“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”  Matthew 5:37

Are you afraid of saying no? I am!

What a gift that Scripture doesn’t condemn the word no. Rather, the Bible highlights the importance of keeping your word, whether it’s a yes or a no.

Every no is a yes to something else, and vice versa. 

Imagine if Jesus was as uncomfortable with saying no as so many of us are.

What if, instead of saying “get behind me, Satan!” to Peter, He said “you’re right, Peter. I’ll stop all this talk of being killed because it’s too dark and too uncomfortable.” What if instead of taking a rest from time to time Jesus wore his human body down with non-stop healings, miracles, and other ministries, preventing himself from going from town to town?

It wasn’t by saying yes to every opportunity, to every person in power, or to spare other’s feelings that Christ saved the world.

It wasn’t by saying yes to every opportunity, to every person in power, or to spare other’s feelings that Christ saved the world. @BethanyMcIlrath
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In order for Jesus to do much of what He came to do, He had to say no. He had to say it firmly, assuredly, and without going back on His word. When Pharisees and others told Him what not to do, Jesus said no. When His own brothers urged Him to attend a festival and reveal Himself, He said “no,” citing God’s timing.

Perhaps most important about Jesus’ yes was that His response was to God first.

Every no Jesus spoke was to preserve the yes He gave to the Lord.

I suspect many of us say yes before we ask the Lord or consider what He has asked of us. We justify it, trying to explain away our yes  as selflessness, responsibility, or making the most out of every opportunity. Maybe we even justify our yes  in the name of the Lord, and fear saying no to others as if every no is a selfish offense to God.

But His Word challenges the notion:

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” Galatians 1:10

If you also go through your day feeling like yes is always the best answer, think about who you are saying yes to. Is it the Lord?

Does your “no” protect your “yes, Lord?”

{A version of this was previously published here}

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LINKUP is open! This week, my friend @BethanyMcIlrath challenges with the question: Do you say 'yes' before consulting God? Join us and share your post with our audience! #RechargeWednesday
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The post Your No Is As Important As Your Yes {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

They didn’t see his pain.

They didn’t notice his need.

They didn’t care that he was in the house of the Lord.

What they cared about was entrapping their perceived enemy, the one who threatened long-held traditions and the law that elevated them to a pious, powerful place. They wanted to defend what they thought they understood. Their goal was to prove their point.

So what they saw was an opportunity.

“He went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’” –Matthew 12:9-10

Jesus never mistook a person for an opportunity.

The perfect example of love, Jesus never used a person as a way of self-seeking.
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In His response, He addressed the man, his pain, and his need. He also highlighted the God whose house the man was in. He had mercy on him. Jesus healed the man and redirected the conversation.

Much as they tried to make it about rightness, Jesus redirected them to God’s righteousness.

While they used men to serve their purposes, Jesus served men to fulfill God’s purposes.

Sadly, we tend to be more like the Pharisees.

Too often, we regard people as obstacles like when we:

• Are curt with people for efficiency’s sake
• Place convenience over kindness
• See other people’s challenges as hindrances or provocation to compare ourselves

Other times, we use people as a means to our ends, like when we:

• Expect people to be the means to our happiness
• Enable others so we can avoid confrontation
• Complain to loved ones so we feel better, regardless of how it affects them

Will you join me in asking the Lord’s forgiveness for seeing people as opportunities to be served instead of as opportunities to serve?

I’d like to be more Christ-like in my view of others, how about you?

LINKUP PARTY opens at 6 am EST!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP PARTY is open! Today, @BethanyMcIlrath invites us ponder: Do we see people as opportunities to be served... or as opportunities to serve? JOIN US! Also for a chance to be featured as next week's Guest Blogger.
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Would you like to be considered for a guest post on next week’s Linkup, June 13th?

All you have to do is: 1) link your recent blog post, 2) tweet that you are joining us and 3) add our button to your blog (code is on the sidebar.)

We will  contact the winner this Friday!

 

The post Seeing People as People {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.