BGEA: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I
do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press
on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:13-14, NASB).
“When we come to Christ we begin reading the Bible and praying and having
fellowship with other Christians, and we start to grow. Many times our growth
will be so slow and so infinitesimal that after a while we become disgusted with
ourselves. For the first two or three years after I came to Christ I had some
terrible moments of discouragement and despondency. When I was in Bible school
in Florida, I had a little hideout in the woods that nobody knew about. I would
go there alone and spend hours, and I’d have it out with the Lord on subject
after subject and problem after problem. Perhaps growth was rapid, perhaps it
was slow, but always it was in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Listen: if you
are not all that you want to become immediately, don’t give up. Two or three or
five years later you can look back to that moment and say, ‘Well, I’m actually
growing.’ It’s a gradual process, like physical growth.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Not Perfect
“We, as human beings, have a problem in that Adam and Eve introduced sin into
the human race. Because of the fall, we are not perfectible in this world. In
the back of my Bible I have written, ‘You wouldn’t be so shocked at your sin if
you didn’t have such a high opinion of yourself.’ I am not good, but I’m not
home in heaven yet either. It is a long way between where I am now and Home. It
helps to remember that when I arrive, I will be like Jesus. Someone has said
that we should never doubt in the dark what God has told us in the light. All
that you knew to be true when you first became a Christian is still true.
Nothing has changed in God’s revelation. The Christian faith doesn’t always make
me feel good; sometimes I wish I could run away. But having seen the truth, I
can’t ‘unsee’ it. When I think I will never mature, I know better because He
encourages me to press on. When I don’t feel forgiven or hopeful, it helps to
remember that He is the Forgiver and He is Hope” (Stephen W. Brown).
Prayer
Lord, thank You for helping when we are weak and discouraged. Help us to
remember that our struggles are a part of a life-long process of growth. May we
never lose sight of Jesus Christ and the Home that He has prepared for us. We
pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I
do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press
on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:13-14, NASB).
“When we come to Christ we begin reading the Bible and praying and having
fellowship with other Christians, and we start to grow. Many times our growth
will be so slow and so infinitesimal that after a while we become disgusted with
ourselves. For the first two or three years after I came to Christ I had some
terrible moments of discouragement and despondency. When I was in Bible school
in Florida, I had a little hideout in the woods that nobody knew about. I would
go there alone and spend hours, and I’d have it out with the Lord on subject
after subject and problem after problem. Perhaps growth was rapid, perhaps it
was slow, but always it was in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Listen: if you
are not all that you want to become immediately, don’t give up. Two or three or
five years later you can look back to that moment and say, ‘Well, I’m actually
growing.’ It’s a gradual process, like physical growth.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Not Perfect
“We, as human beings, have a problem in that Adam and Eve introduced sin into
the human race. Because of the fall, we are not perfectible in this world. In
the back of my Bible I have written, ‘You wouldn’t be so shocked at your sin if
you didn’t have such a high opinion of yourself.’ I am not good, but I’m not
home in heaven yet either. It is a long way between where I am now and Home. It
helps to remember that when I arrive, I will be like Jesus. Someone has said
that we should never doubt in the dark what God has told us in the light. All
that you knew to be true when you first became a Christian is still true.
Nothing has changed in God’s revelation. The Christian faith doesn’t always make
me feel good; sometimes I wish I could run away. But having seen the truth, I
can’t ‘unsee’ it. When I think I will never mature, I know better because He
encourages me to press on. When I don’t feel forgiven or hopeful, it helps to
remember that He is the Forgiver and He is Hope” (Stephen W. Brown).
Prayer
Lord, thank You for helping when we are weak and discouraged. Help us to
remember that our struggles are a part of a life-long process of growth. May we
never lose sight of Jesus Christ and the Home that He has prepared for us. We
pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
