Answers
By BGEA Admin • August 31, 2023 • Topics: Jesus Christ
Q:
It seems the world could solve its problems by focusing on God instead of itself. I am 80 years old and I’ve never seen a society so self-absorbed and so distant from God. It’s troubling that churches don’t preach about becoming more God-centered instead of me-centered! Aren’t we to walk as He walked?
A:
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
God’s will is for all of His children to become more and more like Christ right where we are. Jesus didn’t isolate Himself from daily life. He became involved in people’s lives wherever He went. At times, He withdrew to rest and spend time alone with His Father—and so should we. But Jesus also knew what it was to live under pressure, and yet He never wavered from God’s plan for His life. Neither should we.
When we submit every area of our lives to Christ’s authority, we become more like Him. Nothing must be excluded from His influence, and nothing must be withheld from His control. It has been said often, “If Christ is to be Lord at all, then He must be Lord of all.”
This is why the Bible says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23).
When Jesus walked on Earth, people saw in Him a quality of life they had never seen before, and they wanted to experience it for themselves. When they looked at Him, they saw joy and peace and kindness—and most of all, they saw His love.
God wants to give us that same quality of life. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
