Take the Next Right: It’s in the Practice

Almost every time we drive somewhere, we see those big, bright, and bold yield signs. So, what’s that all about? What is this sign telling us to do? Hello everyone and welcome back to Take the Next Right—our series that literally takes the Scriptures to the streets and the streets to the Scriptures, to the highways and the byways all to see how God can strengthen our walk by using everyday road signs to guide our daily spiritual walk.

Watch Take the Next Right with Kim Crabill

So, what do you think when you see the yield sign? Well, it’s there to tell us to slow down, to look around, and to consider what other drivers are doing. In the Bible, we find a related word to yield and it’s submit. The Greek word we translate submit carries the meaning, “to give way to.” It’s a yielding by our own accord. And don’t you just love that last part, by our own accord?

You see, that’s how God treats us. He’s not that parent who comes along and says, “You will do this because I say so.” Even though we’ve said that to our children, I must confess. But God comes to us in a different way. He lays out the opportunity and then He invites us to choose to yield to Him or not to yield. I know it sounds simple, but as we all probably would agree, the choice can be a really hard one.

You see, yielding is not a one-time decision. If I obey the yield sign at nine o’clock this morning while driving to an appointment, does that mean I don’t have to worry about yielding to traffic for the rest of the day? Sign or no sign? Of course not. Our decision to yield occurs every day, all day. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, the Apostle Paul says, “I die daily,” which is his way of saying, “I yield to Christ daily and die to my own wishes, plans, and preferences. I live for him, not for myself.”

Listen to this principle carefully. There’s a moment of yielding, but there is the practice of the yielded life. I think that’s really worth repeating. There’s the moment that we yield and then there’s the practice of the yielded life. And as Paul said, it’s daily. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect in our yielding, but He does expect us to keep practicing, to persevere. A yielded life requires great perseverance.

And I think I’ll add, a lot of forgiveness of ourselves. You see, we falter when we focus on the last time we failed to yield, whenever that was. We persevere when we look at the moment before us, the choice we have in that moment to yield or not to yield, and to make the right decision that time. To persevere, we need to quit condemning ourselves and being so self-criticizing. Yielding is a lifetime of decisions. We may have to give away 50 times in a day.

Have you ever had days like that? It helps to remind ourselves often that God is not interested in making our lives miserable and weighing us down. As a matter of fact, He says in Matthew 11:29, in the Message translation, “Walk with Me and work with Me, watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Remember our good, wise, and loving God is trying to show us the best way to live. We will always yield to something every time a choice is made. To eat this or that, to be polite or rude, to keep or break a promise, we are yielding. But God is constantly showing us the best things to yield to, which is why I want to become better and better at spotting His yield signs, and I know you do as well.

Well, friends, thank you for joining me as we continue to look at how God can use everyday road signs to guide our daily spiritual lives. I hope the message of the yield sign will strengthen your walk.

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