Devotional - May 3rd, 2023
James 5:12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
This text can be a bit confusing. Especially the way it begins by saying, above all. Really? Above everything James has said, this issue is above all? I think he is referring to his recent points, not the entire letter. But, he is separating it out by officially addressing it to the church with the words, brothers and sisters. Today's text relates directly to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:33-37. Notice, I said related, but not dependent. Each text stands on its own and speaks to the same issue. One thing we need to define before going on is the word swear. It is a legal term. When you read it, think oath. As in taking an oath where you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. According to Jesus and James, we have no right to empower our words by swearing them true or false using things we have no power over. The empowerment should instead come from our Godly character. Simply put, as a man or woman of God, we are honest. And that is the crux of the teaching, if you are a Christian, be honest. It takes strength, no doubt. It can be humbling, absolutely. More importantly, it gives others a basis by which they can believe in us. Our trouble begins when we let our pride and ego get in the way. Personally, I think it is helpful to let others know that your love for them supersedes any mistakes they may make or need they may have to impress you. Sometimes this message gets lost in our concern for others' success or our own reputation in the matter. I hope future generations find better ways to express this idea. It is because of our life and faith in God that we can be human. When we say yes, we mean it, and so to when we say no. Later, our yeses may turn to noes and vice versa. When it happens, that's okay. It does not diminish our credibility. Sometimes that is the way life goes, but at least we are being honest. Swearing something true or false, honestly, is not realistic. In some ways it says we are not trustworthy in and of ourselves. We need to add credibility to our words to make them believable. Be at peace, by God's grace, you don't.
Pray with me..., Holy God, we confess being honest can be difficult, especially when we have done wrong. Remind us of Your steadfast love and care for us. Hear us as we pray for our loved ones. We ask Your blessing upon them. We ask Your blessing upon our church so we can be the people You want us to be, in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
