Just say "no" to "no"

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.- Phillipians 1:6

When my wife and I first married, we moved into an historic house in an old part of downtown Noblesville, Indiana. The house was about 100 years old and had been converted to a double. It had been a rental property for over 40 years, so it suffered from layers and layers of poor paint choices, well-meaning wallpaper, crumbling plaster, and just good old-fashioned neglect. As we settled in this house, we had grand visions for what it could be. The bedroom could be re-done in a Victorian Laura Ashley theme. The kitchen could be made nearly new with maple cabinets and a tile floor. Some of the plaster would need to be ripped down and drywalled over, and of course, the hardwood floors needed some work. The problem was that all this vision led me (not us) to start most of these projects and never finish. One day I came home from work and school, and my wife and I had a conversation about finishing some of the work I'd already begun. As I walked around the house, I noticed that there were only about 3 rooms that were untouched by my swath of destruction, most of the rooms were uninhabitable the way they sat, and my wife (who didn't know me very well at this point) had no reassurance that I would ever finish a project. So, I had to make a commitment... I would finish the work I had already begun - one room at a time. As I begun to finish jobs, it gave her more confidence to let me take on more and bigger projects, knowing I would finish what I start.

Those of us who follow Christ know what that's like. If we sit and allow God to work in our lives, he says there will be no unfinished projects. What God started in us, he promises to finish. So, what does that mean for us? It means we need to think and pray and contemplate and listen for what God’s call is in every area of our lives. And then, we just need to act. We need to drop our nets and follow Him, not walk away sad (Mark 10:17-22). In our quest to become the unstoppable force Jesus died for, we need to not say no. We need to be ready to go wherever, whenever. Just say "no" to saying "no."

Peace