The Joy of Saying 'Yes' to God

You know that feeling when you finally stop fighting against something and just yield – and suddenly, peace floods in? Whether it's forgiving someone you swore you'd never forgive, or finally taking that step you've resisted – obedience can feel hard until it becomes the very thing that sets you free. In the early 1900s, American William Borden, heir to the Borden silver fortune, shocked his wealthy family by giving up everything to follow God's call onto the mission field. Trained at Yale and Princeton, he gave away his whole inheritance to Christian causes and set sail for China to reach the Muslim world. On the way, he stopped in Egypt to study Arabic – but fell ill and died at just twenty-five. He never reached the mission field. But in his Bible, they found six words that he'd written: No reserve. No retreat. No regrets. Obedience, even cut short, became his greatest joy. King David understood that. Psalm 40 was his song of gratitude – written after God lifted him from despair. And in it, he penned these words: Psalm 40:8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. (ESV) David wasn't obeying out of fear, but out of a love response to God for all that He'd done. When God's Word took root in his heart, obedience didn't become a burden; it became joy. So today, if God's nudging you toward something difficult, perhaps calling you to give up that one thing you know is wrong but have struggled to let go of – don't resist. Let go. Hand it over to Him. Because delight begins where resistance ends. May you too be able to say: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.