33“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)
Thoughts: It is important to fulfill vows. Jesus knew that. But he was cautioning about making a vow that we cannot keep, by something beyond ourselves. Vows and swearing by things was too common in that ancient world. Jesus was saying that we can mean what we say and that leads to more trust and honesty. When our word is our bond, we do not have to swear by something higher. When our word is true- we can trust and rely on each other. When we keep our word, people trust us, and that allows them to trust what we say about God and His Word.
Prayer: Lord, let my yes be yes and my no be no today. Let my words be soft and true.
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