Billy Graham Daily Devotion: Love One Another
Billy Graham shares the story of a man who was "filled with hatred, bitterness, and prejudice" toward people of another race until he found Jesus.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
God Will Meet You Where You Are
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the croo... View MoreWednesday, August 5, 2026
God Will Meet You Where You Are
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.”
—Psalm 18:25–26
Some of the most exciting passages of Scripture involve theophanies, occurrences when God made Himself known in observable and tangible form. What’s especially fascinating about these encounters is how God appeared to different people in the Bible. To Abraham, He came as a traveler. According to Genesis 18, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one day when three messengers arrived. Two of the messengers were angels; the other was God Himself. Centuries later, Jesus commented on the encounter. “Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:56 NLT). Why did the Lord come to Abraham as a traveler? Because that’s what Abraham was: a traveler.
According to Joshua 5:13–15, on the night before the Israelites began their siege of Jericho, God appeared to Joshua as the commander of the Lord’s army. Why? Because Joshua was the commander of Israel’s army.
According to Genesis 32:22–32, when God appeared to Jacob, He came as a wrestler. Verse 24 says that God “wrestled with him until the dawn began to break” (NLT). Why did God choose that guise? Because Jacob was always fighting, conniving, resisting, and wrestling to get what he wanted.
Maybe you can relate to Jacob. Maybe there’s something you want from God, perhaps even a good thing, such as the salvation of a loved one. Maybe you’re tired of being single and want to get married. Or maybe you want to serve God in a ministry. Don’t resort to conniving, because you may get what you want, but at a great cost. Jacob got what he wanted and paid dearly for it. I believe that if he had waited on God, he would have received what he needed and what God had promised. And perhaps God would have appeared to him in a different form.
These three biblical accounts reveal an amazing truth about our heavenly Father. He meets us where we are. That’s not to say you can expect a theophany in your life. You don’t need one. If you’re a believer, you have something better. God’s Holy Spirit dwells within you. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He told His disciples, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you” (John 16:7 NLT). God communicates to us from within, through His Spirit. And He does it in ways that resonate powerfully with us, just as He did with Abraham, Joshua, and Jacob.
The bottom line is this: God wants to do His will in your life in His way and in His time. If you need something from God, be patient and wait on Him. God will meet you wherever you are to lift you to where He wants you to be.
Our Daily Bread Ministries
August 5
Bible in a Year: Psalms 68-69; Romans 8:1-2
Family in God
Don’t you know me, Philip . . . ? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9
... View MoreOur Daily Bread Ministries
August 5
Bible in a Year: Psalms 68-69; Romans 8:1-2
Family in God
Don’t you know me, Philip . . . ? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9
READ John 14:5-11
“What makes you smile when you think about your son?” That was my question for Clarence—a younger man I was mentoring. The proud father proceeded to share some of his bright four-year-old’s accomplishments. One particular detail left me amused. Not only does the child have his father’s first and last names, but he already looks so much like his father that he can unlock his father’s smartphone using facial recognition!
In John 14, Jesus made it clear how closely He resembled His Father. When an inquisitive Philip requested, “Lord, show us the Father” (v. , Jesus responded, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (v. 9). How was it that the Father was revealed through the Son? It was through Jesus’ “words” (v. 10) and “works” (v. 11) that God’s love, mercy, grace, and more were brilliantly displayed.
Empowered by God’s Spirit, believers in Jesus are privileged to share family likeness. The invisible God becomes visible through His children. Regarding Christlike love, John reminds us, “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:12 nlt).
By Arthur Jackson
REFLECT & PRAY
What is it about your words and deeds that remind others of Jesus? How might you pray about the Holy Spirit working in and through you to bring honor to God the Father and Christ the Son?
Dear Father, please strengthen me to love Jesus, and to live like Him and for Him. Amen.
"Faith Transforms You if You Trust His Word" — Spiritual Warfare for 08/05/2026
By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you... View More"Faith Transforms You if You Trust His Word" — Spiritual Warfare for 08/05/2026
By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment]. — Corinthians 15:2 AMP
Today's Prayer
Lord, I confess that much of my life I’ve been satisfied with weak faith; partial faith; lukewarm faith. I know that won’t satisfy You, and now it won’t satisfy me anymore. Draw closer to me, Lord, and help me to help a much deeper, transforming faith that allows me to draw closer and closer to You as I truly learn to trust Your Holy Word and hear Your voice in my daily life. May this new faith change me at my core to know You better. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Verse of the Day
Psalm 119:130
New American Standard Bible... View MoreVerse of the Day
Psalm 119:130
New American Standard Bible
The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
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