My nephew, Ken Tyler, turned 14 years old not long ago and over night that young man has changed. No longer is he the short, squeaky-voiced adolescent – he has become this handsome young man with a deep voice. How did this happen? When did this happen? He has grown – as they say – he’s grown leaps and bounds.
That’s the way of kids, isn’t it? They look the same and sound the same for long stretches of time and then – bang! – they suddenly, dramatically change overnight and the difference is unmistakable. You can’t miss it. They have grown leaps and bounds.
Well, I believe it is the same way for Christians. I’m convinced a believer in Jesus can look the same and sound the same for the longest stretch of time and then suddenly – bang! – they change. And the difference is dramatic and unmistakable. I’m convinced there are times in our walk with Christ when we can grow over night… leaps and bounds!
When does that happen? Well, the clue can be found in Romans 8:35 where the question is asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or anguish or famine or hardship or sword?” Now at first glance, one would think that, if anything, those awful things certainly would separate us from the love of Christ. God doesn’t come across very loving there; he doesn’t look very trustworthy in the face of terrible hardships and mind-bending anguish – famine, hardships, swords. The odds there are against God's character. So, what does it mean? How can Paul say – how can Jesus claim – that tribulation will not separate us from the love of God? There are plenty of times in the middle of awful trials when Christians fall into doubt and are overcome by fear or resentment.
But that’s the point. Right there’s the answer. Something absolutely extraordinary, something powerfully supernatural happens to a believer who holds on to the love of God when the odds are against God's character. A believer grows leaps and bounds when he yields to God's power and love even though struggling through tough times. A Christian can grow overnight – you can see the difference; it’s dramatic, it’s amazing – when that Christian trusts God rather than yields to fear and doubt in heartbreaking circumstances. Resentment and bitterness become a thing of the past, for “In all these things [you discover] we are more than conquerors,” says Romans 8:37, “Conquerors through him who loved us.”
So friend, do you want to grow leaps and bounds today? Well, you won’t be able to miss it. What a difference there will be. Because change you will, and dramatically so, when you trust – I mean really trust; not just saying it, but doing it – you’ll grow over night when you trust that God loves you, right there, smack-dab in the middle of your toughest of times.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
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