God's Favorite Word
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes’ in Christ.”
2 Corinthians 1:20
I recently read an article online with this title: "The Most Dangerous Word in the World." It's about the power the word “no” can have over our minds.
It was written by a researcher, Andrew Newberg, who is a specialist in neurology. This is part of what he and his coauthor write:
"If I were to put you into an MRI scanner…and flash the word 'NO' for less than one second, you'd see a sudden release of dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters. These chemicals immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, impairing logic, reason, language processing, and communication."
The article continues on to say that just from exposure to negativity and, in particular, the word no, we face numerous points of loss. Loss of sleep. Loss of appetite. Loss of happiness. Loss of satisfaction.
Now we all have to learn how to say no, but you cannot live on a diet of no. It kills the spirit.
You cannot live on a diet of no. It kills the spirit.
We were made for yes.
Yet the fact is, we were made for yes. We want to hear it and we want to offer it.
When you love somebody, you just want to say yes to them. A child comes to a parent and asks, "Can I go on this adventure? Can I have permission? Can I have this thing my heart desires?" And a parent loves to say yes. You might have to say no sometimes, but you love saying yes.
If a friend asks, "Could we spend some time together? Could I share this burden with you?" Friends love to say yes to other friends.
On the other hand, you know what it's like to have somebody who carries a no in their heart toward you. “Will you help me?” No. “Will you talk to me?” No. “Will you share this burden with me?” No.
That just has a way of wounding us. And it causes us to wonder where the love is.
God’s heart of yes
Here’s the question. Do you think of God as having a yes in his heart for you or a no in his heart for you?
The Apostle Paul answered this question in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ."
"For no matter how many promises God has made…" How many promises has God made? A bunch. By one count, in the Bible there are 7,457 promises God has made.
And Paul doesn’t say, "A lot of them are yes." He doesn’t say, "Many of them are yes…" Not even, "Most of them are yes…"
He says, “Every one of them is ‘yes’ in Christ Jesus.” God has a yes in his heart for you.
God has a yes in his heart for you.
I don't know what your life is like right now and what you’ve been hearing. Your mother may have said no. Your father may have said no. Your kids may say no. Your boss may say no. The IRS man may say no. Your dog may say no. Your cat will say no.
Yet all of God's promises (all 7,457!) are yes in Christ Jesus. "God, will you save me?" "Yes." "God, will you forgive me?" "Yes." "God, will you give me a new start?” "God, will you give me strength?" "Yes." "God, will you give me guidance?" "Yes."
"God, will you give me wisdom, because I don't know what to do?" "Yes." "God, will you give me the ability to forgive this person and triumph over resentment?" "Yes." "God, will you be with me every day of my life until I die?" "Yes." "God, after I die, will you resurrect me and make me part of your glorious eternal Kingdom?” "Yes, yes, yes!"
"All God's promises are yes." Read through them. Savor them. Treasure them. Immerse yourself in them.
God has a yes for you. In fact, it might well be God’s favorite word. So live in the confidence born of that.
He is for you. He is with you. And He delights in saying “Yes” to you.
"All God's promises are yes." God has a yes for you. In fact, it might well be God’s favorite word. He is for you. He is with you. And He delights in saying “Yes” to you.
PRAYER
Lord, I have to confess that all too often I allow difficult circumstances or the words of skeptics to color my view of You. I see you as a grim, hard to please task master who is predisposed to say, “No.” Help me to understand that that is not You at all. On the contrary, you are a kind, generous, loving Father who loves to say “Yes.” And who offers the promises to prove it.
Devotionals for Every Day Disciples is brought to you by our partners.
To support Dave DeSelm Ministries by becoming a partner, CLICK HERE.