"Yes, but...!"

I just can't get away from it. Not that I'm trying to, but if I were it would be impossible to escape it. We are currently studying the book of Luke in our Sunday morning ABF class. I just finished Not a Fan a few days ago (oh my word...read the book folks...it's good...). We are halfway through the study of Paul's life and ministry in our weekly women's Bible study. There is a common theme in all of it. Say yes and go. Why am I not shocked that this morning's devotional would be any different?

From My Utmost for His Highest - May 30 (Oswald Chambers)

"Lord, I will follow You, but..." (Luke 9:61)

"Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, "Yes, but - suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about...?" Or we say, "Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn't go against my common sense, but don't ask me to take a step in the dark."

Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.

By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis - only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God."

I can't count the number of times some have said, "God gives us common sense and you're not really using it right now..." And that's just said because I'm a mom that goes to Guatemala sometimes. Um, OK. I guess they're right. God did give us common sense, but sometimes He overrides that and says that we have to go against it. To be honest, I don't always rule out my common sense to follow Him because taking leaps of faith into the dark, no matter how many times you've done it before, is frightening and along with flying, I'm afraid of the dark.

I think it's time that we take the word "but" out of our vocabularies. I'll start....

Yes, Lord. Just yes. Whatever. Wherever. Whenever. No but.