The heart of God

I was reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren when an incredible thought occurred to me. On page 28 of the book, Warren says

"We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it....... God specializes in giving people a fresh start."

Now the thought that I had has nothing to do with new beginnings of fresh starts. At least not directly. Rather, it struck me again how incredibly positive God is. He does not dwell on problems or drawbacks of the past. He always urges us on towards the goal that he himself has set for us.

This reminded me of a passage of scripture in the New Testament epistle of 2Corinthians chapter 1, verses 17-20. Paul was defending himself against the accusation by some of inconsistency. He had promised to visit this local assembly at a particular time, but could not honor the commitment, hence the charge of not keeping his word. Listen to him:

2 Cor. 1:17-20 (Amplified version)

17Now because I changed my original plan, was I being unstable and capricious? Or what I plan, do I plan according to the flesh [like a worldly man], ready to say Yes, yes, [when it may mean] No, no?

18As surely as God is trustworthy and faithful and means what He says, our speech and message to you have not been Yes [that might mean] No.

19For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who has been preached among you by us, by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not Yes and No; but in Him it is [always the divine] Yes.

20For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.

Paul in effect says that when he promised to visit the church, he meant every word of his promise. Then he tells his audience the reason why he must remain committed to whatever he says. It is because God is committed to what he promised, and Paul takes his cue from God. More importantly, Paul offers us a glimpse into an aspect of the nature of the Lord when he makes the statement, "...the Son of God, Christ Jesus...... was not Yes and No; but in Him, it is always.... Yes." With him, it is always Yes! Yes to your hopes and dreams; Yes to your joy and peace; Yes, even to those things for which you dare not hope because they appear too big!

So next time your heart longs for a piece of heaven and it appears just out of reach, tell Jesus about it, and he will answer. Guess what, his answer will be...... YES.

Be blessed today.