Say Yes to the Lord.
It sounds like such an easy and simple concept. But it has revolutionized my life.
As I have experienced life to this point I can look back at my life and see clearly the times where I have said yes to the Lord and the times that I have clearly said no. The no can be seen by my sin, by my lack of regard for others, and my selfishness. Although I declare that I want to say yes to the Lord daily, it is a struggle.
Recently I have been thinking about sin and how we as believers deal with it. I have seen in my life the beauty of truth and grace the way that the Lord has intended us to challenge, encourage and keep accountable fellow believers.
I have also seen all grace and all truth. Both fall short of what the Lord has intended for us and have major repercussions.
They both do harm if not used properly together. The all grace allows us as believers to justify and stay within our sin. The all truth condemns and judges turning others away from the actual truth.
My self challenge has been to reflect about my walk with the Lord and how I love others. Am I condemning, justifying or am I speaking truth/grace? Although I fail at loving others as Christ loved first, I continue to pursue Him and learn from Christ as to how to love others and keep others accountable.
Which brings me back to “say yes to the Lord”. This past summer I was in beautiful fellowship in San Diego, CA, where I first heard this perspective. In talking with a mentor about life and the sin in my life, she beautifully pointed out to me that it was not the action or the outcome that was sad or that hurt the Lord but the fact that I was saying no to the Lord. She went to the source, the root of the issue. Not condemning me by what she saw or judging my actions but loving me by pointing out the true issue, denying the Lord.
If we are honest with ourselves we all know that this is a daily, if not moment to moment struggle, do I say yes to the Lord believing that He loves me and has a plan for me or do I say yes to my desires, my fears, or my loneliness because I do not believe He is good, so I say no to Him.
As we examine our lives and how we follow the Lord, let us be graceful and truthful with those who are struggling or do not know the Lord. May we love others as Christ loved first not judging or condemning but actively seeking and pursuing others.
May we continue to say Yes to the Lord in everything. Denying ourselves so that he may be made strong and live.
