No Regrets
Shortly after his 80th birthday Larry King interviewed Billy Graham. During the interview Larry King said this to Graham. "It must be rewarding to you to look back on your life and not have to live with regrets."
This is how Billy Graham responded to Larry King's statement. "I am the greatest failure of all men. I was too much with men and too little with God. I was too busy with business meetings and even conducting services. I should have been more with God, and people would've sensed God's presence about me when they were with me. "
I don't know about you, but Graham's evaluation about his life took me by surprise. Perhaps his statement "I am the greatest failure..." is not a fair evaluation of himself. Perhaps he was too hard on himself. But whether you are a Billy Graham fan or not, there are two important statements in Graham's response that we need to consider.
First, Graham made the statement- "I spent too much time with men and little with God."
Years ago I led a weekend training conference entitled "Go Free" for college students. The weekend centered around God's grace. With a better understanding of God's grace, the students were motivated to spend time with God out of gratitude rather than out of guilt.
But let's face the facts. There is often a tension in a pastor's life. On the one hand, we want to spend time with God. But on the other hand, we feel compelled to please men by fulfilling someone else's agenda.
Let's be fair. There are times in which we are called to do difficult things. Like the pastor who took care of his dying wife. In such cases, it may be difficult to spend time with God. But our norm should be to spend unrushed time with God.
I have a dream that the American church will someday in the future practice the words found in Acts 6:4. Remember the Apostles asked the congregations to choose deacons so they could focus on the ministry of the Word and prayer. The Apostles therefore said this to the congregation in Acts 6:4. "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
Let me encourage you to raise this question at your next leadership meeting. "How can we, in our particular situation, practice Acts 6:4? Then as a leadership team ask God for the grace to implement Acts 6:4. It will make a difference in your life and ministry.
Second, Graham made this statement- "I should have been more with God and people would have sensed God's presence about me when they were with me"
I find Acts 4:13 to be an amazing verse. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
Notice the sentence at the end of verse 13. "And they recognized that they have been with Jesus." The religious leaders saw Peter and John were uneducated. They understood Peter and John were common men. At the same time, they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Let me raise this important question to you. "How would the members of your church evaluate your life and ministry? Perhaps they would describe you as a great Bible teacher, an excellent counselor, a good organizer, or a standard bearer for the truth.
All the above are good things. We want to teach God's Word with excellence. The people of God need us to point them to the wisdom that comes from above. Your church needs you to be the best possible shepherd.
But can the members of your congregation tell that you have been with Jesus? If this is not true, then ask God for the grace to change your schedule so you can spend time in personal Bible study and prayer. For the more you spend time with Jesus the more you will become like Jesus.
Conclusion
A few years ago a church planter in my denomination was frustrated. As he evaluated his ministry he realized that he was not spending time with God. When he started to spend time with God, the ministry turned around.
He also learned this important lesson about spending time with God. It was not so much the amount of time he spent with God that made the difference, but his commitment to spend consistent and unrushed time with God.
Jesus is our example. He never neglected His time with the Father. He was often found in prayer early in the morning. There were times he retreated to an isolated area to spend extended time with God. The priority of His life was his relationship with the Father.
Every situation is different. My aim is to invite you to spend time with the Father out of gratitude, not guilt. And I especially want to be sensitive to our bi-vocational pastors. I admire bi-vocational pastors. They often carry a heavy burden, but Billy Graham's words need to be considered.
