"God's No"

Every time the Lord said no,

He meant it for our good,

The boundaries to us will show,

And if we only would,

Respect the no that has His yes,

Safely tucked inside,

He’d give us all His very best,

And we would never hide,

From anything He calls us to,

The joy of doing right,

Would fuel everything we do,

And keep it in the light.

They aren’t ten suggestions,

But commandments one and all,

The clearest of directions,

And if on Him we call,

Not only pardons every sin,

But motivates the path,

To leave behind where we have been,

And saves us from God’s wrath.

The Spirit gives us power you see,

To know and do God’s will,

And He alone can set us free,

His presence with us still.

“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.” (Romans 5:10, NLT)

The penalty for our sins is completely paid by the death of Jesus. It is through His sacrifice that we are made completely right with God, our sins entirely pardoned, and we receive eternal life. God acted in our behalf long before we were born, and when we accepted His grace by faith we were saved. But there is also the wonderful truth that we are saved by His life. He comes to live inside us by the power of the Holy Spirit and energizes us to obey His commands. Every no from God contains His yes, and when the Spirit energizes us we can rise to the occasion and live for God’s glory.

Lord, help us embrace both Your no and Your yes, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.