A Season Of No

Love you all, praying for you.
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells the truth.  What is the Bible?  The story of Jesus.   From Genesis to Revelation, it points to the One figure who is the center of all of human history.  Even our dating system reflects The One who changed the world forever, and offers Salvation from the past, for the present, and for eternity.  It’s also a love letter - from God to you.  It tells you how much God loves you, that He would come to earth in a human suit, and suffer horribly, so you could be free from your sin that disqualifies you, the sin that once controlled you, and still tries to.  So you could be qualified to live with Him for eternity, rather than be separated without remedy.  It’s an instruction book, a manual for your success, and it’s an historical record – which tells the truth about what happened.  Some of todays examples, I can’t get into the details, they’re too uncomfortable for me, but you can look them up in the Bible yourself.  The Word of God - it says some things you wouldn’t expect, it includes some heart-wrenching stories that you might have omitted.  It tells what really happened in history, the choices of men.  Some good, some bad, and the love of God for you.  In Luke 16:1-14 Jesus unexpectedly commends a dishonest man, not for his greed, but for his focus on eternity over the temporal, which even God’s people don’t value enough.  Even the world sometimes does things better than the children of God.  Not what they do, but what they’re willing to do for their earthly priorities, when we have the higher priorities of heaven.  I saw a clip some time ago called A Season of No.  It challenged me.  It was from an entrepreneur millionaire who said sometimes you need in your life, a season of no.  His point, if you want to achieve – in his case becoming a millionaire, a successful entrepreneur – you have to be willing to say no to every single thing else, for a season - even good things, in order to do what’s most important to you.  He said “Some people may not understand, but the ones who love you will, and the rest don’t matter.” That’s what his video clip was all about.  While it depends on what that priority is, the concept holds some truth.  Has God ever told you to do something, change something, become something – different than you are, to change what you are doing – so you can do or be something else, something better, something that more reflects him?  What are you willing to say “no” to until you have obeyed?  What are you willing to give up, to receive what He has for you?  I didn’t agree with his end, but his means was worth noting.  I also noticed the guy wasn’t the first to say something like this.  It had perhaps it’s root in Scripture.  Matthew 13:44 - Jesus told the parable of a man who found a treasure in a field, put it back, and in his joy, went and sold everything he had: house, car, possessions, cell phone, everything he owned.  He said no to that, to get something better.  Uriah – a warrior in David’s army, when called to return to the palace (for unfortunate and nefarious reasons), even though he was intentionally gotten drunk, slept at the place gate, refusing to go home to his beautiful wife, because his fellow soldiers were suffering on the battle front.  And he would do nothing that they couldn’t do, until he could return to them, and see the victory of the army over the enemies that threatened his people.  Sad ending to that story, I’m surprised God included it in the Bible.  In I Kings 13:1 - God told a prophet to go deliver a message of warning to an evil king, to repent and turn, and once he had delivered the message to return to his house without stopping for anything.  Not a drink, not a visit, not McDonalds, go straight there, and straight home without doing any other thing.  Proverbs 6:1-5 gives the example of a gazelle.  If you’ve been caught in the curse of debt, don’t let any sleep come to your eyes, go and press your case with your neighbor until you have escaped.  A season of no - until you do what God told you.  Has God ever told you to do something, change something, a thought pattern, a habit, a practice, or become something that He wants to change or do in you?  Are you willing to enter a season of no?  Are you willing to do nothing else, until you do it?  If it’s really God telling you, are you willing to say “no” to everything else for a season, until you do it, or learn it, or become it?  Praying that you would know God’s will, and God’s good, and be willing to do whatever He asks you to do.  Whether it’s immediate, or it takes a trip, or a journey, or a season of no to everything else – until you do what He told you, what He has for you.  Sometimes it requires a season of no.  Will you?  Or are you not wanting to get carried away, not over react?  Zacchaeus wasn’t worried about it.  He said, “Here and now I give half of my wealth to the poor, and if I’ve cheated anyone I will repay him four times what I stole.”   Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house.”  What is God calling you to?  Something higher? Something better?  What is it God told you, wants you to do, or change in you – that may require a season of no – to everything else, until you do it, learn it, or become it?  Will you?  If it’s required, and He told you, are you willing to do that season of no, until you have escaped, or obeyed?   Praying that you would hear His voice, do his will, sell all you have, or go straight home.  Sometimes to give Him your “yes,” it may require a season of no. 
 
Love you all,
dad