In memoriam: 'America's Pastor'

One of the greatest evangelical leaders of our time, Billy Graham, 'America's Pastor' has passed away at the age of 99 at his home in Montreat, N.C. His sojourn here has come to a close, but his impact is lasting. He now joins the saintly host in Heaven, but while we're on this social platform, one way we can honor this man and reflect on his inspired teachings is to take a simple yet profound stroll through an assortment of his Facebook posts in this 100th year...

Billy Graham January 1 · "Don’t drift aimlessly through another year. Instead, as this New Year begins, turn to Jesus Christ and commit your life to Him. God loves you, and Christ gave His life for you. Why not give Him your life in return?" —Billy Graham, answering a question on New Year's resolutions #BG100

Billy Graham January 3 · "Many people go through life without ever realizing who they are, or why God put them here. On the outside they may be successful, well-liked, even envied by others. But down inside something is still missing.
Advertisers promise happiness and fulfillment—if we will only use their produce. Pundits and politicians promise abundance and world peace—if we will only listen to their wisdom and vote for them. These promises, however, always fall short. We spend all our time and energy pampering our bodies and minds—but if we ignore our souls, we will end up spiritually starved and malnourished. Don't let this happen to you!" —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 4 · "You and I can't add anything to what Christ did for us, because He has already done it all. If Christ's death was not enough ... if we needed to add our own good works to His in order to be saved ... then we could never know for sure that we will go to Heaven when we die, because we could never be sure if we have done enough." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 5 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 6 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 7 · "One of God's most comforting promises is that we can bring every need and burden to Him." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 8 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 11 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 12 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 14 · "Don’t be disillusioned because of a few who claim to be following Jesus, but aren’t. Instead, make sure your faith and trust are in Christ. He alone is worthy of your trust." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 17 · "All the positive thoughts in the world won’t bring hope and healing to those who are victims of injustice or sickness or famine or war. But Christ can give us the love we need to help a hurting world." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 18 · Billy Graham's lesson on faith, from the Bible story of Bartimaeus:

"The blind man, Bartimaeus, threw off his cloak and ran trembling to Jesus. And Jesus said, 'What do you want me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, that I may receive my sight.' In that moment as he said, 'Lord,' his spiritual eyes were opened. And Jesus said, 'Your faith has made you whole.'

Notice, not your intellectual understanding, not your money, not your works—but your faith. Faith! That’s all it takes! Immediately Bartimaeus, who had been blind all of his life, began to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the face of Jesus." #BG100

Billy Graham January 19 · "You cannot possibly be a happy, dynamic, and powerful Christian apart from a daily walk with Christ. Christ is calling Christians today to cleansing, to dedication, to consecration, and to full surrender. It will make the difference between success and failure in your spiritual life. It will make the difference between being helped and helping others. It will make a difference in your habits, in your prayer life, in your Bible reading, in your giving, in your testimony, and in your church membership. This is the Christian hour of decision." —Billy Graham on "the secret to real living" #BG100

Billy Graham January 20 · "Happy is the man who has learned the secret of coming to God in daily prayer. Fifteen minutes alone with God every morning before you start the day can change circumstances and remove mountains!" —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 21 at 7:56pm · "The secret of a happy home is that members of the family learn to give and receive love. Let us take time to express our love in a thousand ways." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 27 at 10:18pm · "The family and the home can never exert their proper influence while ignoring the Biblical standard. ...The only way to provide the right home for your children is to put the Lord above them, and fully instruct them in the ways of the Lord." —Billy Graham on parenting #BG100

Billy Graham January 28 at 7:08pm · "God has given us the power of choice. Some people today do not wish to accept the responsibility for their actions. They blame society. They blame the environment. They blame the schools. They blame the circumstances. But Adam sinned in a perfect environment under perfect circumstances. We can’t blame it all on somebody else. We must accept the blame ourselves for our part. Society is made up of individuals. If we have social injustice, we’re the ones who are wrong; we’re part of it. Let’s accept our responsibility to do something about it." —Billy Graham on "the power of choice"

Billy Graham January 30 at 3:06pm · "Most thoughtful people recognize that man is a paradox. He is both dust of earth and breath of God. He is a contradiction of discord and harmony, hatred and love, pride and humility, tolerance and intolerance, and peace and turmoil. The depths to which he sinks only dramatizes the heights to which by God's grace he is capable of rising. His very misery is an indication of his potential greatness. His deep yearnings are an echo of what he might be." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 2 at 2:30pm · "Prayer is not using God; it is more often to get us in a position where God can use us. I watched the deckhands on the great liner 'United States' as they docked that ship in New York Harbor. First, they threw out a rope to the men on the dock. Then, inside the boat the great motors went to work and pulled on the great cable. But of course the pier wasn't pulled out to the ship; the ship was moved snugly up to the pier. Prayer is the rope that pulls God and man together. But it doesn't pull God down to us; it pulls us up to Him." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 5 at 8:42pm · #BG100

Billy Graham February 8 at 10:00pm · #BG100

Billy Graham February 11 at 2:54pm · "The most distant galaxy … the littlest seed … even the smallest sub-atomic particle—everything was created by Him, and is under His sovereign control. God is that great!" —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 12 at 10:36am · "I've known the thrill of winning a tough ball game and of winning a golf match on the last hole. But to me the biggest thrill is to win the big one—the spiritual battle of life." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 16 at 2:39pm ·

Billy Graham February 18 at 9:11am · "The world in which we live is full of pessimism. No Christian has the scriptural right to go around wringing his hands wondering what we are to do in the face of the present world situation. The Scripture says that in the midst of persecution, confusion, wars, and rumors of wars, we are to comfort one another with the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming back in triumph, glory, and majesty." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham 21 hrs · "If you went for a walk in the woods, but then decided to wander off the path, and found yourself surrounded by a thicket of thorns and poison ivy, who would you blame? Would you blame the person who built the path? No, of course not. Instead you’d blame yourself if you were honest, because you alone were responsible for wandering from the path.
In a far deeper way, this is what happens when we decide to leave God out of our lives. For a time, it may seem like wandering away from Him doesn’t make any difference; it may even seem easier and freer. But eventually it catches up with us—just as wandering off that path and into the thicket caught up with you." —Billy Graham #BG100

...God Bless this holy man, his devotion, wisdom and insight, his ministry, and his impact upon this nation to bring the common man to Christ.

REMEMBER thy servant, Billy, O Lord, according to the favor which thou bearest unto thy people, and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may go from strength to strength, in the life of perfect service, in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever, one God, world without end. Amen.