2 Corinthians 1:17-20 (Yes and No)

¹⁷ You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? ¹⁸ As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹ For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

"What, you mean this sweater is marked down an extra 25%?  "Yes!" 
"May I have a grande, nonfat, hazelnut misto?"  "Yes!"
"Josh, are you sure we can afford that anniversary trip to Hawaii?"  "Yes!"

We love to hear "yes," don't we?  (For the record, Josh has not said 'yes' to that last one...yet.)  Just thinking about the word 'yes' makes my eyebrows go up and brings a smile to my face.

Here, Paul continues to explain why he had planned a trip to see the Corinthians but then changed his plan (we learn later that it was for their good).  The false teachers are trying to turn the people against him by accusing Paul of being wishy-washy because of this, so these above verses are Paul's response.

This is not the only time in the Bible where "yes and no" are the subject.  Matthew 5 has these words from Jesus: "And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Anytime something in the Bible is the focus more than once, I know to pay attention.  Jesus Himself gave us this command!  He must know something about us...and boy does He!  Giving someone our word should be simple, keeping our word should be paramount, and explaining a 'no' is not necessary. Molly, the People Pleaser, continues to learn this a little more every year.  Maybe you need to hear it from someone like I did: IT'S ABSOLUTELY OKAY, AND SOMETIMES BEST, TO SAY NO!  

Example: Just this past weekend, I was the beneficiary of a delicious, homemade cookie from one of our dear friends, Chad.  He was handing them out in the sanctuary, which I thought was a little odd, but absolutely accepted one immediately anyway...of course.  Then, he explained to us that they were given to him by 4-year-old, Leah.  Leah is the daughter of two of our other dear friends, and she absolutely adores Chad.  The reason she adores him is because he lived with Leah and her family for a few months right before he got married after his current lease was up.  Leah and Chad are the sweetest of buddies because of that time together.

Now, here's the lesson I learned, and why I even share this story: Josh had asked me if we could house Chad during that season.  I absolutely love Chad; in fact, I even have a pet name for him, which I have for all people I dearly love, so that's my proof.  And I wanted to say 'yes' so badly because 1) Chad needed a place to stay, and 2) we have extra beds and a bathroom.  The kicker was that my sister had been living with us for a while and she was just moving out -- they would probably even overlap for a few days.  Adding up their time combined, we would have had house guests in our home for a full year, which was a long time for me to not be able to feel the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, in my own house, especially after we had also just lived with Dad for 9 months.  Could we have housed people for a year?  Absolutely!  Would it have been best for the Monroe Marriage?  Probably not.  So, we heard that Leah's family had offered, and so we said 'no'.  And oh gosh, it was painful, but deep down, I really knew that was the best answer for us.

Did Chad manage without living at our house?  Umm, absolutely.  Was he mad that was said no?  Not at all.  Was it the best decision?  100% yes...Chad and Leah met each other, and Josh and I had a few months alone before that sister (who will remain nameless) moved back in for a few months before SHE got married!  It's comical, really...

And none of that would have happened if I'd said 'yes'.  

"...and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory."

We all prefer to hear 'yes', don't we?  It usually means that we're getting what we want.  And look at what this says about God.  He definitely gives a sure answer, yes or no, but He loves to say 'yes' to us.  And He did through Jesus. 

God, will I ever get out of this depression?  Yes.
Lord, will I ever feel peace and joy again?  Yes.
Father, will I ever be able to quit thinking about myself and focus more on others?  Yes. 
Abba, will I ever be done with the craziness of this world?  Yes.

Through Jesus Christ.

Whatever our concerns, the answer is found in Jesus Christ.  God smiles and says 'yes' through Him.  As these verses remind us, the Lord ALWAYS does what He says He'll do, and ALL of His promises are completely fulfilled.  

Can we let that sink in?  Your God will do what He says He'll do today and forever, and He fulfills EVERY single promise to us.  So if you ever question either of those statements, the answer is always, always, always... 'yes'.  :)