In one of his syndicated newspaper columns, evangelist Billy Graham urged readers to stop making excuses for avoiding a full commitment to God. His words, written decades ago, still ring true in a culture where comfort often replaces conviction.
Graham’s message was clear: too many Christians find reasons to delay surrender, especially when life seems good.
“Yes, right now life seems stable and happy, but what of the future? Where will you turn if illness strikes, or some other disaster threatens to overtake you? And even now, to whom can you turn when you face major decisions and don’t know which way to go?”
— Billy Graham
When Life Feels Too Good to Need God
It’s easy to reach for God only when life unravels. Many treat Him like an emotional doctor—someone to call when pain hits—but forget that He wants to walk with us through the joy, not just the suffering.
“I don’t know how you decided that Christians are unbalanced, or that God doesn’t want us to enjoy life, but you’re wrong,” Graham wrote.
His point was simple: God isn’t a restriction to joy. He is joy. Life in Christ isn’t about what we lose—it’s about what we finally gain.
The God-Shaped Hole
I remember being a kid who didn’t know Jesus but still feeling this tug that life had to mean more. I couldn’t name it at the time, but that void was Jesus. Even now, when that ache returns, I recognize it as a warning: I’m trying to fill a God-shaped space with something that doesn’t fit.
“If God didn’t love you, then your feelings about Him might be justified,” Graham continued. “But God does love you and your family, and He wants what is best for you. The proof is that He sent His Son into the world to give His life for us.”
That love doesn’t only meet us in our failures—it meets us in our comfort, our routine, our attempts to live independently.
When ‘Being Good’ Isn’t Enough
We all want to believe that if we just “try harder” or “be better,” it will fix the problem. But moral improvement isn’t the same as heart transformation.
“It isn’t that we don’t know better, or we just need to be told to be good,” Graham said. “The problem is deeper than this—within our own hearts and minds. Instead of being filled with love and compassion, we are ruled by selfishness and pride. This is why we need Christ, for only He can forgive us and begin changing us from within.”
That’s the difference between acting good and reacting to God’s goodness. One exhausts you; the other transforms you. When you react to the cross—when your obedience flows from gratitude rather than guilt—you begin to change from the inside out.
The Truth About Humanity
Graham didn’t sugarcoat human nature.
“Yes, sometimes we are capable of great good—but unfortunately the human race is also capable of great evil.”
You don’t have to watch the news long to see that’s still true. The problem isn’t just around us—it’s inside us. By nature, we’re separated from God. And that separation can’t be healed by effort or success; it can only be healed by grace.
No More Excuses
Graham’s challenge still stands:
“Don’t be deceived, and don’t come to the end of your life someday and realize you’ve taken the wrong road. Instead, turn to Jesus Christ and invite Him to come into your lives.”
He closed by quoting Psalm 16:11:
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
That’s the offer before us—not temporary comfort, but eternal joy.
No more excuses. No more halfway surrender.
Jesus is worth everything because He gave everything.
There’s a powerful difference between acting in goodness and reacting to the goodness shown to you through Christ. The world doesn’t need more people performing holiness—it needs people transformed by love.
And when that love truly takes root, the result is unmistakable.
“They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
