S.O.S.
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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-37
One of the regular aspects of our Sunday gathering is a call to respond to the gospel with some sort of change in thinking, feeling or acting. Repentance. That’s the word. And hopefully, sometimes, most of the time, you might feel that this call requires this change of you. That you need to respond.
But as I have often experienced in my own life. This initial feeling/impulse can be fleeting. Like a fly on the wall, it’s there one moment but if not immediately seized upon, can be hard to pin down again. And of course, gone is the opportunity to honour Christ by changing as we should.
Have you experienced this?
As Jesus reminds us in His sermon on the mount. We don’t need to make oaths or swear before heaven and earth. But when we say we are going to do something, we should do it.
So how do we? How do we make our yes a yes and no a no? How do we follow through on our convictions? Well. A couple of thoughts:
Good intentions are important. But as the old saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Let’s listen to Jesus and be a people who follow through on our convictions.
For Today:
Pray: Praise the Father that He is faithful and always follows through on His promises. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who shows us true discipline and obedience. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you make your yes a yes and no a no.
Matthew 5:33-37
One of the regular aspects of our Sunday gathering is a call to respond to the gospel with some sort of change in thinking, feeling or acting. Repentance. That’s the word. And hopefully, sometimes, most of the time, you might feel that this call requires this change of you. That you need to respond.
But as I have often experienced in my own life. This initial feeling/impulse can be fleeting. Like a fly on the wall, it’s there one moment but if not immediately seized upon, can be hard to pin down again. And of course, gone is the opportunity to honour Christ by changing as we should.
Have you experienced this?
As Jesus reminds us in His sermon on the mount. We don’t need to make oaths or swear before heaven and earth. But when we say we are going to do something, we should do it.
So how do we? How do we make our yes a yes and no a no? How do we follow through on our convictions? Well. A couple of thoughts:
- Write it down - put an alert in your phone or somewhere you regularly check, reminding you of the change you committed too.
- Tell someone else - send someone a text or organise to meet with someone and confess to them the repentance, asking them to keep you accountable.
- Pray - ask God to help you make your yes a yes and no a no.
Good intentions are important. But as the old saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Let’s listen to Jesus and be a people who follow through on our convictions.
For Today:
- What is something you have repented of (and followed through)
- Is there something you said yes or no to and haven’t followed through?
- Ask God to help your yes be a yes and your no a no.
Pray: Praise the Father that He is faithful and always follows through on His promises. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who shows us true discipline and obedience. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you make your yes a yes and no a no.
No Comments