Let Your "No" Mean "No"

2 Corinthians 1:17-18 – Was I vacillating… do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been "Yes" and "No."

Bishop Desmund Tutu once said during the most difficult days in the struggle against apartheid, "I do not want to reform it, I want to destroy it forever." There are times and circumstances when the Christians' only response to a situation is to seek the destruction of something deadly in society.

After a press conference on gambling in Nova Scotia, Canada, I was asked if I would be satisfied with the tightening of controls and regulations on gaming in the Province. I replied by say that such tightening might be an effective first step. The reporter wanted to know what would come next, in my opinion. I said that the next step would be to abolish it completely and get rid of this social scourge that was ruining so many lives and hurting so many families.

There are some things in life in which we cannot compromise. Tutu could never accommodate apartheid in any form. It was an evil that needed to be destroyed. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada is still on record as being "unalterably opposed to gambling in any form". And the more I see the effect of gambling, the more convinced I am that the church must draw the line and say, "No" to this evil. We live under the sovereignty of God, not under some lucky star or million-to-one chance or smiling fortune.

Prayer: God, grant us the strength to stand up to the social evils and ills that have become the norm in a society that is intent on its own pleasures and pursuits. Help us to follow in the footsteps of your Christ as we live day by day for him. Amen.

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