Pss. 50:5 “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
The picture above was taken on a day filled with gray skies and snow. The sun was setting and popped out long enough for me to capture this image on February 21.
On February 21, 2018 the world lost a great man on a mission to do God’s work, Billy Graham. He preached the Word of God for over 60 years! He ministered to presidents and children, the rich and the poor, the sick and the healthy.
He was born on November 7, 1918 and passed away one year shy of 100 years old.
When I was a child, my dad, a Catholic, used to watch Billy Graham Ministries on Sundays. He admired him from afar and that made me respect my dad even more. When I became a born-again Christian, converting from Catholicism, I felt safe walking toward the Light of Christ because I knew I always had one man whose word I could turn to and trust the Word of God from, Mr. Graham. Rest in the arms of the Lord, kind sir.
On Suffering:
“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.”
"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys."
“When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God."
“Someone asked me recently if I didn’t think God was unfair, allowing me to have Parkinson’s and other medical problems when I have tried to serve him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all. Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to him in trust and confidence.”
“Believers, look up – take courage. The angels are nearer than you think.”
“Quit beating yourself up. We all live under grace and do the best we can.”
On his Home - Heaven
“My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world.”
“Heaven is full of answers for which nobody ever bothered to ask.”
“God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.”
“The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in heaven.”
“He lives in the hearts of those who trust in Him. Our confidence in life after death comes from these very truths.”
On Jesus:
“God proved his love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”
“Christ not only died for all: he died for each.”
“We say to our children, 'Act like grown-ups,' but Jesus said to the grown-ups, 'Be like children.'
"The only hope for enduring peace is Jesus Christ."
“Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.”
“The cross shows us the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.”
“It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge and my job to love.”
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened."
On God's Purpose for Us:
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”
“God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.”
“Take one day at a time. Today, after all, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”
"God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.”
“The happiness which brings enduring worth to life is not the superficial happiness that is dependent on circumstances. It is the happiness and contentment that fills the soul even in the midst of the most distressing circumstances and the most bitter environment. It is the kind of happiness that grins when things go wrong and smiles through the tears. The happiness for which our souls' ache is one undisturbed by success or failure, one which will deeply root inside us and give us inward relaxation, peace, and contentment, no matter what the surface problems may be. That kind of happiness stands in need of no outward stimulus.”
On Living with Eyes Fixed on Eternity:
“I've read the last page of the Bible, it's all going to turn out all right.”
“There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.”
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”
“The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.”
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
“Knowing we will be with Christ forever far outweighs our burdens today! Keep your eyes on eternity!”
“World events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.”
On Loving God and Others:
“It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge and my job to love.”
“A real Christian is the one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.”
“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”
“The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.”
“They asked her (Ruth Graham) did she ever think about divorce and she said, ‘No, I’ve never thought of divorce in all these 35 years of marriage, but,’ she said, ‘I did think of murder a few times.’”
“Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone – except God.”
On Preaching
“We are the Bibles the world is reading; we are the creeds the world is needing; we are the sermons the world is heeding.”
“I have never known anyone to accept Christ’s redemption and later regret it.”
“Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength.”
“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”
"The message I preach hasn't changed. Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed, but deep inside man has not changed, and the gospel hasn't changed."
The story does not end with the cross, for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death and hell. Yes, there is hope.”
“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”
Rev. Billy Graham
2 Cor. 13:13 "All the saints salute you."
