Billy Graham, one of the greatest Ambassadors for Christ of all times went Home to His victory today. His legacy will live on through all of Eternity in the lives of those He lead to Christ… from generation to generation. It’s not possible to count all the souls that He’ll see in Heaven all because of His Faithfulness, but there will be hundreds of thousands (if not millions) ready to welcome Him Home. I’m sure that his bride (“the greatest spiritual influence in my life”) will be ready and waiting to see him along with countless other loved ones that made it to Heaven before he did. The heavenly Family reunion must have been amazing the minute Billy showed up! But the greatest welcome of all…the One that inspired his every word and the one that planned his every crusade…will came from the One he Loved the most when He heard “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT”!

Ninety nine years is a long time to live; especially when the body breaks down and it can no longer do what the heart wants to do. But word from Billy Graham’s family painted a picture of how he never, ever quit having a heart to reach lost souls for Jesus and he patiently waited for his time to go Home. Plenty of people will be whispering “Rest in Peace, Billy Graham” when they hear of his passing today, and although he will be meeting the Prince of Peace and He’ll be experiencing Peace like he could only imagine before; I’m sure that Billy won’t be resting at all. He’ll have a new body that will never hurt or break down or grow old again, and He will live on forever just like I will one day too. His work here on earth was just preparation for what He’ll be doing for the Long Term, and He’ll be on the Leadership Team where He’ll reign right beside the King of Kings because of how he lived his life here on earth. Wow!

Most people don’t really understand that this life is just preparation for what we’ll do in Heaven, and their lives are often a reflection of their misunderstanding of Eternity. Most people miss out on the fact that we merely exist for His Purpose and not for our own and they live life as if their life is the only life that matters…for a little while. Most people live like they have forever to reconcile their wrongs and to “balance the books” and most people believe that when they die they’ll finally be able to rest. Some people imagine Heaven with a human mind and somehow they’ve convinced themselves that when we get there, all we’ll be doing is singing songs and praising our God. I’m pretty sure that the Heavenly Praises we’ll hear for Eternity are so beautiful that it’s not possible to describe in human words, but I’m also sure that the Work that we do here on this earth is ALL just preparation for what we’ll do for the King in Heaven one day. I don’t want to sit around on a cloud playing a harp forever…I want to see my Rewards and I want to reign with my King!

The world was so blessed to know Billy Graham, from one end of the globe to the other, a one-of-a-kind evangelist that was used by God in astounding ways. Billy Graham was Gifted (and equipped) but his “success” had nothing to do with him or his “skills” and everything to do with the fact that he understood where His Gift came from, and He put it to work with everything within himself….because of his love for Jesus. You have a Gift and so do I, and our Gifts should NEVER be considered inferior or compared to the likes of Billy Graham. Our Gifts are given with Purpose and God intends for our Gifts to be used as surely as Billy Graham used his. It’s when we work within those God-given Gifts (with a heart for Jesus) that we shine like the stars while we’re here on earth, and IF we do; one day we’ll hear “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT” too. When we get to Heaven it will be time to roll-up-our sleeves and get to Work doing all the things He’s been Preparing us to do all along. I’m doing my best to live out my life with Purpose and I’m using the Gifts that are unique to me. I know that one day I’ll be welcomed Home too and the Heavenly Reunion will be amazing! I’ll be Working in Heaven in ways that I don’t understand here on earth, but I’ll be as ready as I can be to Work for my King…right along side my brother, Billy Graham.

How about you?