PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 5:33-37
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37)
In Jesus’s time, people were using God’s Name to make their word stronger.
Instead of ‘I promise’, it was like ‘I promise in God’s Name’.
And often they did not mean it, but were using God to get other’s trust.
Jesus is not warning against an oath in court, nor the oath of office.
He is stressing the importance of using words with integrity.
How many times do we throw out, ‘I’ll pray for you’, or ‘so good to see you’…
Or do we add the words, ‘I really mean it’, as if at others times we don’t.
Or do we season our stories with ‘slight’ embellishments to look better?
On another occasion, Jesus warns against using ’empty words’ (Matthew 12:36).
As a Jesus follower, speaking the truth in love is an important part of our witness.
When we speak we should be sure that what we say reflects what is true and real.
And when we make a promise we should be sure we mean it and follow through on it.
People are discerning whether we are people of integrity, people of our word.
Heart-felt words can lead others to Jesus, but empty words can drive them away.
PRAYER
Lord, I use a lot of words. Maybe this is a good reminder to think first and speak less. May Your Spirit use my words to help others find and experience You!
For me it is not so much the language that is the issue – but it is the tendency to reference others and what they said – maybe not accurately because I’m taking a ‘snippet’ of conversation – to corroborate the point I’m making. Simply making the point on my own standing and opinion and humbly stating that – needs to be enough – not peppered by drawing in the ‘input’ of others or even in a more abusive way, misrepresenting scripture to say what “I” want to say! I need to have total integrity – that is what I must strive for.
Say what you mean and mean what you say. Our words are forceful and we need to be true to what we say. Our words come alive in our actions – words and deeds go together and in that way we develop trust. I need to live according to my words. And in this way people live together in community. Live in faithful witness of the truth in love. I must be a person of integrity.
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say,
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.
Thank you Lord for the reminder today that whenever I say, “How are you?” to someone that I mean it and care to know the answer, to stop and look that someone in the eye and listen to the answer not only the spoken words but the non-verbal words as well. Grant me the wisdom O Holy Spirit to discern and to truly care not just lip service.