Billy Graham (Library of Congress collection)
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Billy Graham is the best known televangelist ever. He’s preached God’s word in every corner of the world. It’s estimated that more than 3-million people committed their lives to Jesus after hearing him speak.
He died in 2018. And in his last known one-on-one interview, Billy Graham was asked if he had any regrets.
Yes, he did.
He wished that he’d said “no” to so many speaking engagements during his life. He said he would have spent that time when he wasn’t traveling in personal prayer and mediation.
I think I know why, and it applies to you and me.
Billy Graham knew that the most important thing, which supersedes anything else, is our personal relationship with God. How often I attend church, or how much I put in the collection plate, or what charities I volunteer for, or how many of these Friday on Faith messages I share, are meaningless if I haven’t turned my life over to God. My time in quiet prayer and reading my Bible is much more important than anything else.
Billy Graham knew that. His 417 crusades would do nothing to save his own soul if Jesus wasn’t his personal Lord and Savior. I’m certain that after his passing in 2018 he was welcomed into heaven as God’s good and faithful servant. But it’s because of his time in personal prayer and meditation.
And the same is true for you. You might think of yourself as a good person. You may be doing things that help others and make the world a better place. That’s wonderful. Keep doing that. But we are only saved by giving our lives over to Jesus Christ. That was Billy Graham’s message wherever he preached. Let God into your heart. It is the only way for salvation. For Billy Graham and for each of us.
Chris Conley
Next Friday on Faith, I will share my personal meeting with Dr. Graham while I was in college.
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