RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

Have you ever seen two people make a commitment to Christ, and one really grows in his faith while the other struggles in his walk with God? Have you ever wondered what made the difference in the two people? There’s a simple, one-word answer: grace. When I first came to know Christ, I began to grow rapidly in my faith. A fire burned deep in my soul. Meanwhile, many of my friends endeavored to grow, but without success.
One of my friends came to me and said, “Sammy, you must have a lot of willpower. That must be why you are growing so much in your walk with God.” I knew what my friend was saying wasn’t true, but at that time I couldn’t offer another reason. I just knew I didn’t have enough willpower to change all the things that had changed in my life. The more I learned about God, the more I concluded there was only one reason for my growth: God’s grace.
Why didn’t my friends grow the same way? Many came from Christian backgrounds. They knew the Bible. But they didn’t have the same heart to learn that I had. They had grown up in Sunday school, and many felt they knew everything there was to know about the Christian life. But I realized I didn’t know anything. I was quite aware that I needed to depend completely on God. And God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6). It’s that grace that produces spiritual growth.
Without grace, we can never become what God intends for us. We are saved by God’s grace, and we continue to grow by His grace. We can see a direct correlation between the condition of our hearts and our growth. A humble heart is able to receive grace. When grace is applied to our hearts, we become more like Christ. So the older we get, the more like Jesus we should become.
The world judges people by their outward appearance. But the Bible says God looks on the inner man. When grace is applied to our hearts, we become more beautiful in God’s sight. That’s why many of my heroes have been those who have walked with God for many years. They have an inner beauty that can be described only in spiritual terms. There’s a quality of peace and love that seems to exude from their lives that’s been produced by years of God’s grace being applied to their hearts. They are the giants of the faith.
Yet I’ve also seen elderly people (including Christians) who are bitter and very unhappy. Their personalities have been scarred by years of attempting to live in the power of the flesh. There’s a night-and-day difference between a person who, over many years, has allowed God’s grace to be applied to his heart and one who has not. There’s an old saying about “growing old gracefully.” There’s only one way to do that: to be full of grace as you grow old.
It’s truly amazing grace that saves us, but it’s also amazing grace that keeps us. And just as amazing is the grace that causes us to grow into the image of Christ. If you want to become more beautiful every day, then humble yourself under God’s mighty hand, and His grace will be applied to you. You’ll become more beautiful every year — even with wrinkles on your face!