Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well

by Billy Graham

He has given us “his very great

and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). Read them, learn them, memorize them, trust them, and let them grow and bear fruit in your soul.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. (Psalm 55:22)

“Show mercy and compassion to one another” (Zechariah 7:9).

We often find that our own loads are not as heavy when we begin helping others.

The Bible tells us to care for our family members, especially our immediate families (1 Timothy 5:8).

If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you! (Jeremiah 15:19 NLT)

We are allowing Satan to snuff out our influence by making us think that no one really cares.

The greatest legacy you can pass on to them is the legacy of your character and your faith.

While we cannot make this decision for others, we can show them the way by being an example of Christ’s love and of His power to transform every life that is submitted to Him.

It takes time to grow—and so does the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The Bible urges us to “be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

Let them know you are praying for them, not because you are trying to intrude in their lives but because you love them and care deeply about what happens to them. Most of all, pray that they will open their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ and become His followers.

May they remember you as someone whose life was changed by Jesus Christ—just as theirs can be.

You should “make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy” (Hebrews 12:14), and “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

Each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. —1 CORINTHIANS 3:10–11

Just as this house needed a solid foundation, so we need a solid foundation for our lives—an unchanging system of beliefs, goals, and moral values that will keep us stable and secure, even in the midst of life’s storms.

When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (2:11)

“Together, we are his

house, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself” (Ephesians 2:20 NLT).

Do you want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus, for He was God in human flesh. The Bible says, “He is the image of the invisible God. . . . For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 1:15; 2:9).

All to Jesus, I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.

“Incline your heart to the LORD God” (Joshua 24:23 NKJV).

We were taught to take care of what we possessed, then pass it down to the young, hoping that they would cherish what had meaning.

Meanwhile the older generation is hanging on for dear life to the memories we have accumulated during our lifetimes, fearful we might forget the anchors that stabilized, the lighthouse that directed, and the

Word of God that calmed the treacherous waters.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor the ear filled with hearing. . . . There is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. (Ecclesiastes 1:8–10 NKJV)

I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17)

The psalmist reminds us, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).

“The ways of the LORD are right; the

righteous walk in them” (Hosea 14:9). The Bible is our authority in everything.

Paul prayed that God “out of his glorious riches . . . may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).

It is never a question of how much we have of the Spirit but of how much He has of us.

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. —2 CORINTHIANS 5:1

He “set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

King David declared, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).