God inspired me last summer as I read missionary autobiography after missionary autobiography. I was completely astounded by the power of God that manifested in each of their lives.I was blown away by their [spirit empowered] accomplishments for the kingdom. I was shocked { and a little jealous } at the immensity of their trust. Most of all I was excited and inspired by the stories God writes in the lives of people who simply say YES.
I signed up for the world race around the time I was reading all these autobiographies of missionaries, determined to live of life of yes’s to Jesus. I was reading about the incredible things God had done in and through the most ordinary people, and I wanted that. I wanted God to write an incredible story in my life, a story so crazy that is has to be God. But how? What does that look like practically? And how do I get there?
After 6 months on the race I’ve learned that it looks like abandonment.
Africa has reminded me that all it takes to get there is a simple [and obedient] YES.
All Jesus asks of us is to say yes. That’s the beauty of the gospel; Jesus did the work and He gives us the gift, we only have to respond with a yes and receive it. Following Jesus starts with saying yes but it doesn’t end there. We have to chose to say yes to picking up our cross each day after that; to abandon our flesh, release our control, and to let the spirit lead.
The gospel is simple but it’s not easy. Living a life of ‘yes’s to Jesus’ doesn’t always mean adventures and miracles…it can get down right hard. But what I’m learning is that the more we fall in love with Jesus and the more we live and act in response to His love for us the easier it becomes to say yes to picking up our cross whether it leads to hurt and suffering or it leads to joy and adventure. Because either way we know that God is writing an incredible story.
The more we fall in love with Jesus and the more we live and act in response to His love for us the easier it becomes to say yes because we begin to desire His plans over our own as we realize that His ways are always higher and His plans are always better. The more we let the love of Jesus truly define our lives the more His desires become our own. We say yes to the things He has for us because we genuinely don’t want to say no.
They sing a song in Africa, it goes “If Jesus say yes, nobody can say no”
And it’s true, when we are following Jesus whole- heartedly, when He calls us to things and we He asks us to give things up {abandon} we can’t say no. When Jesus gives us opportunities to say yes it’s because He’s already ordained it and He’s equipped us with everything we need to embrace what He’s prepared for us.
We can say yes to the unknowns God calls us to without fear because Jesus has already said yes. Leaping into the unknown is exactly where we meet Jesus. And He never fails us. The unknown doesn’t scare me, it excites me. I know that even though it looks and feels a whole lot like I’m jumping off a cliff solo, I’m really just jumping into a puddle with Jesus at my right hand.
The race is teaching me to trust deeper by the day and as I do the yes’s get easier.
This was from a church service in Zambia last month, their singing “yes Lord yes yes Lord”
Maybe God is just asking you to dance with abandon, to find freedom in His presence, to say yes Lord it’s you and you alone I worship and you are worthy of celebration, for you I will dance. Dance like David, find the same joy and the freedom these Zambians have
