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Monday January 13 - Integrity, honesty, truth telling “...Do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or
by the earth, for it is his footstool...” Matthew 5:34-35
Some people interpret Matthew 5:34 to mean that a Christian shouldn’t take an oath. Not so! Jesus is referring to the formal way in which the Jewish scribes and Pharisees took oaths in the culture of the time. These oaths sounded impressive, but they were mostly deceptive and counterfeit; ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?’ (Jeremiah 17:9). Those involved had no intention of keeping the promises they made (despite God being a part of every oath). They were breaking the ninth of the Ten Commandments: ”You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour” (Exodus 20:16).
Oaths and promises have the same goal: to prompt people to keep their word, even if it’s appealing not to do so. Jesus is against all types of hypocrisy and in contrast stands for sincerity, transparency, accountability and honesty. He warns against making false oaths but encourages sincere truth-telling. Effectively he is saying that we don’t need to swear by anything, because a person of integrity doesn't need to embellish their promises. Jesus is emphasising that righteousness involves being completely genuine, and not simply taking an oath which holds little meaning to the person.
Is the truthfulness of your speech the standard by which you live? If not, ask for forgiveness and pray that God will help you to grow in honour and trustworthiness.
Father, I want to be a person of integrity. I ask for your help to grow in this area. Amen.
Tuesday January 14 - Mind your words!
“And do not swear by your head... all you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’...” Matthew 5:36-37
Today’s scripture reminds me of the importance of not speaking ‘idle words’ – words we say without concern for their impact upon others, such as those spoken out of anger, jealousy, envy and criticism. We need to watch what we say, for ‘the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts’ (James 3:5). This is particularly relevant, since God wants our ‘yes’ to mean YES and our ‘no’ to mean NO. We mustn’t give mixed messages or be dishonest. Our word should be our assurance. Jesus makes it clear that what we say we are to mean, and stick by it. May our words and actions be thoughtful, as though spoken for the Lord himself.
Take some time to reflect on what you have just read, and ask yourself: ‘Does my ‘Yes’ mean yes and my ‘No’ mean no?’ The following are some of the ways that we can go off track: 1) We say, ‘Yes’ to please people, but we don’t have courage to say ‘No’. 2) We say ‘No’ and then feel under pressure to say ‘Yes’; we therefore change our mind, but it isn’t what we wanted. 3) We say ‘Yes’, but don’t follow through with our positive response. 4) We don’t give a definite ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ because we’re protecting ourselves or avoiding making a commitment.
Father, I pray that my ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ will be honest. Please help me to avoid speaking idle words. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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