Are You as Good as Your Word?

5/16/2014

Do you ever feel like you have to back up your words with, "I swear," or, "I promise"? What does Jesus say? His ancestors said, "You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord," but Jesus said, "Don't take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God's throne or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no." Anything more than this is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:33-37 HCSB).

Does this mean we should not take an oath in a court of law? I don't think so. This verse teaches us to be as good as our word in our every day relationships and communications.

Think About It
Our world is filled with lies and deceit. We can shine our light into this darkness by practicing honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. When people believe what we say and trust us to carry out our commitments, we won't have to back up our words with "I swear" or "I promise."

Pray About It
Father God, teach me to be honest and true as you are. Help me to build a godly character. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Author
Sue Tornai Loeffler

I have taught Sunday school to young people for more than twenty years. God has recently laid something on my heart, and it is to write devotionals for families that will teach them to pray together and for each other. That is how Talking With Jesus was born. Nothing is too big or too small for our Lord. He wants to be our closest Friend. We can trust Him with anything that concerns us.