Go Ahead and Jump

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Mark 10:28-31

People often talk about the Christian life as a leap of faith. While it's true that the decision to turn away from your sin and surrender your life to Jesus is like a leap of faith, the truth is that it doesn't end there. The Christian life isn't just one leap of faith, it's a series of leaps of faith based on God's Word. And the more often you jump the more comfortable you get with it. 

Think about a flying trapeze act. The trapeze artist swings on a bar high above the circus. After several swings to gain momentum, she lets go and flies through the air performing tricks (flips, twirls, etc...) only to be caught by a "catcher" hanging from another swinging trapeze bar. These tricks are done as high as 40 feet in the air, but you don't think they started off that way, do you? No! They start learning at lower heights, flying across small distances, performing simple or no tricks. Only after practicing for many months or years do they gain the ability and confidence to perform the big tricks so high up in the air. 

It's the same with us as believers. The more we take the small leaps of faith, the more confidence we gain that God will always catch us. So, if we will only discipline ourselves to make the small leaps, to obey God in the everyday things, then before we know it God will call us out to greater heights. That's where the thrill is in the Christian life. That's where God can really use us. 

So many believers are bored with the Christian faith and have no idea why. But I know why! It's because they have very little faith. They are still playing on the kiddie swings. They've never been willing to step out of their comfort zone and obey God. They got saved and then refused to take any more leaps of faith from that point on. So their walk with the Lord is stunted. Their unwillingness to risk anything for God prevents them from going on any great spiritual adventures or experiencing any great spiritual victories. Think about it. Great victories require beating larger foes, and that can only happen if you have the faith to step onto the battlefield with that foe. 

Fear of risking big things for God will keep you from receiving big blessings from God. Take a leap of faith today. Obey some command in Scripture that you've been ignoring or follow a prompting of the Spirit. Give a big gift to your church. Talk to someone about Jesus, even if it means they avoid you from now on. Finally tackle that sin in your life. If you know God is with you and that He is pleased by what you're doing, then no risk is too big. So, go ahead and jump.