I enjoy reading biographies, especially of preachers and missionaries of years gone by. I think of John Wesley, George Whitefield, D.L. Moody, George Muller. Even if you disagree with their doctrine, you can’t deny that they accomplished more for the Kingdom than most of us have today.

Yesterday and today, I have been thinking about a preacher that probably reached more people with the Gospel than anyone else in my lifetime, and that is Billy Graham. I never met him, and I’m sure he had his faults, but I respect the fact that he spent his life telling people the Good News of the Gospel. It wasn’t about Billy; it was about Jesus. And he surrounded himself with people who had that same goal. I think that is what made him effective.

As each saint of God makes their way to Glory, I wonder if there is anyone willing to pick up the torch and continue to spread the Word, or are we hitting that post-Christian era where apathy and comfort abound? Not everyone is called to be an evangelist, but we are all called to spread the Gospel. For some, it may be through preaching. For others, singing. For people like myself, it could be writing. Whatever your gifts are, use them. Life is short. People are dying every day. Start where God has placed you and go from there. I agree with whoever said that “God does not call the equipped; He equips the called.” Billy Graham wasn’t special. He was just someone who was willing to say, “Yes, Lord” when he heard the call, and God blessed him for it.

Are you living your life for God’s glory or your own? Are you willing to be used wherever He desires to place you? These are questions I’m pondering, and I would encourage you to as well. In order to hear “Well done” at the end of our lives, we have to run our race well. This means loving God more than anything or anyone else. Can you honestly say you do that? Do I love Him that much? Thoughts to ponder on this Sunday afternoon.