Blake Allen, Young Adult and Student Pastor, LHBC

Matthew 5:33-37

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil”

As I was driving down the road the other day, I was startled by a biker who zoomed past me. He had to be going at least 15 miles over the speed limit. And after he zoomed past me in the right lane, he sped up to go between two cars. After shaking my head at the situation and grumbling a bit, I thought to myself, “this guy really went for it.” There is no way he would have made it past the two cars in that moment if he had not committed. Now I in no way endorse reckless driving, but at least he followed through on what he was determined to do. 

What if we approached life the same way? Not that we would do reckless things. But what if we were a people known to commit to the things we determine in our heart. What if our actions reflected the commitments we made?

Yesterday I got a chance to preach on Matthew 5:33-37. As important as this passage is and with the New Year arriving, I want to revisit some thoughts I had about this passage. 

With 21 Days of prayer and fasting at the beginning of the year, our commitments to the All-in campaign, and being an active member of the church; there are quite a few commitments we may be making in 2022. 

It’s easy to make commitments verbally or on paper. It’s easy to talk the talk, but it’s another story to actually walk the walk. But if what we say and what we do contradict one another, then we will be known as a people who are untrustworthy. But what does that say about God’s people when our word is shallow? 

You know my dad used to have a saying growing up. Every time I got caught lying or breaking a commitment he would always say, “Son, your word is your bond. When you break someone’s trust, you break the bond.” 

See there was a time in life when our word alone actually carried weight. Men used to deal in handshakes, not formal contracts. We have so many legal safeguards today through contracts, statements, terms of use, etc., because our simple word is in question. When our word or handshake is not confirmation enough, it is because we have failed to let our yes be yes and no be no.

Have you ever met somebody who seemed to lie about every single thing they talked about? Just expert liars. Seems second nature to them. Lying is so commonplace in our world. God’s people should be known as a people who speak truth and honor their commitments. As God’s spokesperson in this world, our words and commitments should be true, accurate, dependable, uncomplicated, simply yes or no. When we say something, we should mean it. If we commit to something, we should do it. If we give our word to someone, we should honor it. So, while lying may be commonplace in our world; it is not to be in the church. 

Let us be a people who honor their commitments. Let us be known as people who know the truth and live the truth. Let your yes be yes and no be no. 

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness. Even though we were faithless, you were faithful. You have always fulfilled your word. May we do the same. May we honor you in honoring our commitments. In Jesus’ name, amen!

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK: 

Luke 2:11

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord