Why You Need to Know What Franklin Graham and Pope Francis Have in Common
One's Catholic and the other's Protestant, but Pope Francis and Franklin Graham agree on at least one thing: God is getting short-shifted from people who are too wrapped up in their cell phones and electronic devices.
Graham took to Facebook Monday to voice his agreement with the Pope's recent sentiment that Christians need to reach for the Bible more than their mobile phones.
"Pope Francis has a brilliant suggestion! I couldn't agree more," wrote Graham.
"He said we should look to the Bible as often as we look at our cell phones. I know that if I did that I'd be a much better person. This is great advice to everyone who follows Christ. We all need to reach for the Word of God—instead of the phone—more often!"
During his weekly address in St. Peter's Square Sunday, the pontiff said that the faithful should consult the Bible as much as they do their cellphones.
"What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones?" asked the Pope.
The pope's plea points to the fact that we all have a need for greater discipline when it comes to our faith.
According to Huffington Post, "Many individuals in our society are checking their phone and social media accounts before even stepping foot on the ground in the morning."
Crosswalk.com recently ran an article called, "Why You Need Spiritual Disciple (Especially When You Don't Want It).
Rachel Dawson, the article's author, highlights several passages of scripture about spiritual discipline.
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." ( )
"If we are to be followers of Christ we must commit to practicing spiritual disciplines daily, not out of obligation or fear of punishment, but out of an overflow of our ove for our Savior who desies a relationship with us," said Dawson.
Dawson also shares about the striking similarities between our journey of faith and physical exercise.
"The first few times I attempted my 10K training, there was a steady stream of thoughts on loop in my mind: this is awful, I am so bad at this, I probably look ridiculous, what am I even doing, why is this so hard, when will this be over, can I just quit now..." she said.
"I confess that there are times I feel like this when I'm attempting to spend time with Jesus, too. There are times where prayer feels impossible. There are times that Scripture seems to make no sense to me at all, or I find myself bored by another list of Old Testament laws or genealogies. There are many times I find myself frustrated by the church, annoyed with other believers or leaders, or just tired of all the activities, and there are times I just want to quit."
"But, regardless of my feelings or frustrations, Christ calls us to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" ( -2).
