Me:  Howdy, Prodigal!

Prodigal:  You look like you have a lot on your mind?

Me:  I do. It seems that we are faced with struggles often.  We can follow our flesh or follow the spirit.  Sometimes the flesh seems tempting but we know that leads to death.

Prodigal: That seems a lot to have on your mind right now.  Why don’t you share something you read to help you  focus on Christ.

Me:  That works for me!

This is from Billy, A Personal Look At Billy Graham, The World’s Best-Loved Evangelist by Sherwood Elliot Wirt

 

But is that all there was to it–mere ambition?  Is that what motivated Billy?  He had become a follower of Jesus.  Is that what motivated Jesus?  Let’s set the record straight.  Factually and theologically, all Billy Graham did was to get out of God’s way.  He laid his life at the altar and made himself an empty vessel for the Holy Spirit to fill and use.  No one can possible understand the “most successful evangelist in Christian history” unless one knows that Billy considers such titles good for selling books and little else.

God is love.  It was God’s loving desire to make His servant an instrument to win millions of people to Himself.  That’s why He poured out His love into Billy’s heart.  Billy Graham saw what the Holy Spirit was doing and wanted done, and he showed up for work.

 

God I am not as focused on you as I should be today.  Laying down my life at the altar today is a struggle because I am looking at my hurts instead of looking at your love.  Yet, I know even you are showing me compassion and not condemnation in my struggles.  God I am every so grateful for your forgiveness.  Even in my struggle, I can’t run from your love that is ever present.

 

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

 

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org