How have I spiritually matured from my first year to the beginning of this second year? Well, I don’t think I will ever be able to say that I am mature in my faith. I am always growing and learning. To me the word “mature” sounds like I have everything under control all the time, and that I’m a solid rock when it comes to my faith. It makes it sound like I am done learning. I wish I could say that this were true, but if I did I would be lying. I am constantly learning, and especially in this past year I have grown in my faith.  

So, what has God been teaching me? I have always been the kind of person who has to make a big effort to get anything done. I’ve never been an overachiever. But this past year God has been teaching me to say “yes,” whether it is helping with vacation Bible school, leading at the Free Lutheran Youth Convention, or teaching our church youth group. It hasn’t been easy, but even those few things I said yes to I believe have helped me grow in my faith. Something I realized is that if God keeps opening doors for you and you keep saying no, how is He supposed to work in your life?  

I am very excited to continue to dive into God’s Word in my second year at the Bible college. It is one of the only places I have been where everything is brought back to Scripture and they solely teach from the Bible and not just what their personal beliefs are. It is so refreshing to have intelligent pastors teaching you every morning. It is hard not to grow in your faith.  

Another thing that I have been working on is prayer and time in the Bible outside of class or church. James 4:8a says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” It is so simple but so important and essential. It makes so much sense, yet not until this past year did I really spend time praying by myself or read the Word by myself. I was still in the Word every week, but it was because I had church and youth group every week. Starting my second year compared to my first, I believe my comprehension of the Word is better, so I understand more in class,  and I can apply more that I learn to my life because I grasp it more.  

I will end with the people at Bible college, because they are incredible. I have made a bunch of new friends and have grown closer to old ones. But most importantly, they are grounded in Christ. Some of my favorite times are at vespers, when we all are singing praises together and bringing glory to God as a full student body. There are not a lot of places that you can say that you can do that.  

I learned a lot from my first year, but I am more excited to learn this year and grow in my relationships with friends, and most importantly learning and growing in my relationship with Christ.  

Phil Berge [FLBC senior] is a member of Grace Free Lutheran, Maple Grove, Minn. 

This article first appeared in Kinship Magazine, Fall 2019 Edition.

Kinship is a magazine of the FLBCS. Stay up to date on the latest news, student stories, classroom highlights, and fun tidbits about life on the FLBC and FLS campus.

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