“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.
- Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)
The problem for me is over oathing. Yes, I over eat also; That's another set of scriptures for another day. Over commitment. Over oathing. Over eating. That's me; that's Anonymous, and you can jump in this little confession session at anytime. I think I'm drowning.
Oaths and swearing are significant problems in our culture. We make all kinds of promises that we cannot keep, or even intend to keep. We say things just to end a conversation, so we can move on to what we want to do, and get away from that nagging person that what's us to commit to doing something for them. We embellish our stories and statements to make ourselves look better.
Christ, said don't do it. Don't add on to what you're promising. Do not say yes unless you mean it. Do add an excuse to your no. If you're not going to do it, say no. If you're going to do it say, yes. And leave it at that. If the other person has a follow up question, great. You and I don't need to add extraneous statements or excuses to the conversation. We don't need to swear by a higher power.
Well, prayer for anonymous. He needs help in this area. Keep him from he evil one. Maybe you need help too. Confessions appreciated (i.e. don't leave Anonymous alone).
Anonymously yours....
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1 comment:
This is an area where I've struggled as well. My proverbial plate has become too large and includes too many things from time to time. I'm getting better but still haven't mastered the ability to say "no" without feeling guilty.
One of the things I think we must understand is I can't help every person with every need. God has only gifted me in certain areas. He wants me to use those resources for His glory. Anything less (or more) is sinful. It's okay to say "no."
So I say, "Grab the rope Anon. I'll pull you in. And when you reach shore, please do the same for me."
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