From Billy Graham
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without
effect. No, I worked harder than all of them -- yet not I, but the grace of God
that was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10, NIV).
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A Word From Billy Graham
"Let us face this fact: We came into the world with nothing, and we will leave
it with nothing. Where do we get the notion that man's idea of success and God's
are the same? You have written a book; you are a clever manager and promoter;
you are a talented artist; you are independently rich; you have achieved fame
and fortune. Without the gifts of intelligence, imagination, personality and
physical energy -- which are all endowed by God -- where would you be? Are we
not born poor? Do we not die poor? And would we not be poor indeed without God's
infinite mercy and love? We came out of nothing; and if we are anything, it is
because God is everything. If He were to withhold His power for one brief
instant from us, if He were to hold in check the breath of life for one moment,
our physical existence would shrivel into nothingness, and our souls would be
whisked away into an endless eternity. Those who are poor in spirit recognize
their creatureliness and their sinfulness -- but more, they are ready to confess
their sins and renounce them."
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Grace to Equal Our Days
"I've learned again and again what grace is: God's intervening love when I am on
empty. My spiritual journal records many grace moments when I was on empty. I
arrived in South Africa to speak 14 times with my voice gone, only to find that
when I opened my mouth to speak, my voice was always there. I have often looked
at a preaching or radio deadline with a blank piece of paper -- and a mind to
match -- only to find myself writing creative insights that I didn't even know I
had. It's all grace. And it comes when I admit that I'm empty. The Apostle Paul
was a brilliant, gifted leader, but he touched God's grace most deeply when he
was on empty. His nagging 'thorn in the flesh' had squeezed out any conceit and
left him desperate before God. God responded, 'My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). Paul's pain
taught him the limitations of self-reliance and the wealth of grace: 'When I am
weak, then I am strong' (2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV). God's intervening love is
not 'one size fits all.' He shapes the grace to fit the need; it is
custom-tailored grace. Our Father invites us to 'approach the throne of grace
with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time
of need' (Hebrews 4:16, NIV). God customizes His response to our specific empty
moment, giving us just the kind of grace we need to 'equal our days' (Cf.
Deuteronomy 33:25)" (Ron Hutchcraft).
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without
effect. No, I worked harder than all of them -- yet not I, but the grace of God
that was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10, NIV).
--------------------------------------------------------------
A Word From Billy Graham
"Let us face this fact: We came into the world with nothing, and we will leave
it with nothing. Where do we get the notion that man's idea of success and God's
are the same? You have written a book; you are a clever manager and promoter;
you are a talented artist; you are independently rich; you have achieved fame
and fortune. Without the gifts of intelligence, imagination, personality and
physical energy -- which are all endowed by God -- where would you be? Are we
not born poor? Do we not die poor? And would we not be poor indeed without God's
infinite mercy and love? We came out of nothing; and if we are anything, it is
because God is everything. If He were to withhold His power for one brief
instant from us, if He were to hold in check the breath of life for one moment,
our physical existence would shrivel into nothingness, and our souls would be
whisked away into an endless eternity. Those who are poor in spirit recognize
their creatureliness and their sinfulness -- but more, they are ready to confess
their sins and renounce them."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Grace to Equal Our Days
"I've learned again and again what grace is: God's intervening love when I am on
empty. My spiritual journal records many grace moments when I was on empty. I
arrived in South Africa to speak 14 times with my voice gone, only to find that
when I opened my mouth to speak, my voice was always there. I have often looked
at a preaching or radio deadline with a blank piece of paper -- and a mind to
match -- only to find myself writing creative insights that I didn't even know I
had. It's all grace. And it comes when I admit that I'm empty. The Apostle Paul
was a brilliant, gifted leader, but he touched God's grace most deeply when he
was on empty. His nagging 'thorn in the flesh' had squeezed out any conceit and
left him desperate before God. God responded, 'My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). Paul's pain
taught him the limitations of self-reliance and the wealth of grace: 'When I am
weak, then I am strong' (2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV). God's intervening love is
not 'one size fits all.' He shapes the grace to fit the need; it is
custom-tailored grace. Our Father invites us to 'approach the throne of grace
with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time
of need' (Hebrews 4:16, NIV). God customizes His response to our specific empty
moment, giving us just the kind of grace we need to 'equal our days' (Cf.
Deuteronomy 33:25)" (Ron Hutchcraft).