Yesterday our family live-streamed the funeral of Billy Graham and watched it from our living room. I was incredibly touched to watch the testimony of a life lived for kingdom purposes. Just last year my husband and I toured the Billy Graham Library where this service was held. I LOVED it that they held Graham's service in a tent reminiscent of the tent revivals he preached during his ministry.
It was so moving to see Michael W Smith, Bill Gaither, and others worship the Lord as well as the whole tent full of people singing "To God Be the Glory" along with other hymns.
The whole things moved my heart and reminded me of how I want to be faithful to the end of my earthly journey. In today's shallow christian culture it is very common to see men of God start running the race well only to be lured into some form of compromise or enticement with pride and sin. I am so thankful that Billy Graham lived decade after decade faithful to the cross of Christ and faithful to his family. It is refreshing to see a man whose trajectory was one of faithfulness.
One beautiful thing that was brought out in the service is how much Billy and Ruth Bell Graham loved each other. She went to heaven over a decade before him, and he lived the rest of his life longing to be reunited with his bride. What a beautiful thing that Billy and Ruth are now together again worshipping their Lord. Seeing this legacy of lifelong love moves me to think about how I want to continue working at my own marriage. There is something beautifully sweet about lifelong love. When my children are grown and gone I want to still be growing in my love for my precious husband.
Also, seeing Billy Graham's five grown children honor their father's legacy made me think about how one day my husband and I will be gone and our children will still be here. Even after we are gone I want them to carry on a legacy of faith to future generations.
It is really special to see the legacy of a man who was poured out for the gospel of Jesus Christ and who finished the race well.
"Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." - Philippians 2:17
Finally, watching all the Billy Graham coverage and seeing how God used one farm boy to touch the world makes me thing about who God will raise up to share the message of the cross in the next generation. The other day I was praying with my children, and we were asking the Lord to raise up future leaders to proclaim truth. I see so many of the stalwarts of the faith now dying off. In recent years we have lost Elisabeth Elliot, RC Sproul, Billy Graham and others. The world is broken and lost and needs faithful christian men and women to unapologetically proclaim Biblical truth. Let us be prayerful that we will walk in faithfulness in our own spheres of influence and that our children will rise up and serve the Lord with kingdom-minded vision. Let us pray that our families will walk in faithfulness for generations to come.
Mamas, I want to close this post by reminding us all that we are raising the future leaders of the next generation. Who knows how God might choose to use one of our children to influence the world for Christ? Billy Graham's father was a dairy farmer, and God took Billy from the farm all around the world proclaiming salvation through Christ. Mothering is a huge ministry not to be undermined. Who knows how God might be preparing our children for His kingdom purposes, and He has given us the privilege of raising them up in the ways they should go. Let us look to Christ that He may flow through us and that our legacy will impact generations to come. May those who come behind us find us faithful.
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