Grace, Hope, and Love: MyDaily Devotional

by Johnny Hunt

Overview

Grace, Hope, and Love is an inspirational weekly devotional that will encourage and instruct your heart in the ways of the Lord. Fifty-one Southern Baptist pastors and ministry leaders wrote these wise and insightful daily devotions on the timeless topics of the grace, hope, and love God offers His children. Reflect on each daily entry with Scripture passages, a devotion, and a prayer.

The eighth annual MyDaily^® devotional, compiled by Johnny Hunt, will be an excellent addition to your daily quiet time as you seek to draw near to the Lord. The unique viewpoints of 51 respected church leaders, including Dr. James Merritt, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Dr. Grant Ethridge, Dr. Don Wilton, Dr. Ted Traylor, and Dr. Michael Cloer, offer you deep wisdom and insight into the heart of God toward His children.

Designed with an attractive, luxury package, Grace, Hope, and Love will be a beautiful gift as well as a top choice for those looking for a biblically solid and practical yearlong devotional.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400309696
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Series:	MyDaily
Sold by:	THOMAS NELSON
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

 

Johnny Hunt is the general editor of Grace, Hope, and Love, part of the MyDaily^® Devotional series that has sold more than 700,000 copies. Hunt is the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor Johnny’s educational credits include a BA in religion from Gardner-Webb College. He continued on to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Master of Divinity in 1981. Southeastern honored Pastor Johnny in 1997 by naming The Chair of Biblical Preaching in his honor in 1997. He has also received several honorary doctorates over the years for his work in ministry. Hunt and his wife, Janet, enjoy their two daughters, Deanna Carswell and Hollie Hixson, and 4 grandchildren. 

 

 

 

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Week 1 — Monday

Gaining Christ

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

Philippians 3:8-9

I have often heard it said that many people will miss heaven by approximately fourteen inches. They know about Jesus intellectually, but they have never repented of their sins and surrendered their lives to Him. Paul wanted to know Christ, and he certainly wished to make Him known. He knew personally what it meant to have a relationship that was experientially with Jesus.

Once he came to know Jesus as he did, it was as though nothing else really mattered. Paul compared what he had gained on earth to garbage. It really is amazing how dead religion (our approach to reach God) looks once we embrace a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. The Amplified Bible translates Paul's newfound relationship as the possession of a "priceless privilege and supreme advantage."

The question may be asked, "What makes this relationship with Christ so real and rich?" Lots of answers could fill this space, but suffice it to say, we have been brought into a union with God through Christ, which allows us to die with Him and be raised with Him. Through this relationship, God has granted to us His righteousness. He has fitted us for eternity.

Week 1 — Tuesday

The Wonderful Cross

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatians 6:14

It is little wonder that so many great hymns were written about the cross. I love "The Old Rugged Cross," "At Calvary," and my wife's favorite, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul made a tremendous statement concerning the cross. Someone once said of Charles Spurgeon, "All of your sermons sound exactly the same. Why is that?" Spurgeon responded, "Because I just take a text anywhere in the Bible, and then make a beeline straight to the cross."

As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I find it challenging, yet at the same time glorious, that God has given me a gospel to preach that is foolishness. It is absolute nonsense and absurdity. One thing is for sure: this message of the cross allows no place for man's merit or works in experiencing its power.

Now for the paradox: it's foolishness to one person but the power of God to another. John Newton, who wrote "Amazing Grace," would contrast it as "I once ... was blind, but now I see."

Have you ever thought of how the cross stands between you and heaven and also between you and hell? One cannot enter heaven except by way of the cross — dead to sin and self but made alive by its power.

Once we embrace the cross, it keeps us out of hell. We are saved as a result of the cross's power and the acknowledgement of our inability and lack of strength to save ourselves. It's still the cross.

Week 1 — Wednesday

Giving Thanks to God

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.

Colossians 1:3–5

I often hear that a Spirit-filled person is a grateful, thankful person. Paul was a man with a great attitude that displayed itself in gratitude.

Vance Havner said, "We grow up taking things for granted and saving our flowers for the dead. All along the way, countless hands minister to our good, but rarely do we acknowledge them." May I leave my time with the Lord this morning full of gratitude.

Remember, this letter to the Colossians was written from prison by the hand of a man with a tender spirit and a consuming graciousness. It really is amazing grace that can keep you grateful regardless of what life may throw at you.

Listen to the words that jump from the pages of your Bible from this verse: thanks,praying, faith, love, hope, and gospel. It is apparent to me from verses 6–8 that Paul had lots to be grateful for, and not because of where he was or what he had but because of what God had done in the lives of others. The news by Epaphras caused overwhelming gratitude in his heart and words.

Do you reflect often on those for whom you are grateful? How about your Bible teachers or friends who helped you through a difficult time in your life? How about your parents or pastor for all they have taught you? When did you last tell a close friend thank you for always being there? Why not tell them today?

Week 1 — Thursday

Dwelling Under His Wings

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." ... He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Psalm 91:1-2, 4

I have a close friend named Bruce Schmidt. Bruce, his wife Martha, and their children spent more than twenty years serving with the International Mission Board of the SBC in Africa. I remember hearing Bruce speak of this passage in Psalm 91 and saying, "It's not where you live, but where you dwell that matters most."

To say that things are changing in America and that people no longer feel as safe and secure as in the past may be the understatement of the new millennium. With terrorism on the rise, many live daily in a spirit of fear. However, the psalmist encourages us to find our proper place of abiding under the Lord's protection. His ever-near presence has a soothing effect on our souls. Even though some places seem dark, His shadow reminds us of His presence. This is not just a place to run to when we are afraid but a place to dwell — constantly to live.

I heard Darrell Waltrip tell how his wife gave him a promise from the Scriptures to place on the dashboard of his NASCAR race car before each race. Dale Earnhardt saw her giving a promise to Darrell, and Dale requested one. On the day of Dale Earnhardt's tragic accident at the Daytona 500, reportedly his verse for that day was Proverbs 18:10, which states that the righteous run to the Lord and are safe.

Week 1 — Friday

Heeding Jesus' Invitation

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

Revelation 22:16-17

The greatest revelation of God to this world is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Second only to this revelation of God is His Word, the Bible. Here we have the Living Word and the written Word. Jesus verified the fact that it was He who commissioned the angel, His messenger or pastor to the church. In addition to His commissioning, Jesus reminded us who He is in the last chapter of Revelation.

As God Almighty, Jesus reminds the listeners that He came in the form of a man in order to display His divinity. He is a descendant of David. This means that Jesus became like us so we could become like Him. The Son of God became the Son of man so the sons of men could become the sons of God.

Before His coming we were in darkness; now His coming has brought the Light of the World in order to light the life of humanity. When we consider Advent, we are reminded that Christ came but also that He is coming again. The apostle John magnifies both truths in this verse: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!'" And come He will. However, those of us who know Him must extend the invitation to know Him to others.

This serves as the "last invitation" in the Bible. We can find the "first invitation" in Genesis 7. Scholars estimate that we are invited to "come" more than seven hundred times in the Bible. The Lord really desires that we know Him.

Week 1 — Weekend

A Sweet-Smelling Aroma

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2

I think we would all agree that Jesus Christ is the greatest example of the Christian faith. Have you ever heard it said that Jesus never requested of us anything that He had not fleshed out Himself?

In this passage we are challenged to be those who imitate our Lord. There is no higher calling in the Scriptures than to be Christlike. It's the principle the apostle Paul taught in Philippians 3:9-14 and again in Romans 8:29.

When we demonstrate God's love toward others, we have the privilege of displaying a life of sacrifice that mirrors the love of the Lord. God's love is always demonstrated in sacrificial ways (1 John 3:16).

Jesus' mission on earth was to do all that His Father requested and to please Him in every way. As a result, His offering of Himself on the cross was a "sweet-smelling aroma." When Old Testament priests offered up prayers to God, they would sometimes place good-smelling spices in their offering. In like manner, the apostle Paul told us that we can "[diffuse] the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). This is a precious reminder that as imitators of Christ we can have a wonderful influence on others.

CHAPTER 2

Week 2 — Monday

The Walking Dead

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Ephesians 2:4-5

Ephesians 2 is a strange yet inspiring chapter. I say strange because a sinner is like a dead man walking, but he is alive to all of the world's wickedness. Paul used very strong and active words: even though spiritually dead, the sinner follows the ways of the world and of the devil, and he spends his time gratifying the desires of the flesh.

Nothing can be done about the situation. The sinner cannot save himself. Even a saved man cannot save another sinner. We are totally hopeless apart from a gracious and merciful God. But what is impossible for men is possible for God. A hopeless problem requires a God-sized solution.

This is what makes these verses so powerful. Not long after the apostle spoke of our hopelessness, he ecstatically broke in, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."

Dead in transgressions! Dead in sin! Yes, dead to everyone and everything around us. But God is still in the resurrection business. He still reaches down to miserable people like you and me and brings us to spiritual life. He calls us, quickens us, and radically saves us. Oh, what a Savior!

Week 2 — Tuesday

Love That Abides

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:15-16

One of the greatest questions we must answer in our lives is this: Is the Holy Spirit at work in our lives? To answer this question, John argued that if God is at work, the evidence for it will be seen in how we love God and love others. Not until God first loves us do we possess the ability to love others. John mentioned the confession of Jesus first because it is at this point of confession that the Christian life begins.

Jesus taught that the greatest proof of being a disciple is to love one another. We cannot say that we love God and have a regular habit of treating people wrongly. Remember this, the people we meet every day cannot see God, but they can see us. If we abide in Jesus, we will love one another, and our love for one another will reveal God's love to a lost and needy world. We first experience God's love in us, and then we express that same love to others.

Week 2 — Wednesday

Spirit-Filled Living

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16-18

Just as God and the devil are at war, so it is with the Spirit and the flesh; they are at war with one another. The "flesh" refers to the moral and spiritual weakness of human nature that still clings to all of us. The Spirit and the flesh have totally different appetites, and this is what creates the battle inside all of us. The Christian cannot simply "will" himself to overcome the flesh; he has no power of his own to defeat the flesh. The flesh fights for total dominance, and it lusts against the Spirit and fights to take Christians under its control.

The solution is to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit every day. This verse practically says that when we are willingly led by the Holy Spirit, we will no longer be ruled by sin. The Holy Spirit will write a new law in our heart: the law of love (Psalm 40:8).

So what's the answer to our dilemma? To be led by the Holy Spirit and allow Him to free us from the flesh. The source of a Spirit-filled life is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, the believer has the power to overcome the pressures and strains of life — yes, even the bondage of sin and death.

Week 3 — Thursday

God's Invitation

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you — the sure mercies of David."

Isaiah 55:1-3

These three verses answer three key questions:

Who is invited? Everyone who is thirsty, hungry, and destitute. God offers salvation to everyone regardless of his or her status. Most of us know what it's like to be empty, unfulfilled, and dissatisfied with life.

What is being offered? Water, wine, and milk. We all need water for survival, milk for nourishment, and wine, which represents not a necessity but a luxury.

What do we do to receive these benefits? Come, buy, eat, delight, incline, hear, and live. Notice that verse 1 says, "Come to the waters," but verse 3 says, "Come to Me." God makes clear to all of us that He offers the water, milk, and wine.

If you have drifted from God, I encourage you to come to the fountain that never runs dry and to drink of what God offers freely.

(Continues…)

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Table of Contents

Week 1 Dr. Johnny Hunt, First Baptist Church Woodstock, Woodstock, GA, 2,
Week 2 Tim Anderson, Clements Baptist Church, Athens, AL, 8,
Week 3 Dr. Benny Tate, Rock Springs Church, Milner, GA, 14,
Week 4 Michael Orr, First Baptist Chipley, Chipley, FL, 20,
Week 5 Pastor Mark Hoover, New Spring Church, Wichita, KS, 26,
Week 6 Dr. Clayton Cloer, Church at the Cross, Orlando, FL, 32,
Week 7 Dr. Levi Skipper, Concord Baptist Church, Clermont, GA, 38,
Week 8 Dr. Alex Himaya, the Church at Tulsa, OK, 44,
Week 9 Tim DeTellis, New Missions, Orlando, FL, 50,
Week 10 Pastor Craig Bowers, Wynnbrook Baptist Church, Columbus, GA, 56,
Week 11 Dr. William Rice, Calvary Church, Clearwater, FL, 62,
Week 12 Dr. Marty Jacumin, Bay Leaf Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC, 68,
Week 13 Dr. James Merritt, Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, GA, 74,
Week 14 Dr. David Edwards, Discipleship Church Project, The Woodlands, TX, 80,
Week 15 Dr. Mike Whitson, First Baptist Church, Indian Trail, NC, 86,
Week 16 Pastor Roy Mack, Grace Fellowship Church, Warren, OH, 92,
Week 17 Pastor Chris Dixon, Liberty Baptist Church, Dublin, GA, 98,
Week 18 Dr. Frank Cox, North Metro First Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, GA, 104,
Week 19 Dr. Rob Zinn, Immanuel Baptist Church, Highland, CA, 110,
Week 20 Dr. Bob Pitman, Bob Pitman Ministries, Muscle Shoals, AL, 116,
Week 21 Rev. Brian Fossett, Fossett Evangelistic Ministries, Dalton, GA, 122,
Week 22 Dr. Ted H. Traylor, Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, FL, 128,
Week 23 Paul S. Purvis, First Baptist Church Temple Terrace, Temple Terrace, FL, 134,
Week 24 Dr. Jim Perdue, Second Baptist Church, Warner Robins, GA, 140,
Week 25 Dr. Jeff Schreve, First Baptist Church Texarkana, Texarkana, TX, 146,
Week 26 Dr. Adam B. Dooley, Sunnyvale First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX, 152,
Week 27 Dr. Phil Thomas, Shiloh Baptist Church, Fort Gaines, GA, 158,
Week 28 Pastor Jeff Crook, Blackshear Place Baptist Church, Flowery Branch, GA, 164,
Week 29 Dr. Grant Ethridge, Liberty Baptist Church, Hampton, VA, 170,
Week 30 Dr. Brad Whitt, Abilene Baptist Church, Augusta, GA, 176,
Week 31 Dennis Nunn, Every Believer a Witness Ministries, Dallas, GA, 182,
Week 32 Dr. Don Wilton, First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, SC, 188,
Week 33 Dr. Brian Stowe, First Baptist Church Plant City, Plant City, FL, 194,
Week 34 Pastor Brian Boyles, First Baptist Church Snellville, Snellville, GA, 200,
Week 35 Rocky Purvis, Northside Baptist Church, Lexington, SC, 206,
Week 36 Dr. Chad Ball, First Baptist Church, Adamsville, TN, 212,
Week 37 Dr. Russ Barksdale, The Church on Rush Creek, Arlington, TX, 218,
Week 38 Dr. Bryan E. Smith, First Baptist Church Roanoke, Roanoke, VA, 224,
Week 39 Dr. Patrick Latham, First Baptist Church Lawton-Fort Sill, Lawton, OK, 230,
Week 40 Stoney Benfield, Prospect Baptist Church, Albemarle, NC, 236,
Week 41 H. Marshall Thompson Jr., Riverstone Community Church, Jacksonville, FL, 242,
Week 42 Pastor Bob Perry, First Baptist Church At The Villages, The Villages, FL, 248,
Week 43 Dr. Dwayne Mercer, CrossLife Church, Oviedo, FL, 254,
Week 44 Rev. Jeff Overton, Beulah Baptist Church, Douglasville, GA, 260,
Week 45 Paul L. Hahn, First Baptist Church Woodstock, Woodstock, GA, 266,
Week 46 Rusty Womack, Lost Mountain Baptist Church, Powder Springs, GA, 272,
Week 47 Pastor Ronnie Bowers, Flint Groves Baptist Church, Gastonia, NC, 278,
Week 48 Pastor Tim Sizemore, Lighthouse Baptist Church, Macon, GA, 284,
Week 49 Jay Thomason, First Baptist Church, Dawson, GA, 290,
Week 50 Brian Branam, Liberty Baptist Church, Dalton, GA, 296,
Week 51 Dr. Richard Mark Lee, First Baptist McKinney, McKinney, TX, 302,
Week 52 Rev. David Richardson, First Baptist Church, Creedmoor, NC, 308,
Contribuors, 314,
Notes, 317,
Scripture Index, 318,