Jesus is Our "Yes"

My kids are famous for ruining really great surprises that I have tediously planned for them. They will undoubtedly ask for something that I have to say no to in order to protect the really amazing secret that I have in mind. I will tell them, "Just be patient and you'll be happy you waited. I promise." Sometimes they listen and wait patiently. Most of the time, they end up making such a fuss about me saying no to one thing in order to give them something better that by the time the secret can be revealed, I'm so ticked at them for being bratty that I could care less if they are thrilled with my original plan for them! Anyone who has spent anytime with a child can relate, I'm sure. Can I get an 'Amen'?

Boy, am I glad that God is merciful and full of grace, unlike me. I wonder how many times in my life God has had to tell me no in order to save me for something even better! How patient He is with me, even when I stamp my feet and act like a spoiled brat when I don't get my way. I have prayed earnestly at times for something I really thought I needed, only to be told no...or perhaps, just be patient. When I think of all the jerks I might have dated or even married it turns my stomach...I'd pray for things to work out with them. "No." was the answer I received and boy did I pitch a fit. I'm so thankful that the Lord knew that Danny was on the horizon, He allowed me to save my heart for him. I'm so thankful for the many times He told me no. When Madison was a year and a half old, I decided that it was time to start trying for #2. I thought we'd try a month or two, and we'd be on our way. Not sa much...Mason was born when Madison was 4 and a half. We struggled for almost 3 years with infertility. At the time, I didn't understand why God kept telling me no. Everyone I knew was pregnant, but not me. As I look back now, I know that had things happened according to my plan, I would have been pregnant through some really tough times. I also know that it would have affected where we now live, the friends we have now, etc. I also know how that time and trial deepened my relationship with Danny, God and even afforded me some precious time with Madison. God knew something better was on the Horizon. He already knew the ways He would bless me. He knew the yes was on its way.

My bible study this week looked at the old and new covenants, we were looking into how and why Jesus fulfilled the law and made the old covenant obsolete. I can't seem to paraphrase this any better than Beth Moore says it, so I will just quote her. She writes about the new covenant being better than the old.

The new covenant is established on more profitable and valuable promises. The Greek word for promises, epaggelia, is primarily a legal term denoting a summons or a promise to do or give something. The same Greek word is used in 2 Corinthians in which we will find the key that unlocks Hebrews 8. "No matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God" (2 Cor. 1:20). Every promise of God finds its yes in Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is God's yes!

Every time the Israelites slaughtered another animal, God shook His head no. It was not enough. The offering was accepted only on the basis that a yes would finally come. That afternoon on Calvary God cried out with agony mingled with relief, "Yes!" At that very moment all of God's promises found their fulfillment in Christ. The old covenant was based on a shadow. The new covenant was based on a Savior. Christ made it possible for an external covenant to be obsolete and a new covenant to be injected straight into the point of our need, the heart. His perfect Spirit enables the internalizing of the new covenant in every receiving heart. We needed a yes, and He met our need. Do you sometimes wonder how God could seem so different in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament? We know that He is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8). What could have happened? He is the same God. He simply has a different answer: yes!

Test God's new program for a moment. Think of any promise and determine whether His yes is Christ.
*Will He heal you from the ravages of sin? Read Isaiah 53:5.
*Can He make something good come from something bad? Read Romans 8:28.
*Read Romans 8:29. What is His purpose? To __________ us to the _________of His ____.
*If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, will He always be with you? Read Romans 8:38-39.
*Will He bless you? Read Ephesians 1:3.
*Will He meet your needs? Read Philippians 4:19.

We could go on and on. All of God's promises in Christ are yes! Since Calvary, God stands before us 100 percent in the affirmative. He died to say yes! You may be asking yourself, Is she saying that God never says no? He certainly does, but His no is given only so that He can say yes to something better. God's no is a street sign to direct you to an oncoming yes. He says no to premarital sex so that He can say yes to the blessed intimacy of marriage. He says no to addiction so that He can say yes to freedom. If He has been forced to say no to you lately, rejoice! He is directing you to a point at which He can extend to you a resounding yes! Keep driving in His direction. A better yes is just around the corner!

Many people think of Christians as people who serve a God that only and always says no. May this be the generation that seizes every opportunity to attest to a God who says yes - yes to salvation (praise Jesus!), yes to forgiveness, yes to abundant life, and yes to a mansion in glory. Christ is God's yes!!

I thank God for the yes He provided in Christ Jesus. I thank God that through Jesus we have the promise of salvation and an eternity with God. I also thank God for the times in my life that He loves me enough to tell me no. I praise Him for knowing what is best for me and loving me through the nos of life and right into the yeses.

If you feel like God is telling you no right now, just be patient. The yes on the horizon is SO much better. God never makes mistakes.

Many blessings,
Melissa