Galatians 6:9 reads, “In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
A high-rise construction worker slipped and fell from a scaffold forty floors up. As he was plummeting past the twentieth-floor window, a woman in an office shouted out, “How are you doing?” The man replied, “So far, so good!” Seriously, some days spiritual growth feels like two steps forward and three steps back. It doesn’t come easily; that’s why Paul encourages us not to lose heart.
Generally speaking, you don’t notice yourself getting older physically until you see an earlier photo, then it hits you. And it’s the same with spiritual growth; it’s hard to gauge how far you’ve come until you look back and see where you were before Jesus turned your life around.
The Bible says, “As the Spirit…works within us, we become more…like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18). But growing up involves growing pains! So when you get discouraged, remind yourself that you’re on a spiritual journey, you’re making progress in spite of your problems, and that the Devil will always look for ways to remind you how far you still have to go. Don’t listen to him! Jesus said, “Everything he says is a lie” (John 8:44). If you get discouraged and give up, Satan wins.
The Bible says, “Capture…rebellious thoughts…teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Learn to live beyond your feelings, to dig down inside to where God’s Spirit lives. And take heart: It may not always look like it, but each day you’re maturing and growing stronger in Christ. So don’t even think about quitting.
© 2017 CE