On the morning of February 21, 2018, Dr. Billy Graham breathed his last breath and departed this earth to live in glory with His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. No matter where you may stand in regard to your opinion of him, it is fair to say that he fervently believed in his mission to spread the gospel and to bring people to the saving knowledge of the Savior that he knows and with Whom he now resides.
Dr. Graham’s legacy will be spoken of and written about for years to come. This legacy began to unfold when he was called to spread the redeeming message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many quotes have been attributed to him during his lifelong commitment to spread this message. He knew that challenges permeate everyone’s life. Many of his messages focused on how we can face those challenges. Below is a sampling of the many quotes attributed to him. Read them slowly and take time to reflect on their meaning:
“God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
“Take one day at a time. Today, after all, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”
“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.”
“Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone – except God.”
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.”
“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.”
“Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”
“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.”
“No parent is perfect; we all can look back and think of things we could’ve done to help our children be better prepared for adulthood. And sometimes it’s best to admit it to them and encourage them to learn from our mistakes.”
“God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.”
“We say to our children, ‘Act like grown-ups,’ but Jesus said to the grown-ups, ‘Be like children.’
Dr. Graham’s time on earth is complete. Ours is not. What are we doing with our time that will have an eternal impact on those we influence? What is our purpose? CRCS is excited to assist families in teaching students the answers to these questions.
