William Franklin Graham IV Receives Honorary Doctorate from DBU

William Franklin Graham IV addresses the audience from the chapel podium

Dallas, TX – William Franklin Graham IV received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Dallas Baptist University during Fall Convocation. During the service, Graham shared a message with the DBU student body and faculty, discussing the preciousness of time and how it is often taken for granted.

William Franklin Graham IV, the grandson of the late Billy Graham and the son of Franklin Graham, serves as the Vice President of the Billy Graham Evangelic Association and the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. In addition, he continues to preach the Gospel over six continents and serves on the board of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, Blue Ridge Broadcasting in North Carolina, Liberty University, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada. He currently resides in North Carolina with his wife, Kendra, and their three children.

“The Bible says that you and I will take time for granted,” explained Graham. “James 4:15 explains that we will make plans for tomorrow, but we don’t know what tomorrow will hold. We always make plans for the next day, but I challenge you to make your plans for right now.”

Life is short, he stated, and therefore believers should spend every moment wisely.

“How do we use our time?” Graham asked. “Do we use it for ourselves, our desires, and our cravings for temporary things that don’t matter? I’m guilty; we’re all guilty. Or do we use our time how God wants us to use it?”

Time is the most precious commodity we have in this world; a resource that cannot be created, purchased, or recovered once it is gone. For this reason, it is important for believers to use it the way the Lord intends and in such a way that honors Him. Time, Graham concluded, should center around the eternal things of life rather than the temporal.

“What does the Bible tell us to do with our time? Ephesians 5:16 says we ought to make the most of every opportunity, because ‘the days are evil’. In other words, we need to seize every opportunity that we have to live for the King of Kings.”

Written by Faith Myers

Faith Myers is a member of University Communications at Dallas Baptist University.