Gus: A Teenage Rebel Rescued From Ruin
Graffito: © 2005 Ben Frank
Godly Upringing
As a youngster Gus used to drive his mother Monica demented. In spite of all her efforts to bring him up properly, he seemed determined to break her heart.
By the time he entered his teens, Gus was a real rebel and obviously a born leader. He had a gang of similarly disaffected youngsters around him who called themselves "The Wreckers". By the age of 16 he was already well on the way to a life of crime.
Teenage Parenthood
Gus was popular with the girls and that year embarked on a steady relationship with a girlfriend. At 18 Gus found himself the reluctant father of a child. His mother meanwhile contacted a Christian minister friend in the city where Gus was studying. Gus found himself warming to this godly old man and his rebellious heart began to grow soft as the old man spoke about Jesus' death on the cross for sinners like Gus.
Gus Hears A Voice & Meets Jesus In The Bible
One day when he was studying in the garden of the house where he and his girlfriend stayed, Gus heard what sounded like a child's voice from a nearby garden, saying: "PICK IT UP AND READ IT!"
Gus picked up the Bible he had been reading and decided to read wherever it fell open. His eye fell on ROMANS 13:13-14. The words leapt off the page at him.
Don't keep going to wild parties and getting drunk, indulging in adultery, immorality and wild living. Instead let Jesus Christ control you and take away your evil desires.
There and then Gus got down on his knees, asked God to forgive his sins and Jesus Christ to come into his heart by faith to transform his life. When he told his mother Monica, she was overjoyed that her prodigal son had found his real home at last.
Gus' Call To Ministry
Gus eventually felt God calling him to devote his life to serving Him and he became a famous Christian. His name - Bishop Augustine of Hippo in Tunisia, North Africa, near where he grew up.
Augustine wrote 70 books on Christianity and is known as one of the greatest early fathers of the Christian Church. He later wrote these words:
"Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee, O God."
Gus knew the reality of Jesus from personal experience.
