Jun 15: Matthew 5:33-37
Key Verse: Matthew 5:36
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
Devotion:
I wonder, how many times have you sworn an oath to do something only to find out you have to go back and apologise because you cannot complete the task for some reason. Jesus did not go round telling people He would do things and swearing to do so by oaths, He simply said He would do things and He did them!
This is the example we should be living by, not saying we will do things which we find out we cannot, but saying we can try or we will do our best. This is all God asks of us, to do our best for Him. This same example should be done for everyone we meet too, not saying one thing and doing another, but saying what we can try to achieve and doing our best to do what we can.
A promise should be kept as a promise – this is what makes it a promise. People get to know us through what we say and what we do. If we do no complete the tasks we say we will, we get to be known as a person who does not complete the tasks. This is not the image we should have as Christians because we should be trying to be more like Christ and less like the world!
Jesus was known as a man who would do what He said & as many people got to know from experience with Him, He always did what He said He would do. This can be a tough act to follow because we are limited in what we can do as humans, but we can tell people the truth and allow them to make choices based on what we tell them – this would make for a much better world all round!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you have to go back on your word?
How often do you trust what Christ has said?