"Yes"

The “thou shalt nots” are in there,

So, yes, there are some no’s,

But when you think about it,

The main thing is not those.

God gave them as our boundaries,

To keep us safe, secure,

Knowing that we’d trespass,

But still His love was sure.

And that’s just what a trespass is,

We go where there’s a sign,

That says you should not go there,

But we did it all the time.

Like sheep that always go astray,

We went outside the fence,

Then wondered why our lives went wrong,

Guilt-ridden ever since.

The Father sent the Savior,

To save us from our plight,

To forgive us for the rules we broke,

And call us back to light.

But though God’s “no” is certain,

His overwhelming “yes,”

Has come to us in Jesus,

He gives relief and rest.

Sometimes the “yes” is hard to hear,

‘Cause all we’ve heard was “no,”

But God is saying yes to us,

So we can heal and grow.

And when it comes down to it,

It’s not the guilt and shame,

That changes our behavior,

From habits caused by pain.

But it’s love that is so awesome,

It meets our deepest need,

And by the Holy Spirit,

Plants the Kingdom seed,

Deep within our spirits,

The “yes” of God is there,

And healing is ignited,

In answer to our prayer,

So remember this, my brother,

And sister, keep in mind,

That it’s God’s “yes” we long for,

His smile says we’ll be fine.

And when we hear it clearly,

And know He loves us so,

We’ll honor all the boundaries,

When He gives us His “no.”

His love makes all the difference,

Calling us to change,

The gift of real repentance,

And nothing is the same,

Except His faithful presence,

He holds us in His hand,

To change our lives forever,

And by His grace to stand.

“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ…was not “Yes” and “No” but in Him it has always been “Yes”…(2 Corinthians 1: 18-22, NIV)

While growing up in church I got the impression that the main thing that God was saying to me and all of us was “No.” No to what? Pretty everything we wanted to enjoy. Whatever looked good, tasted good, smelled good, or felt good had to be wrong and shame on you for wanting it. There was a lot of guilt, shame and threat involved. Behave yourself or else. God’s good, you’re bad, stop it. All the testimonies I heard sounded like people sinned and had a lot of fun doing it, then gave up all the fun when they got saved and suffered until they would eventually die. Then they would get to have fun again when in heaven. But it was worth it, etc. Okay I could go on but you get my drift…it was quite a surprise to me that God didn’t just say no, but that Jesus was actually described by Paul as God’s huge “yes.” That every promise God ever made was summed up, packaged up and poured out on us in Jesus. What a shift! I have come to learn that this is the greatest motivator for repentance and authentic change in our lives. When we clearly hear His yes, we will consistently honor His no. That’s what I believe.

Lord, help us to hear Your yes and honor your no, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.