April 9 - Matthew 5:33-37

April 9 - Matthew 5:33-37

“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.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

That last verse is probably one of my favorites.  Simply let your yes be yes and your no be no.

If you say you will do something … do it. If you promise to be somewhere … be there. If you are going to change your mind, be open about it and don’t equivocate.  Just get it out there.  If people are counting on you … follow through.  Let it be on the basis of your good word that people learn to trust that what you say is what you will do.

A few years ago, I watched a film on nomadic tribes in the Middle East.  There were several groups of these people that had no written language.  When it came to contracts, they didn’t need a notary public or a signed document, their word was their seal.  It was important to them that the words they spoke be trusted.

Some of the most solid business partnerships have been made over a handshake because both people were trustworthy and followed through on their promises.

I remember my mother telling me that I had lost her trust (I have no idea what I’d done that time).  It crushed me.  The threat was that she might never trust me again.  But, it didn’t take long and we had returned to a state of trust in our relationship again.  It can be rebuilt.

Begin today. Let your yes be yes, let your no be no. When you change your mind, be honest and upfront.  Finish what you say you will do, go where you say you will go.