Daily Devotional: How High Can You Jump?

Daily Devotional

How High Can You Jump?

I remember the day I found out that I can jump real high—about eight feet high.

Now, I can’t jump that high intentionally, but I did it once when I was a little boy.

There was a lady who lived behind our house from whose fruit trees we would occasionally feast and help ourselves. When we were little kids, we would crawl under the fence. Once day while I was on her side of the fence, her very vicious dog suddenly appeared. I had just touched down after climbing the fruit tree. As I carefully considered the distance between the fence, the dog and myself, I knew I had to make a run for it. I ran toward the fence with the dog close behind me. As the fence came closer and closer, all I could say was “O God, I’m dead.” All I could think was “jump.” As I left the ground, my heart was pounding and my chest felt like an arcade full of shouting people. I was so afraid! When I landed, I was safely on the other side of the fence.

When I turned around and looked at the dog, he was barking angrily because he couldn’t get over the fence. I just thought, “Yea, good for you.” Suddenly I became very proud because I had gotten away from him. But when I started to realize what I had done, I looked at the fence and thought, “How did I do that?”

I thank God for that dog. He was a blessing in my life. I never jumped that high before, and I never have since, but at least I know that I did it. I discovered that day there is a lot more potential in me than I realized was there.

The same is true for you. You aren’t doing more because no one has challenged you. I want to take you from the realm of waiting for people to challenge you and encourage you to challenge yourself. Don’t wait for a dog to teach you how to jump. Jump by your own challenge. Don’t just look at life and say, “Well, I’m going to wait until a demand is made on me and then I will produce.” Make a demand on yourself. Say to yourself, “Look, I am going to become the best in this area no matter what people have done before me.” Then go after that. You will accomplish it if you set out to do it.

This devotional is an excerpt from Dr. Myles Munroe’s book “Understanding Your Potential.”

Scripture Of The Day: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Dr. Myles Munroe is an internationally renowned bestselling author, lecturer, teacher, life coach, government consultant, and leadership mentor. He is senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International Fellowship, where his wife, Ruth Ann, serves as co-senior pastor. http://www.bfmmm.com.