O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You . . . – Psalm 63:1

For decades, Billy Graham led crusades all over the world, and his ministry was the vehicle through which countless thousands of people came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. But at age ninety-two, when asked what he would do differently if he could live his life over again, he said, “I would spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love Him and adore Him…”

If anyone can claim great “spiritual accomplishments,” Billy Graham could do so, but he knows the secret each of us must learn: What we do for God is not nearly as important as the time we spend simply being with God. Certainly, serving God is important and God blesses us when we do things in His name. But we cannot allow ourselves to become unbalanced in Christian service and neglect our personal, one-on-one time with Him nor can we let ourselves believe that serving God takes the place of intimate relationship with Him.

When we have been in God’s presence, people notice. We are more joyful and more pleasant; we are more peaceful; we’re easier to get along with and more gracious toward others. As with any friend, the more time we spend with God, the more like Him we become.

The more we become like God, the better we are able to love— because He is love—and the more sensitive we become to the love He wants to pour out to us and to others through us.

Love God Today: “Dear Lord, help me to remember that the time I spend being with You is more important than the things I do for You.”