Good morning,
God did something special last week. God called one of his special prophets and preachers home at the age of 99. Most all of us older folks have known the name of Billy Graham since we were young and have heard him and seen him in person or on TV or in movies or on the radio and read the books and articles he has written, and have known many friends or family members or even personally have trusted Jesus as Savior after hearing him speak. He was a man of integrity in his life style, in his family life, and in the way he taught the Bible as he went all over the world telling people what God wanted them to know. There is no way we can know how many people have come to trust Jesus as Savior during his life time, but one of his core values was that he studied and believed and taught only what the Bible says. As he spoke to the millions who came to hear him, his teaching was always based on “The Bible says.” What made him great was not what he said, it was what he told the world what the Bible says.
That value that he lived and trusted has always been a part of all of God’s family since the Bible began to be written over 3,000 years ago. In the Old Testament, David wrote, Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.(Psalms 119:105) All God’s prophets spoke and wrote exactly what God had given them to say before Jesus came and then when John the Baptist and Jesus and the Apostles and prophets spoke until the Apostle John ended the writings that we know today as our Bible. At one point Peter, who had heard God speak directly to him and two other disciples, wrote Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets.(2Pet.1:19) Then he went on to say, You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place–until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. We need to remember that what made Billy Graham and all of us who study and teach the Bible is what Peter went on to write, Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative.(vs.20,21) Even though the prophets and teachers and preachers spoke and wrote these words, They were words that God had given them to say. Peter continues, No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.(v.21) The words that we have in our Bible today were given to us to read and believe and study and obey and preach and teach so that our generation will hear and see and know what our Great God and Savior is really like. What God also wants us to do is to read and study and experience all of it, not just the parts that we like or understand. One of the traps that we face today is that we only want to teach and preach the parts that we think we can prove and stay away from any parts that are still waiting to happen. God’s Word is true and trustworthy all the way through, and the guidelines that were given, And it is impossible to please God without faith.(Heb.11:6) includes that part of God’s plan as well. Dear Lord, help us to be people who live and speak what the Bible says, for your glory and the salvation of those around us today.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Roy Wisner
