Dr. Billy Graham, a Man of Inspiration

On February 21, 2018, Heaven gained a champion, Dr. Billy Graham. For me personally, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I am inspired as I consider his life. I love this quote, from the man himself, that I have seen and read countless times in the last 48 hours, "Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God."

Twenty four years ago, I had the privilege of being a part of the counseling team for one of Dr. Graham's crusades here in Atlanta. I was still in high school, but God led me to be a part of the counselor training a month before the crusade, and then to be prepared each night of the crusade to meet teens at the alter who were ready to meet Jesus. I remember thinking, "What is so great about this man that he is able to draw thousands of people, to fill our Georgia Dome, to hear him preach?" Throughout this crusade, I realized that this man was simply being used by God. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. He had a firm but sincere way of communicating the gospel. Every night of that crusade, the Scripture and the stories were different, but the gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed clearly, and many rushed to the front to surrender their lives to Jesus. I remember praying with several teens that week, who went down to the alter, and were weeping in conviction and ready to follow Jesus.

Dr. Graham is inspiring. There are many things that personally inspire me as I remember the life of this champion. I want to share with you three that stand out to me above the rest.

First of all, I am inspired by Dr. Graham's integrity. He was the same man in private as he was in public. He is the most recognizable preacher in all of history, but his biggest accomplishment, in my opinion, was his outstanding Christ-like character. People who knew him the best describe him as humble and genuine. In the words of his long time song leader, Cliff Barrows, "He practiced what he preached."

One mark of a man of integrity is the willingness to admit when he has done wrong. Over the years, Dr. Graham made his share of mistakes, and some of them were in the public eye. Instead of shrinking back or covering them up, he owned up to them and made public confession. This is godliness.

Dr. Graham sought every day to pursue purity. Back in the 1940's, he and other Christian leaders gathered in Modesto, California to lay out what is known as the "Billy Graham Rule". He shares in his book, Just As I Am, “We all knew of evangelists who had fallen into immorality while separated from their families by travel. We pledged among ourselves to avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion. From that day on, I did not travel, meet or eat alone with a woman other than my wife.”

Over the years, this passion for purity served Dr. Graham well in avoiding major pitfalls that would have derailed his life and ministry. In 1943, he married Ruth and they enjoyed 64 years of faithful marriage. They raised 5 children together. Dr. Graham has said that his ministry would be impossible without Ruth. What a beautiful example of integrity, character and faithfulness.

Secondly, I am inspired by Dr. Graham's passion for the gospel. He preached Jesus Christ without reservation to millions. So many Christians buckle at the knees at the thought of sharing their faith. It is reported that Dr. Graham preached to over 215 million people in 185 different countries. I have read recently that approximately 1 million people were born again in Jesus Christ because of his proclamation of the gospel. That is significant kingdom ministry.

Dr. Graham had a way of explaining the truth of the gospel in a way that engaged everyone. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. His messages were so convicting that even atheists would be found running to the alter to be saved. I cannot imagine the scores of people in Heaven because of Dr. Billy Graham. I have a feeling he is bombarded with people coming to him in Heaven saying, "Thank you".

His life verse, that could be found pinned on the walls of his home, is Galatians 6:14. It says, "But 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."

Lastly, I am inspired by Dr. Graham's love for all people. He worked hard to end segregation. He fought for civil rights. In the 1950's, Dr. Graham was scheduled to lead a crusade in the South, and when he got inside the stadium, he noticed that there were sections roped off based on the color of skin. He said, "No more of this!", and then went to the head usher and told him to take down the ropes. The usher refused and so Dr. Graham took down the ropes himself.

This stance that Dr. Graham took in taking down the ropes led to a friendship with the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They developed such a close friendship that Dr. Graham would call Dr. King by his nickname, Mike. At one point during their relationship, Dr. Graham would bail Dr. King out of jail following protests in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Graham lived by the position that he preached many times, “There is no excuse ever for hatred. There is no excuse, ever, for bigotry and intolerance and prejudice. We are to love as God loves us.” Dr. Graham spoke clearly that the Bible has no truth that promotes segregation. Graham helped tear down the walls of segregation. What an example for us today.

Dr. Billy Graham was an incredible example for each of us. His legacy will continue to inspire those who know him. These are the areas of his life that inspire me. What is it about him that inspires you? I would love to read your thoughts in the section below. My prayer is that Jesus will continue to shine His light and pour out His love, to bring salvation to the lost, as we remember the life of Dr. Billy Graham.

Quoted Book: Just As I Am, Billy Graham, Harper Collins Publishing, New York, 1997.

God Invites Us to Spend Time in His Presence

“Then God said to Moses, ‘Come up to the Lord.’” Exodus 24:1



God’s invitation to come is different than any other persons invitation we will ever receive. We may come up with all kinds of excuses to reject someone's invitation to do what they want, but when God invites us to come, this is categorically different. When God invites us to come, it is as if a king is inviting a pauper to dine at his fancy banquet table to enjoy the choicest of foods. Hello, it’s a no-brainer!

What an incredible opportunity this was for Moses! He had already experienced the burning bush. He had seen God bring plagues to the people of Egypt and deliver the Israelites. He had seen God bring water from a rock and manna from heaven. Here, God is inviting Moses to spend some one-on-one time in His presence. No one in the Old Testament had more meetings with the Lord than Moses.

We, as followers of Christ, because of His provision, can experience His manifest presence every single day. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” The invitation is always open for us to come, to experience His presence.

We read in Exodus 24:15 that when Moses went up to be with the Lord, the glory of God settled there. To the Israelites at the bottom of the mountain, the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire. It says that Moses stayed on that mountain for 40 days and nights. 

God wants to reveal Himself to you. God wants to say to you, as He said to Moses long ago, “Come up to the Lord.” God is saying, “Seek Me. Spend time with Me. Encounter Me. Linger here. Experience My manifest presence.”

Quenching Our Thirst

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” Isaiah 55:1

This particular invitation to come, in Isaiah 55:1, is to find complete satisfaction in Christ. Isaiah uses the idea of being spiritually thirsty and finding the replenishment for that thirst in Christ. Just as Gatorade prides themselves in quenching one’s thirst, only Christ can completely satisfy the dehydration of our souls.

The temptation we face in this is receiving our satisfaction from other sources. Those satisfied with the things of the world see no need for Christ, and therefore do not thirst. Places such as wealth, addictions, social media, other relationships, and the list goes on and on. These means will only lead to emptiness and ultimately an unsatisfied soul.

Jesus said in John 7:37, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Come to Christ today. He invites you. He is the Living Water. His streams make glad the city of God. His waters bring salvation. His waters bring forgiveness. His waters bring healing. His waters bring deliverance. His waters bring love. His waters bring revival.

Come Repent

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

In this Scripture, Isaiah is addressing the nation of Israel, and in the same way, he declares this to all sinners throughout time and humanity. This is a call to repentance, to come clean. It is an invitation to be honest about our sinfulness, to repent, and to allow Christ to bring forgiveness and healing.

Isaiah begins this chapter by calling out the Israelites for their sinful ways. He says in verse 4 that they were a “sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord.” As horrible as that sounds, the reality is that we have all done this, we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We have all done things that separate us from a holy God. We have committed sin that the prophet, in verse 18, likens to the colors scarlet and crimson. This, most likely, is referring to murder and the blood that was on the hands of the Israelites. You have probably never committed murder, but we have all been stained by sin.

The good news is, we don’t need to live there. Christ died to set us free once and for all. Jesus poured out His blood that we might be set free. As the Holy Spirit moves in our lives, as we repent of our sins, Christ then takes our horrible sin and forgives and purifies us and makes us clean. Isaiah says, “we shall be as white as snow and like wool.”

I used to live in Minnesota, and one thing I loved about living there was getting to enjoy the snow. Some of you can look out the window right now and see snow on the ground. In Minnesota, we certainly had a lot of snow, and because of the cold temperatures, it stayed around much longer than anyone would want, but looking outside at the ground covered with white snow was always a beautiful sight.

In this verse, God tells us that through the transaction of our repentance and His forgiveness, Christ makes us as pure and as white as that freshly fallen snow. What a beautiful picture of God's forgiveness! Though our sins be like scarlet and crimson, God says, I will get rid of all that, I will take it away, and I will wash you white as snow.

Take time now to welcome the Holy Spirit and His conviction. Then, repent of all known sin and receive the forgiveness of Christ. Praise God for being our Redeemer and Forgiver of sins!