Where Growth Occurs

Just sitting back and thinking of what has been happening over the past weeks. Maybe even the past month and a bit more.

The bottom line: There is no growth without obedience. You can't wish it. You can't whip up excitement to get it. Growth comes as the result of a quiet resolve to obey God no matter the cost to you or anyone else and then doing it.

In other words, it is a result of brute force obedience. You choose to obey (believe) God. Or you (at best) stagnate or (at worst) demonstrate yourself to be a false convert.

This past month or two, I think I have seen more growth in my Christian life than in the years before. I say this realizing I have far to go and that as long as I'm alive, I will not "arrive". But I have seen good growth. And it is because, by the grace of God, I have seen major chances to obey God and have actually chosen to be obedient.

Choosing to stand against elder abuse at the nursing home -- and losing my job as a result of being a whistle blower. Deciding to leave another church regardless how it looks and what others think.

It's been a ride. I'm not saying it's been fun. No. It hasn't been. But its been a definite ride! And now that I look back, I can see God's fingerprints all over it.

I lost one job and was out of work a total of a bit more than a day. Transitions have never been easier. God opened the door right after the other was shut.

Then there is the evangelism I've been doing. For a long time, I was struggling to get the nerve to share the faith with others. Now, if I don't give the gospel to at least 2 or 3 people per day, I feel like I've somehow failed.

Lesson: Always Do What God Has Told You To Do And Regardless Of The Cost. It is worth it!