BILLY GRAHAM ON LIFE: If I re-lived again

BILLY GRAHAM ON LIFE: If I re-lived again

I woke up late one morning and had a huge fight within myself as I sat down to have my personal quiet time with the LORD. Time was far spent and though I knew I had to spend time with God, I just could not wait to get out there and start working for God. After all, didn't Jesus tell us to go into the whole world? The world is such a large place and if I have to go to the entire world, then I better started early. For a while this was my struggle until I came across two separate writings which changed my priorities forever.

The first one was an article that ASSIST NEWS SERVICE sent to me which I quickly read because it was about Dr. Billy Graham, a man I looked up to, really admired and took a lot of inspiration from. In the article something about what he said struck me so hard, I never stopped thinking about it.

Here was a man who has in his lifetime preached to about 2.2 billion people out of which more than 3.2 million people have responded to the invitations to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. He has also preached since 1947 in more than 400 crusades in 185 countries and territories on six continents.

And when this great man is asked whether there were things he would do differently if he had the opportunity to live his life over again, he responded with these timeless words: "I would study more. I would pray more, travel less, take less speaking engagements. I took too many of them in too many places around the world," he said. "If I had it to do over again, I'd spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love Him and adore Him and [am] looking forward the time we're going to spend together for eternity."

The second transformational writing I came across was a scripture boldly engraved in the words of Psalm 147:10-11 and it reads:

10His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; 11the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

This second one was a real shock and big time confirmation to what my great Evangelist had said earlier. I concluded that God did want me closer to Him than I wanted to work for Him. The story of Jesus' visit to the home of Mary and Martha made sense now as God began to speak to me from there. The Bible says that whilst Martha quickly got into leg and hand mode, Mary got into heart mode with Jesus.

The Bible records that no sooner had Martha started working that she felt cheated and tired and therefore had to come and report Mary to Jesus. And Jesus, being the repository of wisdom that He was, declared in no uncertain terms that Mary had chosen the one thing that was necessary. O how we could rest if we spent more time with Jesus.

Since then although I still get tempted into leg mode, I have had to rearrange all my priorities. One amazing wisdom I have come appreciate more than anything else since then is the clarity of purpose I get from waiting. I can't help but mention the power the Holy Spirit empowers me with to be effective as I have learned to open my heart for sincere and genuine infilling to go into each day to accomplish the His will.

Join me and let us pray together:

Father, I ask that you grant me the wisdom like Jesus to spend daily quality time with you alone as He did Mark 1:35-36 that like I may know where you want me to go instead of where the crowds want me to. Your will is my pleasure, so I come to fulfil all you have written of me...In Jesus name...Amen.