As the archangel explained that something unheard of was about to happen to Mary, her mind was no doubt filled with scary questions. But in spite of it all, Mary trusted God and said "yes" to His will, and she became the woman through whom God brought our Savior into this world.

Abram

When God called Abram to leave behind his country and everything he had known, Abram promptly obeyed:

genesis 12:4

So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.

It didn’t matter that Abram was 75 years old. It didn’t matter that God hadn’t given him a destination. For Abram it was simple. God had told him to go, and Abram said "yes." As a result, God’s promised blessing on Abram, including the coming Messiah, was fulfilled:

genesis 12:2-3

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

a small boy

When a great crowd in a remote place was getting hungry, Jesus’ disciples fretted over how to feed the people. That’s when Andrew saw a small boy and asked this question:

john 6:9

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Clearly, this small boy was either asked for, or volunteered, what little food he had for feeding the crowd. It wasn’t enough. But the boy gave it anyway. He said, "yes, take it."

And Jesus took the boy’s "not enough" offering and made it more than enough to feed more than five thousand people!

my notes:

so many reasons to say "no..."

All of these heroes could have said "no." After all, they all had good reasons, didn’t they?

What God asked of Mary was impossible. Abram didn’t even know which direction to point himself in. The small boy’s food was laughably insufficient to offer to God.

There is always a reason to say "no."

"It’s too hard."

"I can’t do enough."

"It’s not possible."

"I don’t know where to begin."

But God can always answer those reasons. It’s not too hard for God. We don’t have to do "enough," we just have to do what we can! It doesn’t matter if it’s impossible, because God makes all things possible. We don’t have to know where we’re going. We only need to take the next step.

We don’t have to know the details. We don’t have to be smart enough or strong enough. God fills in for where we are lacking. All we have to do is whatever we can do. And it begins by saying "yes."

my notes:

the reluctant "yes"

Have you ever not wanted to do the right thing, but you did it anyway? That’s a win!

Of course, it’s always better for us to have our hearts in whatever we’re doing, but short of wholehearted obedience, reluctant obedience is still used by God. Jesus made this point when He told this parable:

matthew 21:28-31

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 " ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"

"The first," they answered.

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

Parables aside, many of our greatest Biblical heroes began their heroic journeys with fear, hesitation, reluctance, and resistance. And yet, through their reluctant obedience, God did amazing things: Consider these few examples:

my notes:

Moses

When God spoke to Moses from the Burning Bush, He called Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to release God’s people from slavery. This was Moses’ response:

exodus 4:13

But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

Moses was fearful, both of his own speech struggles and for his life. But after an "attitude adjustment" from God, Moses said "yes" and ended up leading Israel for forty years, including leading them out of Egypt and out of slavery, and bringing Israel the Law of God.

Gideon

Although God called Gideon to lead his people against the oppressive Midianites, Gideon certainly didn’t start out as the "mighty warrior" that the Angel of the Lord called him.

judges 6:15

"But Lord,’" Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

Gideon doubted both himself and God’s calling on him, but he nevertheless said "yes" to what God called him to do, beginning with destroying the altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that the people were worshiping.

Even through his doubt and fear, Gideon said "yes," and God reassured Gideon by providing multiple signs of His calling on Gideon. As a result, Gideon defeated a massive army with only three hundred men, all by the power of God.

my notes:

Esther

When the Hebrew people faced global annihilation at the hands of the Persians, Esther resisted Mordecai’s call to approach the marginally insane King Xerxes to ask for mercy:

esther 4:11

"All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."

Esther had good reason to fear for her life, but when she realized that this was her moment to answer God’s call, she said "yes," and ended up saving her people from extermination.

Jonah

Jonah was not only reluctant to answer God’s call, he ran away.

jonah 1:3

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

Jonah was so determined not to answer God’s call that he sought death, diving into a stormy sea to drown. But God didn’t let that happen. Instead, God sent a fish to swallow Jonah. Even inside the fish, Jonah stubbornly waited to die, but God kept him alive until Jonah was finally willing to say "yes" to preaching to the Ninevites.

Even then, Jonah’s attitude stunk, and never improved. And although it surely would have been easier on Jonah had he obeyed with the right heart, at least he finally obeyed. The people of Ninevah repented, and God’s purpose was accomplished. Because a reluctant "yes" is still a "yes."

Even so, a right-hearted "yes" is much easier on us.

"Yes" is a relationship

Whether our "yes" to God is right-hearted or resistant, God will achieve His purposes either way. But when we fail to say "yes" to God, we deprive ourselves of a vital relationship.

Going back to Esther, when she was faced with possible death if she appealed to the king to save her people, Mordecai said this:

esther 4:12-14

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

God doesn’t need us to accomplish His will. If we say "no" when He calls us, He will accomplish His will in another way, but we will suffer, and will miss out on participating with God, in a relational way, in accomplishing His will.

The point of saying "yes" to God is to engage in a relationship with Him. He doesn’t need us to accomplish His will, but He invites us to participate with Him and, in the course of answering His call to serve others, to know Him better.

like a marriage...

When we initially say "yes" to God to be saved and to become one of His children, that "yes" is the beginning of countless "yes’s" to follow. Like a marriage, the first "yes" is a promise to say "yes" to everything that comes as a result.

In a marriage, both spouses have expressly and implicitly agreed to continue to say "yes" to each other, no matter the circumstances. That relationship completely changes everything about the way we live.

A husband or wife goes home to their spouse each night. They strive to spend time with each other. They sacrifice for each other. They are faithful to each other, and so on. But none of those things cause a person to be married. Instead, being married causes all of those life choices to take place. They are the fruit of the relationship of marriage.

Of course, a husband or wife can be neglect their spouse, or they can be selfish and angry with each other. They’ll still be married, but it won’t be a good marriage.

The Church is the Bride of Christ. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are effectively married to Him. If this is so, are you living as His bride? Or are you still living as though you are spiritually "single?"

If we are the Bride of Christ, shouldn’t we desire and work for a good marriage?

the result of salvation, not the cause

Lest anyone think that I’m advocating for works-based salvation, let me be clear. Scripture is very clear that we can do nothing whatsoever to earn or bring about our salvation. But as redeemed souls, we should desire to say "yes" to obeying God, as this should flow from our love for Him. In other words:

why we should do good works:

We don’t strive to obey God because it will save us.

We strive to obey God because we are saved.

Our good works are the result of our salvation, not the cause of it. Jesus made it very clear. If we love Him, it will result in our saying "yes" to obeying Him:

john 14:15

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.

John, in his letters, repeats the same point several times:

1 john 2:3-6

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

1 john 3:18

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

1 john 4:7

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 john 5:1-5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

If we belong to Christ; if we love Him, it will change the way we live. If we love God, we will do what He asks us to do. If we have been redeemed by Christ Jesus, then His fruit will manifest itself like fruit in our lives!

my notes:

where’s the fruit?

galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

To put it another way, if the Fruit of the Spirit isn’t growing in your life, it’s fair to ask whether the seed ever took root in the first place.

2 corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?

Or, if the Fruit is there, but it’s pathetic, scrawny and shriveled up, it’s fair to ask if you’re cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit by more fully submitting to Him.

2 peter 1:5-11

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God is calling us to be more like Him. He is calling us to love Him and to love one another. He is calling us to make disciples. He is calling us to love and good deeds. And to that call, the only appropriate answer from us is "yes!"

right now

Now that we’ve established the importance of simply saying "yes" to God, let’s explore the timeline for our "yes." Spoiler alert: Read the headline above. That’s what Scripture tells us in the book of James:

james 4:13-17

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

It is very easy to boast that we will do good things tomorrow, or at some point in the future. But the point of this passage is to not wait. We don’t know if we will even be here tomorrow. So if the opportunity to do good exists right now, then do it right now.

This concept is repeated several times in Scripture:

proverbs 3:27

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow"– when you now have it with you.

isaiah 55:6

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

psalm 119:60

I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.

matthew 5:25 25

"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

1 samuel 25:18

Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

don’t wait for an "ideal" time

There will always be a reason to put off saying "yes." But when God calls, He’s telling us what the ideal time is. That time is right now.

luke 9:57-62

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."

62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

esther 4:14

[Mordecai replied] For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

today is the day

God’s Word is very clear. It’s fine, and even wise, to make plans. But not at the expense of God’s calling on us right now.

hebrews 4:6-7

It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

joshua 24:15

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

There can be no doubt. We must choose each day–each moment–whether to say "yes" or "no" to God.

But the right answer is "yes." And the right time is right now.

my notes:

too difficult?

I know that the idea of saying "yes" to God right now seems very difficult, and perhaps even overwhelming.

Maybe you’re worried that you won’t be able to say "yes" to every good thing that is available for you to do. It’s true. You won’t. That’s when you have to weigh which opportunity for good is the most beneficial to those around you. That’s when we can remember Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8:

acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Notice where Jesus started here. His statement begins by saying that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, where they were at that moment. Next, He expanded His statement to include Judea and Samaria, the wider-reaching region where they were. Finally, Jesus expanded His statement once more to include the whole world.

To put that another way, start with what’s right in front of you, and work outward from there.

Does your immediate family have a need at the same time that the cross-town neighbor has a need? You’ll have to make a choice. Who needs you more in the moment?

This is not to say that our families provide us an excuse for inaction outside of the home. We should weigh every opportunity to say "yes" to God, both inside and outside of the home. But consider this:

Men, you are the only ones who can be husbands to your wives or fathers to your children. Women, you are the only ones who can be wives to your husbands or mothers to your children. When you see that your family needs you, that’s your "Jerusalem!"

So, in cases where you have conflicting calls to serve, choose the most beneficial "yes."

not too difficult!

God knows us, and He knows what we’re capable of. And while God does certainly give us more than we can handle, He never gives us more than He can handle. If we say "yes" to God, He has promised that it won’t be too difficult for us:

deuteronomy 30:11-14

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

It may seem difficult, or even impossible, to do the things that God has commanded in His Word. But we shouldn’t concern ourselves with whether something is "possible." We should simply trust and obey.

consider this:

Q. Was Moses able to speak to Pharaoh? To part the sea?

Q. Was Joshua able to defeat Jericho?

Q. Was David able to defeat Goliath?

Q. Was Gideon able to defeat the Midianites?

Q. Was Peter able to walk on water?

The answer to all of these questions is "no," except for the fact that God had prompted and enabled them to do it. The principle is this; if God has told us to do something, even something seemingly impossible, He will make it possible for us to do it.

philippians 4:13

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

2 corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

In other words, in God’s strength, you can do as He commands! When we say "yes" to God, He says "yes" to enabling us to do as He asks.

After all, God isn’t asking you to save the world. He’s not asking you to achieve the lifetime fullness of His plans for you today. He’s asking you to take the next step. Just one step. The one that’s right in front of you. Right now.

in practice...

So, what is God calling you to right now? Consider David’s prayer:

psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Is there a sin from which you have yet to confess or repent? Is there a relationship that you need to strengthen? Is it time to finally dig into God’s Word? God is calling you to something right now. Think about it for a moment. You know the answer. So now, write it down:

God is calling me to:

Now, say "yes" to what God is asking of you, and take the first step. Then, break it down into the next small step, and the next, and take each small step until your "yes" is made true by your actions.

If you need reminders, post notes for yourself around your house or add reminders to your smartphone calendar. Better still, share what you’ve said "yes" to with a trusted friend and ask them to remind you to stay on track.

my notes:

full chairs

Now, look around the room. Take notice of each chair that has a person sitting in it as you consider this verse:

1 thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Each one of the souls you see sitting in those chairs is struggling with something. And you just might be the person who can encourage them. You might be the person who can bless them. You might be the friend that they need.

Each person in this room whom you don’t know very well could be a friendship that is yet to materialize.

Is God calling you to reach out to someone? Perhaps someone whom you don’t know very well? Someone who needs connection? Read the above verse again. And then, respond according to God’s leading. Right now.

empty chairs

Look around the room again. This time, take notice of all the empty chairs.

Each one of those empty chairs represents an empty soul. A soul who is lost, or hurting, and who desperately needs to meet Jesus. Has God called us to do anything about that?

matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus is the answer for each hurting and lost soul. But you probably can’t reach all the nations with the gospel, and you can’t fill all those empty chairs. But that’s not the point.

Look at the chairs again, and this time, take notice of just one empty chair. You know someone in your life who needs to be in that chair. Maybe it’s a friend or a neighbor. Maybe it’s family member, a coworker, or perhaps even a restaurant server or store clerk. They need the Lord, and you could introduce them. You can see their face, and perhaps you can visualize them sitting in one of these empty chairs.

One person. Write down his or her name:

God wants a relationship with:

saying "yes" to this calling

You know someone who needs to know Jesus. You know that God has put you in his or her life for this purpose.

This isn’t about filling the chairs in this church, but about leading empty souls to the Savior who longs to fill them with His Spirit.

You can invite this person to come with you to church, for their benefit, so that they can hear the Truth of God’s Word. But whether or not this person ever darkens the door of our church, you can love this person. You can get to know them better. You can serve them. You can pray for them. You can encourage them. And if they say "no," you can keep saying "yes" to loving and serving and praying for them.

The whole world needs Jesus, but it begins with just one person. Your job is not to save the world, but to say "yes" to loving the person whom God has placed in your path right now.

my notes:

other ideas

sleepovers for kids or teens

Parents, if you have kids or teens in your home, prayerfully consider allowing them to invite a non-believing friend over to your home to sleep over on a Saturday night.

Allow this friend to see what God’s love and what a Godly home looks like. And then, bring them to church with you on Sunday morning.

Obviously, this would require wisdom and good judgment on your part to keep it safe, but if you believe that you and your kids could benefit a non-believing friend by having them in your home overnight, you might have a chance to expose them to the Truth and love of God.

lunch or coffee invitations

Consider asking a neighbor or coworker to share a meal or a coffee with you, just to get to know them and to love them. These kinds of activities can be the start of relationships that can point people to God.

mow, trim, shovel, sweep...

If you’re out doing lawn or snow removal work and you have a moment to bless a neighbor, consider blessing them! Be mindful that you might need permission to mow their lawn, but most folks don’t mind having their snow cleared or other small acts of service.

pray, love, serve!

Whatever form it takes, strive to see the people around you as priceless souls, loved by God. Maybe you can’t accomplish all you’d like to in their lives, but you can do something. Just one small thing.

conclusion

ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It may seem like a big ask, but it’s really quite simple. We can’t do all the good that needs to be done, but we can do the good that God has prepared for us to do.

God has created us for this. And He is giving us the opportunity to participate with Him in His Divine work.

Yes, we will falter. We will be weak. We will struggle. We won’t reach perfection in this endeavor while we’re on this earth. But we can begin. We can try. We can improve. We can take the next step. And each small step we take will bring us closer to being like Jesus.

God will present each good work He’s prepared for us in each moment as we go. And each time God presents us with a good work He’s prepared for us, we have only one responsibility.

Not to do all the good that the world requires. Not to save the world. But to do the one thing that God has presented us in each moment.

And our response should be to say "yes." Right now.