins of mankind.  He is the one announced by John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” 

My little grandchildren cannot make any connection between the leg of lamb we have for supper and the little lamb they played with at the petting zoo.  That is OK.  He has still been their friend and he has still nourished them.  This is the twofold reality of Christ, the Lamb of God.  He is both Friend and Savior.  He is both gentle and meek while being both Mighty and Victorious Lord.  We are blessed when we grasp this total picture of Christ.  We need Him both as the little Lamb and the Lamb of God.

Charles Wesley wrote a simple hymn titled “Lamb of God, I Look to Thee” which sees Jesus mostly as the Lamb that is our earthly example, the Lamb of the field, gentle and mild.  “Lamb of God, I look to Thee; Thou shalt my Example be; Thou art gentle, meek, and mild; Thou wast once a little child.”  Henry Jackson, the American hymnist, put the emphasis on the Lamb of God, the sin bearer, in his hymn, “Look to the Lamb of God”.  If you from sin are longing to be free, look to the Lamb of God. He to redeem you died on Calvary, look to the Lamb of God.”  Look to the twofold gracious Lamb of God today.  

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new options for publishing your Christian book. 

The Holy Spirit Gives Us the Power to Do

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month. 

Do you like gifts?  Do you like gifts that you can use?  Do you prefer gifts that sit and collect dust or get put away in out of the way places?  Are you a hoarder of gifts that have been given but never used, and likely never will be?  God has given us gifts.  The gifts that He has given to us fall somewhere in the answer to the above questions.

Jesus promised a great gift to His disciples before He ascended into heaven.  He promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He promised them many gifts that would come from the one gift.  One of the gifts that He promised us through the Holy Spirit is the gift of power.  Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”  In fact, one of the names for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Power. 

Do you ever sit in church and hear the pastor request volunteers to do a certain task in the church?  When he asks for a Sunday school teacher do you ever think to yourself, “I wish I could do that” but then answer yourself quickly, “But I just couldn’t”?   But wait! Yes, you can!  The Holy Spirit within you has given you power.  Do you hear the call for volunteers to go to the nursing home to sing and visit for a half an hour?  Do you ever say to yourself, “I wish I could do that” but then quickly answer yourself, “But I just couldn’t”? But wait! Yes, you can.  The Holy Spirit within you has given you power!   

God has given us a gift we can use.  He has given to us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit has given us a gift we can use.  He has given us power.  That is power to work for God, to testify of God, to minister for God to do good works for God to serve God in every way.  It is not a gift He wants us to lay aside and not use.  It is not a gift He wants us to hoard or hide.  He has given us power!  We have the power of omnipotent God within us. Isn’t that a wonderful and useful gift? 

Paul Rader, American evangelist, pastor, hymnist and pioneer Christian radio broadcaster has given us a wonderful hymn about power from the Holy Spirit simply titled, “Old Time Power”.  The second stanza reads, “We will glory in Thy power, we will sing of wondrous grace; in our midst, as Thou has promised, come, O come, and take Thy place.” Then the chorus resounds, “Spirit, now melt and move all of our hearts with love, breathe on us from above with old time power.”  Let us take God’s promises as true.  Let us claim His name as real.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Power.  Let us let Him use His great gift in us.    

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new options for publishing your Christian book. 

Trusting in the God Who Is There

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month. 

Great and mighty God of all, Present every time we call

Ever near at our right hand, Ever near to help us stand

Where we are, Lord, You are there, Every single burden bear

Ne’er alone You leave Your child, Lost alone out in the wild

God who’s there is Thy great Name, God is There let saints proclaim.

(Sung to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing)

Ezekiel 48:35 gives us a wonderful gracious Name of God: The LORD is There!  How comforting is that name to every believer!  In Psalm 139 David explores the meaning of this name.  He asks rhetorical questions about where we might escape from God.  Can we go higher than Him and escape above the heavens?  Can we hide from Him in the depth of the sea?  Can we find a place dark enough where He can’t find us?  No. 

Jesus said to His disciples when He ascended into heaven, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Quoting from the Old Testament the writer of Hebrews passes along the simple message from God to His children, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 

God knows us when He is forming us in our mother’s womb.  He watches over the process of our bones being knit together.  David praised God for such wonderful care.  God watches over us when we are at work or play or resting.  His presence at night was a great comfort to the psalmist who knew that He could then sleep soundly.  Indeed we teach our children a simple prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  Watch me safe throughout the night, and wake me with the morning light. Amen.”  Are we lying to our children? 

God is there.  He is there in the sickroom.  He is there at the graveside.  He is there in pain, loneliness, sorrow, confusion, doubt and in hurts beyond words.  He hasn’t left us alone in those times.  He is there.  That is His name.  In each moment of joy or sorrow, of victory or loss, of sickness or health, of abundance or want He is there!  He is there to hold us in His comforting arms.  He is there to undergird us in our deepest despairs.  He is there.  O Christian rejoice in this gracious Name of God: The LORD is There!  

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new options for publishing your Christian book. 

If We Are Christ's Epistle, How Does Our Book Read?

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month.

 I may not have yet sold as many books as Stephen King, but I am an author.  In addition to this daily devotion I have eight books currently in print.  More are coming and each day I find more things to write about.  God’s world and God’s word are fathomless resources.  As an author I am blessed to know that Jesus is also an author.  Hebrews 12:2 says that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  I am His book as is everyone who has come to Him in faith believing for His salvation. 

Written on my heart is the message of His grace. When others look at me, they need to see His face. 

Written on my life is the inscription of His love.  The world should stand amazed, as it points to Him above. 

Let my holy book, gently authored by Your hand, proclaim your grace to all, point them to the Promised Land.

Paul told the Corinthians that they were his epistle.  How much more are all of us God’s epistle?  What kind of reading material are we?  If we were in a bookstore, what section would we be in?  Would we be in the How To section with a title, “An Illustrated Guide to Living for God”?   Would we be in the mystery section with a title “The Case of the Man without a Cause”?  Would we be in the outdoor section with a title “Escape from God to Feign Worship at the Fishing Hole”?  Would we be in the mature audience section with the warning: Not for the eyes or ears of those under 18? 

Christ is the Author of our faith.  He called us to faith.  He saved us through faith.  He wants to conform us to Him by faith.  He wants to author a beautiful faith life story in us.  He wants His author’s name to be fully visible on the cover of our book.  He wants the perfect editing of His divine hand to be evident on every page.  He wants the story line to bring Him glory.

Christ is also the Finisher of our faith.  The end of the story will be great.  He who has begun a good work in us will finish it.  Our end is heaven.  The end of the story is His glory.  As He has promised us a great ending, we need to be co-authoring with Him a great book.  Jesus is a great author.  We need to let His pen hand write the details of our life.  We need to rejoice in being His work. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new options for publishing your Christian book. 

A Father's Care

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month.

There is a very sad statistic about the nature of our day.  In America today nearly 40% of all births are to single mothers.  There is a host of social ills that grow from this figure but there is also a great spiritual void that is seen in these numbers.  How many children today do not know a father?  How many do not even know what having a father means?  How many then have no concept of how great it is to have a heavenly Father? 

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father . . .” What did they conjure up when they said those words?  Did they see someone they knew who had built them a home?  Did they see someone who had cared and provided for their needs?  Did they see someone who had guided them with love and with a firm hand?  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus likened praying as asking one’s father for a loaf of bread or small fish.  The concept of Father was a known commodity.  That was then.  Today many children will be raised without that loving parent.

Father is a name rich in grace.  It is a name that believers are to hold dear.  It is a name that should still convey to us the strength and love and guidance and purpose and provision that a father has for his children.  When we think of “Father” we should think of all the riches of grace that God, our Father, has given to us.  We should think of all the ongoing care that God, our Father, offers to us each day.  We should think of the loving hand and the guiding purpose that God, our Father, has for His children.  There are many names for God that extol His power and His majesty, but there is the one name that is rich in His nearness, His approachability, His kind smile and caring hug.  There is the name of Abba Father. 

Jean Gower, who is credited with writing two hymn texts in her life, has given us a hymn titled “Father, Loving Father”.  It is a simple text that reflects the simplicity of a child calling upon their Abba Father for care and love and guidance and peace.  As we sing its words we find ourselves in the place of the small child looking expectantly to the great Father of our lives.  Let us rejoice in having a Father.  Let us praise Him for adopting us as His children.  Here is Jean Gower’s hymn. 

“Father, loving Father, hear Thy children’s call; with Thy love enfold us, and protect us all. From the dawn’s first glimmer to the close of day, may we feel Thee near us, on our earthly way. And from evening prayer time through the dark of night, let us rest in quietness until morn brings light. Teach our tongues to praise Thee in the hymns we sing; teach our hearts to love Thee as our voices ring.”  Father, loving Father, hear this prayer of ours.

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new options for publishing your Christian book.  

The Comforter Has Come

To celebrate our two year anniversary, and to give me a creative break, Abundant Grace will be reprinting some classic blog devotions from year one for the next month.

 Another great name that we are blessed to know is that of Comforter.  As Jesus is our Advocate, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter.  Jesus did not want His followers to be left alone.  He told them before His crucifixion that He would ask of the Father that He would send them another Comforter.  Jesus knew all that His Church would confront in the centuries between His ascension and His second coming.  He knew that they would face trials of faith that would test them to the core of their being.  He knew that in a world that was hurting they would need to be effective witnesses of His grace though they were hurting as well.  Jesus knew that we would need a Comforter. 

What would this Comforter do for the Church?  Jesus said that He would abide with the believers forever.  We would not be alone. God would be present in us every day.  That is indeed a great comfort.  When things go wrong in life, from little calamities of the ordinary every day variety to the greater trials that confront saved and lost alike in financial distress, job loss, tragedy and more, God is there!  He is there to give us patience to endure, hope to go on, faith to overcome.  When we do these things we can then bring comfort to the world that confronts the same situations without hope.  Paul told the Corinthians that we are comforted that we might be comforters.  The Holy Spirit will work in His Church to strengthen them to minister to a lost world that still lives as sheep without a shepherd.

The Comforter does more.  He teaches us about our dear Savior Jesus Christ.  He takes the word of God and explains it to us so that we might know God the Father and God the Son better.  Then He takes that word and speaks it through the Church so that the world may know God as well.  He goes with each word of witness that we share to convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment.  We are not alone when we tell others of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s grace.  The Comforter is undergirding us and working through us all the time.

It is no wonder that Frank Bottome could write such an uplifting song of promise as “The Comforter Has Come.”  Just consider the words that should encourage and energize the Church.  “O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found, wherever human hearts and human woes abound; let ev’ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound: the Comforter has come!”  He has come indeed!  Rejoice in His presence!  Rejoice in the great gift of God’s grace that has not left us comfortless.  Spread the tidings to all believers.  There is hope!  Spread the tidings to all the lost.  Spread the glad tidings to all who believe.  There is hope!  The Comforter has come!  

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Also check out our new publishing options for your Christian book.  

Jesus Christ, Our Advocate

(Tune of “Jesus Shall Reign”)

My Advocate resides above, a gift of my dear Father’s love.

He pleads His precious blood for me; presents me clean for God to see.

 As Advocate He guides me, too; directs me all my long life through.

His counsel is for me what’s best; obeying it I will be blest.

Years ago we moved to new town.  On my visit to the community I met with a realtor and purchased a house.  It was a nice house and I was assured that everything was in working order. The day we moved in it was learned that the realtor had simply lied.  Nothing was in working order.  Nothing was as agreed in the contract.  The house was literally uninhabitable and we moved out the next day.  The day after that the realtor called and both he and the seller were planning to sue us for breach of contract.  I was rather upset.  At work I mentioned the situation to a co-worker and went home quite worried and more upset.  Right after supper that night I got a call.  My co-worker had passed the news of our trouble on to a lawyer.  The lawyer called and told me that he knew both the realtor and the seller and that he would make everything alright the next day and that there would be no suit and we could get on with our lives. Not only that, but his service was free.  I was no longer upset. 

A lawyer is an advocate.  He pleads the case and takes care of his client’s needs.  In I John 2 Jesus is called our Advocate.  He is our Advocate with the Father.  We make a mess of things in our haste and then we find ourselves in trouble with our guilt.  But we have an Advocate with our Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One.  He pleads His precious blood that was shed on Calvary for our sins and presents us spotless before the throne of God.  We cannot buy this service; it’s free.  The blood of Jesus Christ cannot be paid for.  It must be believed in.  Faith in our Advocate is the key.  Not by any work can we pay Him.  He saves us and keeps us by faith in Him.  Our response is gratitude. 

That gratitude should display itself in obedience to the guidance then given to us by our Advocate.  While His blood will never fail to cover our sins, His will for us is that we stop living in the practice of sin.  As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Should we then sin that grace may abound?  God forbid!”  Our Advocate will lead us in paths of righteousness for His Name sake.  He will not abandon us in our need, but He wants us to follow closely to His lead.  He knows best and we can rest most peacefully as we follow the guidance and live in the care of our great Advocate. 

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

The Blessed Name of Jesus

Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name?”  The Bible answers, “A lot!”  The third commandment states that, “You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain.”  Psalm 96:8 says, “Give to the LORD the glory due His name.”  Philippians 2:10-11 says, “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”  Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  There is a lot in a name.

Take a look in the index of any hymnal at the section: “Jesus, Names of”, and find how many hymns have been written on this one topic.  Lydia Baxter wrote the hymn, “Take the Name of Jesus with You”.  In this hymn she extols His name as the one that gives comfort, protection, strength, joy, welcome, and hope.  She declares that His name is precious, powerful and eternal. Lela Long wrote the hymn, “Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know”.  In her hymn she praises His name as precious, blessed, wondrous, dear, sweet, honorable, and praise worthy.  The list goes on and on from ancient hymns to contemporary Christian music.  There is a lot to be said about the Name of Jesus. 

In this Name there is salvation, the wonderful grace of God in Christ.  In this Name there is victory over Satan, the wonderful power of God in Christ.  In this Name there is comfort, hope and peace, the wonderful care of God in Christ.  What do you need from God today? Its provision is there in the Name of Jesus Christ our eternal Lord and Savior.  What burden do you bear?  Its release is in the Name of Jesus Christ our loving Shepherd.  What work do you want to accomplish for God?  Its power is there in the Name of Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

The words of W.C. Martin will sum it up for us today.  “The Name of Jesus is so sweet; I love its music to repeat; it makes my joy full and complete, the precious Name of Jesus!  Jesus, O how sweet the Name; Jesus, every day the same; Jesus, let all saints proclaim, it worthy praise forever!  The word of man can never tell how sweet the Name I love so well, O let its praises ever swell, O praise the Name of Jesus!  Jesus, O how sweet the Name; Jesus, every day the same; Jesus, let all saints proclaim its worthy praise forever!”  

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

Are We a Blessing to Others?

“David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me.” I Sam. 25:32

Have you ever known someone that made you just want to rejoice in the Lord? Perhaps it was their perpetual encouragement like Barnabas. Perhaps it was their spiritual understanding like Moses. Perhaps it was their warm love like Christ Himself. We all know people that make us praise the Lord for their acquaintance. David said he praised the Lord for Abigail.

What did she bring to the table? She brought discernment. She understood the times and gave wise counsel concerning how to respond to them. She brought the oil of peace onto the turbulent waters of anger. She brought a soft answer that turned away wrath. She brought a soothing presence into an increasingly tumultuous life. What do we bring? What Christlikeness do we contribute to the fellowship of the saints? We need to cultivate attributes that will make others bless God for the God given gifts we use for His glory.

Dear Father, Help me to brighten the corner where I am. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

Why Do You Love Your Pastor?

“And Michal Saul's daughter loved David.” I Sam. 18:20

Love is the topic of more pop songs than anything else. I came of age with the Beatles, “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah” and “All you need is love”. No one is going to argue that love isn’t a “many splendored thing”, but what is the basis for love? Michal loved David; but why? She was a princess and he a mere shepherd boy who made it big as a warrior. Did she love his military prowess? Did she love his fame? Did she love his music that he wrote while watching the sheep?

We do know is that she didn’t love his devotion to the Lord. In First Chronicles it says that Michal despised him (David) in her heart. Why? Because he was fanatically in love with God. Too many pastors become quickly “unloved” when they take a stand for God, when they declare God’s truth, when they insist on God’s way. We too often love them for being handsome, a good speaker, a nice guy. We need to love them for being God’s man.

Dear Father, Remind us to love whom You love for the right reasons. Amen. 

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

What Are You Praying For, And Why??

“Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD.” I Sam. 1:28

We all pray for things; Hannah did, too. What do we want to do with the things we pray for? James suggests that much of what we pray for is so that we can spend it on our own pleasure. We pray too often with a give me, give me approach. Hannah prayed too; give me a son. But what she did with the son she was given is a revelation of what we are to do with what we want.

Hannah took her son, her only son, the son that had justified her in the community as not being barren, the son that had stopped the mouth of her rival, the son she so desperately wanted for herself; she took that son and gave him to the Lord. If what we pray for can’t be used for God, why are we asking for it? God gave Hannah the greatest gift ever and she gave it back with joy.

Dear Father, Let me seek what I can best use for You. Amen.

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

One Who Cares

“And Hannah answered, ‘I have poured out my soul before the LORD’.” I Sam. 1:15

Hannah was a tormented woman. She was tormented by her husband’s other wife. She was tormented by society for her barrenness. She was tormented by unrelieved sorrow and lack of self-worth. If you have ever felt miserably unhappy you can identify with Hannah. Human consolation was inadequate to deal with her sorrow. So Hannah poured out her heart to the Lord.

Even doing that she was attacked by a judgmental high priest who saw only the flesh but missed the spirit of the woman before him. We do not have such a high priest; we have a better one. Though God, He became man. Though unsullied by troubles, He bore all of ours. Though being in the flesh, He still saw and sees things in the spirit. He knows all our needs, our trials, our sorrows and He will misjudge none of them. With love and compassion He will meet us and hear the outpouring of our souls and give us rest, hope, and peace.

Dear Father, Thank You for our High Priest, Jesus, and His care for us. Amen.

 Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Happy Endings Are Found in Christ

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife; and she bare a son.” Ruth 4:13

Do you like happy endings? I do. When someone suggests I read a certain book I always ask, “Does it have a happy ending?” This world is filled with unhappiness. There are wars, famines, sicknesses, evil perversions, tragedies and so on. I don’t need a book to see unhappiness; I just have to look out my window. I like happy endings and Ruth has one.

The Bible accurately reflects life. There is a great beginning followed by highs and lows. There are victories and tragedies. There is one constant, however, that is the darkness of sin. All of Scripture leads to the inevitable conclusion of death; but then came the Redeemer. Jesus Christ of Bethlehem, descendent of Boaz and Ruth, conquered death and changes the ending. In the end Christ restores all things and the beauty of the beginning pales in comparison to the beauty of the end. A new world, pure, clean, sinless; a new world unspotted by decay; a new world of life everlasting; a happy ending indeed.

Dear Father, Help us to always see the grandest ending is Christ. Amen.

 Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

Happy Anniversary! The blog that began it all.

This is a special week. "Abundant Grace" is now two years old. Today I will reprint the first day's blog. At the beginning it was a daily blog. That blog got picked up by a major mission board for inclusion on their website and then by an on-line magazine. A year ago, on the encouragement of a friend, I changed the format to a daily devotion. This devotion has a worldwide readership with readers in Russia being second only to those in the United States and also reaching into many other countries as well.
So, Happy Anniversary to Abundant Grace.

Beautiful Grace

John Newton wrote, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound”.  Haldor Lillenas wrote, “Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus”.  What better word can we know than “Grace”?  Grace is such a beautiful word. It is such a beautiful name. 

Grace is a name attached to a beautiful woman.  Imagine walking into a room, a crowded room, and there sitting alone at a small table is the most beautiful woman ever seen.  It is not Hollywood type beautiful.  There is no pretentiousness, no falsity, no made up charm to this woman. She is modest in appearance, demure in poise and fully calm in her manner.  The very nature of her demeanor is electrifyingly attractive.  She is a bright light in an otherwise dim room. It is as if a radiance from an ancient icon has been has settled on her head and singles her out from everyone else.  She is, in a word, irresistible.  In fact, you find yourself uttering that word audibly, yet unconsciously as you look at her. 

“Agreed!” says your friend with gusto. 

“Huh?” you mutter as your senses return. 

“Irresistible,” he replies.  “Just as you said.”

You follow his line of vision to a small bar set at the end of the room.  There sits a semi-inebriated woman who is halfway falling out of her clothes. 

You find yourself gasping at the stark contrast.  “No, not her.” Then turning your eyes back again to the woman who has caught your attention and your heart, you reply, “Her.” 

“No “old maids” for me,” your friend retorts as he briskly walks toward the bar.

“Old maids?” your mind reels at the description as you once again look into the center of the room and the most beautiful creature ever formed.  And you know, you know for an absolute certainty that this vision in front of you cannot be compared to anything that mere words could describe.  You know with an absolute certainty that any man lucky enough to have this woman as his wife would never be disappointed in all the greatest expectations of marital bliss. 

But the real question is, why would she have such a schlump as you?   A minute ago you had thought of yourself as the greatest catch a woman could land.  Now you see yourself as quite the opposite.  You see yourself as just another Joe trying to score a little action and that you are therefore totally unfit for such a woman as you see before you.

Then she turns your way.  She sees you staring, a bad beginning but you can’t help it, and she smiles.  It isn’t a condescending smile.  It isn’t a pained smile at your rudeness.  It isn’t a weary smile that another man has noticed her beauty.  It is a simple smile.  It could almost be described as a glad smile.  Yes, she seems genuinely happy to have you stare at her.  Even in that her beauty is enhanced and not marred.  She watches you for a minute, watches you watching her.  Then she nods ever so kindly at the vacant seat beside her and you know that she has beckoned you to come and join her.  There was no lurid signaling with one finger rakishly calling you to her table.  There were no raised eyebrows and pursed lips in a thrown kiss.  There was simply a smile that said come and a simple nod that said welcome.  In that simple gesture was the greatest and most irresistible invitation that could have been given. 

Your heart pounds, your feet move of their own volition and you find yourself seated next to her.  “I’m Grace,” she says.  “I am glad to meet you.” 

Everything else becomes a dream that is a reality.  She is indeed the best wife any man could ever have.  She is indeed always satisfying.  She is indeed all that had been imagined in that brief moment of first contact.  She wasn’t it for just a moment.  She was Grace, renewed and beautiful and satisfying each and every day. 

That is grace.  Grace is the gentle welcoming of God to a lifelong relationship of love.  Grace is the promise and the fulfillment of all God’s deepest care for mankind.  Grace is the overwhelming exaltation of God, not just for a moment at first glance, but forever.  And by the wonderful providence of God, the great blessing, the great hope, the great exhilaration, the great joy of that first meeting is renewed each day.  That is Daily Grace.  That is abundant grace. That is the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Saturday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.

There Shall Be Showers of Blessings

“And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her.” Ruth 2:16

Ruth is my favorite book in the Bible. This is my favorite verse in Ruth. In my book, The Gospel According to Molly this verse gets an entire chapter. While Ruth was laboring for Naomi she came to a field owned by Boaz, the Redeemer. He let her eat with his workers and refresh herself in the shade. Then he commanded his workers to drop handfuls of purpose for her. The Redeemer cared for her! Picture the hand of God opening with gifts for you. That is what Ruth saw as she gleaned.

Sometimes it seems that our work is unnoticed, and maybe by men it is. Sometimes it seems our work is unproductive, and maybe by the standards of men it is. But God does not see as man sees. The nursery Sunday school teacher is as important as the pastor, and while no one else may believe it, God does. Gleaning is hard, lonely and, tiring work. But God sees and He holds out His handfuls of purpose.

Dear Father, Open my eyes to see Your hands supporting my work for You. Amen.

                                              The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

Serving or Sitting?

“And Ruth said, ‘Let me now go to the field, and glean’.” Ruth 2:2

Ruth had taken on the responsibility to care for her mother-in-law. She had undertaken that role in a hostile environment and not flinched. But how would they eat? Ruth said that she would go and glean. Gleaning was God’s law for the assistance to the poor. Gleaners would follow the workers in the field and pick up the scraps that were left. It was back breaking work for little reward. Ruth said, “Let me go do this. Let me serve you, Naomi, the beloved one.”

A sad truth in churches is that few serve. All like to get fed, but few serve. We feed on the Word brought by one who works. We sit in pews cleaned by one who works. We drink coffee made by one who works. We enjoy the beautiful church campus maintained by one who works, but we don’t want to work. Ruth said, “Let me do it”. Scripture tells us that we were saved to do good works that God has planned for us to do.

Dear Father, Give me a heart like Ruth to say, “Let me do it.” Amen. 

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

Confidence in Following Jesus

“Whither thou goest, I will go; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Ruth 1:16

While Orpah turned back from the road to Bethlehem, Ruth clung steadfastly to Naomi, the beloved one. She had seen the cross that bitter Naomi had had to bear, the sorrows she had endured, the rejection she had experienced living in a foreign land; she had seen it all and yet she clung to Naomi. And she clung to Naomi’s God. Ruth was a woman of faith, of confidence that God was good and true even when He seemed distant and left His people in moments of bitterness.

Too many people today expect Jesus to make all of our rough places plain. We expect Him to free us from all sorrows, shield us from all cares, surround us with an invisible shield against all the world’s harms. We don’t see the true benefit of the cross or the empty tomb. We need to look to Ruth and hold fast to the convictions of truth that she held.

Dear Father, Grant that we might see our true victory and hope in Christ. Amen.

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

It's Just Too Much to Follow Jesus!

“Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods.” Ruth 1:15

Orpah had said that she would go with Naomi back to Bethlehem. But Naomi pointed out to her the obstacles that would lay in her way. Moabite women, like Orpah, were not high on the marriageable list for Jewish men. They were outcasts, second class citizens, idolaters who would be rejected. Orpah couldn’t plan on Naomi to have more sons to grow and marry her according to the custom of the time.

Orpah saw the difficulties and went back to her people and her gods. She saw that the way of Bethlehem would not be an easy road to follow. Jesus, the Savior from Bethlehem, said to His disciples that a man had to give up all to follow Him. It isn’t an easy way for those who don’t love Christ. For the mere hanger-on it is just too much to follow Jesus. For those who know His gift of grace, however, it is a road worth taking.

Dear Father, Help us follow faithfully in the way of Christ. Amen. 

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

God Calls Us "Beloved"; Would You Change That Name?

“She said unto them, ‘Call me not Naomi, call me Mara’.” Ruth 1:20

Do you ever get the “Woe is me” syndrome? It is one of the most common maladies of mankind. Our woes come from job stress, family stress, health stress, disappointment, disasters, and the general plagues of mankind. Naomi had been through a lot and she wanted to change her name from Naomi (beloved) to Mara (Bitterness). It sounds like a typical day in the life of most Christians who are bombarded with all the trials of life.

Both the Old and New Testaments repeatedly refer to God’s people as “His beloved”. But is that the name we remember every day? Do we live in the pleasantness of being the “beloved” or do we live in the gloom of “bitterness”? We will all encounter the bad things in life as much as the good. There is no escape from the norms of living. But do we reject God’s name of “beloved” for us and choose our own, “bitterness”? In trials or in triumph we always remain to Him as His “beloved”.

Dear Father, Remind us often of our real name and the peace it brings. Amen.

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group. 

What Is Your Price?

“And Delilah said to Samson, ‘Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lies’.” Judges 16:6

What is our price for selling out God, His men, His laws, His work? The world cynically says that everyone has a price. If so, what is ours? Would great fame be a good trade-off for God? How about great riches, or a beautiful vacation home where we could idle away all the hours of every weekend? What would we give in exchange for our walk with God? When the great missionary William Carey was offered an ambassadorship in India, he said it was too small a thing for which to exchange the work of God.

Delilah had a price. She wooed Sampson promising him pleasure and the pride of life. But what she offered were lies and death, and she sold him for less than he was worth. Satan wants to know our price, but he wants to know it not for our benefit but for our destruction. Beware of selling out to the things of this world and missing the things of the next.

Dear Father, Keep us steadfast and faithful through Your Spirit. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to this daily devotion and receive it free M-F simply by choosing the Abundant Grace tab and signing up for regular delivery to your email account. You can also find Quality Christian Books on my website plus fundraising opportunities for your Christian organization or youth group.