Grace River Ministries

Grace River Ministries Grace River Ministries is here to help you experience God and get a true picture of who He is. Few bodies of water are more exciting than rivers. What’s yours?

The whole concept of Grace River Ministries came about as a response to what my husband, Chuck, and I have been experiencing for the last few years. God is taking us through some challenging and, at times, perplexing situations. Through it all, He is opening our eyes and our hearts to see and believe who He truly is. We have experienced a God of grace, a Loving, and Sovereign God who is revealing

Himself to us through a daily personal, loving relationship with Him. The name Grace River originated from Beth Moore’s “Breaking Free” Bible study, where she writes about the peace of God using the illustration of a river, a moving stream of water that can be very peaceful, and very treacherous. Whether our lives are going smoothly or we’re experiencing twists and turns and rolling over boulders and falls, God’s grace can keep us in His perfect peace. He has promised that He will never leave us! She says:

“To have peace like a river is to have security and tranquility of heart and mind while meeting many bumps and unexpected turns on life's journey through change.”

Every river has an upland source and an ultimate outlet. As it travels along, it grows from rain, melting snow and other streams and rivers joining it. As it continues on its journey to the sea, it nourishes all the vegetation along its banks, supplies water and refreshes all who come to it as it remains connected to its source. Likewise, peace like a river flows from a deliberate, continuous connection with our upland Source, Jesus Christ (John 15:4). And, just as rivers are fully dependent and connected to other bodies of water, we as God’s children must be connected to each other. Grace River wants to be a source of encouragement, a place where anyone can share their story and find their worth as a child of our loving Creator. Every river has a story. Chuck & Rosie O’Dell
Founders

09/07/2026

Today's Eternal Promise
September 7, 2026 (Labor Day)

“Enjoy life with the woman you love all the days of your life that will soon be over. God has given you these days under the sun. This is the good you will get in life and in your work which you have done under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength. For there is no work or planning or learning or wisdom in the place of the dead where you are going.” Ecclesiastes 9:9-10 (NLV)

Experiencing God, Day by DayLong Enough on the MountainDaily Devotional for September 7, 2026The LORD our God spoke to u...
09/07/2026

Experiencing God, Day by Day
Long Enough on the Mountain
Daily Devotional for September 7, 2026

The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: “‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.” Deuteronomy 1:6

If God allowed us to live on the “mountaintop,” we would not experience trials, but neither would we achieve any victories. The Israelites had gathered at the foot of Mount Horeb while God spoke to them and gave them His law. It was a breathtaking experience! Fire and smoke covered that awesome mountain; lightning flashed, and loud trumpet sounds pierced the air in a deafening crescendo! The ground at the foot of the mountain shook, and the people trembled in fear (Exod. 19:16-25).

As important as it was for God’s people to have this inspiring encounter with Him, their Lord had not rescued them from Egypt in order for them to settle around a mountain in the wilderness. God delivered them so that they could conquer the Promised Land. God wanted to demonstrate His power to the Israelites so that they would trust Him in their conquest of Canaan. Finally, God announced that they had been long enough at the mountain; it was time to go to battle.

The mountain is an enticing place to set up camp. Peter, James, and John were prepared to reside on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, but their Lord knew that a demon-possessed boy needed their assistance down below (Matt. 17:4, 14-18). At times God will graciously provide you a mountaintop experience. These times come in many settings: during your time alone with Him, at a Christian conference, by reading a Christian book, or at a prayer meeting. You may wish you could spend the rest of your life basking in the glow of your encounter with God. But remember, these mountaintop encounters are God’s way of preparing you for the battles that await you. - Henry Blackaby

www.blackaby.org

My Utmost for His HighestFountains of BlessingsSeptember 7, 2026 Daily DevotionalThe water that I shall give him will be...
09/07/2026

My Utmost for His Highest
Fountains of Blessings
September 7, 2026 Daily Devotional

The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14

The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame— something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus saying to stay focused on the Source so that you may be blessed personally? No, you are to focus on the Source so that out of you “will flow rivers of living water”— irrepressible life (John 7:38).

We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as “rivers of living water” in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving, because our relationship is not right with the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us. But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything hindering your faith in Him? If not, then Jesus says that out of you “will flow rivers of living water.” It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.

Is it excessive to say that rivers will flow out of one individual believer? Do you look at yourself and say, “But I don’t see the rivers”? Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ. - Oswald Chambers

www.utmost.org

09/06/2026

Today's Eternal Promise
September 6, 2026 (Read a Book Day)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (GNT)

Experiencing God, Day by DayNothing Can Separate YouDaily Devotional for September 6, 2026Who shall separate us from the...
09/06/2026

Experiencing God, Day by Day
Nothing Can Separate You
Daily Devotional for September 6, 2026

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35

Nothing you could ever experience, no matter how terrible or frightening, could ever separate you from the love of God. No tribulation and distress you might ever suffer could be so intense that God’s love for you is not even more fervent. No persecution could be so painful that God’s love cannot bring comfort. Famine might starve you of food, but you will never hunger for the Father’s love. Poverty cannot strip you of God’s compassion, just as even death itself is incapable of robbing you of your heavenly Father’s infinite love.

If you base your view of God’s love on your circumstances, you will become confused. There may be times when you will ask, “How could a loving God allow this to happen to me?” You may begin to question what you find clearly stated in the Word of God. God promised that you would never be separated from His love; He did not say that you would never face hardship, persecution, poverty, or danger. If you doubt that God could love you and still allow you to experience difficult experiences, consider the life of Jesus.

If you allow the death of Jesus on the cross to forever settle any questions you might have about God’s love, you will approach difficult circumstances with confidence. Knowing that there will never be anything that could separate you from God’s perfect love, you will watch to see how God expresses His love in each circumstance. Don’t ever judge God’s love based on your circumstances. Instead, evaluate your circumstances from the perspective of God’s love. - Henry Blackaby

www.blackaby.org

My Utmost for His HighestThe Far-Reaching Rivers of LifeSeptember 6, 2026 Daily DevotionalHe who believes in Me…out of h...
09/06/2026

My Utmost for His Highest
The Far-Reaching Rivers of Life
September 6, 2026 Daily Devotional

He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. —John 7:38

A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, “rivers of living water” will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow— “This is the work of God, that you believe…” (John 6:29). God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.

A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even broader and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not seem to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ— not emotion nor experience— nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of the healing and far-reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for others. - Oswald Chambers

www.utmost.org

09/05/2026

Today's Eternal Promise
September 5, 2026

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 (TLB)

Experiencing God, Day by DayFreely GiveDaily Devotional for September 5, 2026Freely you have received, freely give. Matt...
09/05/2026

Experiencing God, Day by Day
Freely Give
Daily Devotional for September 5, 2026

Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8b

There is no room for misers in God’s kingdom. When we begin to struggle in giving what we have to others, we have forgotten where we received our possessions. Every good thing we have ever received has come from God (James 1:17). All that we have acquired has been dependent upon His grace (1 Cor. 4:7). Job accurately summarized our condition: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, / And naked shall I return there. / The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; / Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

We easily assume a sense of ownership of our possessions, as if they were things we earned ourselves, thereby giving us a right to them. Jesus reminds us to be prepared to give our possessions as freely and joyfully as we received them. It should be a pleasure for us to give what we have to others (2 Cor. 9:7). We ought to be a conduit through whom the Lord can pour His blessings, knowing we will disperse them to everyone around us. Sometimes we claim we are trying to be good stewards of our resources when actually we are being selfish.

If you struggle to give freely to others, you have become more attached to the gift than to the Giver. The account of the rich young ruler shows the tragedy of becoming too attached to worldly treasures (Luke 8:18-24). Meditate on all that your Lord has given to you (John 3:16). Resolve to express your gratitude to Him through your giving. - Henry Blackaby

www.blackaby.org

My Utmost for His HighestWatching With JesusSeptember 5, 2026 Daily DevotionalStay here and watch with Me. —Matthew 26:3...
09/05/2026

My Utmost for His Highest
Watching With Jesus
September 5, 2026 Daily Devotional

Stay here and watch with Me. —Matthew 26:38

“Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, “No, Lord, I can’t see the meaning of this, and besides, it’s very painful.” And how can we possibly watch with Someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don’t even know why He is suffering? We don’t know how to watch with Him— we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.

The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they “all…forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:4). “They” refers to the same people, but something wonderful has happened between these two events— our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension— and the disciples have now been invaded and “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8). This meant that they learned to watch with Him the rest of their lives. - Oswald Chambers

www.utmost.org

09/04/2026

Today's Eternal Promise
September 4, 2026

“But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being in Christ’s family and being called by his wonderful name!” 1 Peter 4:16 (TLB)

Address

Visalia, CA
93291

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Grace River Ministries posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category