Billy Graham: Turning to Jesus Christ Is Life's Greatest Joy
Those who have yet to turn to Christ will find life's greatest joy if they do, evangelist Billy Graham writes.
Responding to a question posted to the Kansas City Star, Graham, 97, explains that there are two important reasons why people should make the decision to give their life to Jesus: in preparation for death and to find the joy only a relationship with Jesus can give.
The preacher begins his message by saying that shutting your ears and heart to God's call is the most "serious mistake you will ever make," because we never know when our time to face death and judgment will come.
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Graham explains that although many people have convinced themselves that they'll never have to stand before God at the end of their life, that time will in fact come.
"[…] [D]eath is real, and so is God's judgment — but so too is God's offer of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ," Graham writes, referencing John 6:40 that promises eternal life for those who believe in Jesus.
Another important reason to pursue a relationship with God is the promise of joy such an experience will surely bring.
"Life's greatest joy comes from knowing Christ and following him. Listen: Jesus didn't come to make us miserable and squeeze all the joy out of life. Jesus came instead to fulfill our lives and make us into the joyous people God wants us to be," the evangelical leader writes.
Graham concludes his message by promising that one will never regret the relationship they form with Jesus, suggesting that choosing to do so is of the utmost importance.
The evangelical leader, who founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950, has warned before that although God is always open to forming a relationship with us, it is still possible for Christians to lose their salvation by continuing to live a sinful life despite claiming to believe in God.
To communicate this point, Graham cited James 2:26 in a 2010 post, which states that "faith without deeds is dead."
"If we live sinful lives, it may well mean that we haven't given ourselves to Christ after all, and we've even deceived ourselves into thinking we are saved when we really aren't," the evangelical pastor writes.
Although we as Christians may be lying to ourselves about our dedication to Christ, God will never turn his back on us, Graham adds.
"When we come to Christ, He comes to live within us by His Spirit — and He will never depart from us. And when we come to Him, God adopts us into His family and we become His children — and He'll never disown us or disinherit us," the Baptist minister writes.
"If He did reject us, it would mean our salvation depends on how good we are. But we can never be good enough, for God's standard is perfection. Our salvation depends solely on Christ, Who died to take away all our sins," Graham adds.
