DO NOT BREAK AN OATH OR A PROMISE.
Matt. 5:33-37 "You have heard it
said, ‘Do not break an oath or a promise. Keep oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the Great King. And do not
swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply
let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from
the evil one."
DO NOT BREAK AN OATH OR A PROMISE.
Father, When I didn’t understand this commandment you led me to do some research. Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy shed some light. He says Jesus knew the swearing of oaths was
done “to impress others with their sincerity and reliability” in order to
convince or manipulate others, a kind of “song and dance.” “Anything more than this ‘comes from evil’ -
the evil intent to get one’s way by manipulation of the thoughts and choices of
others.”
Father, Our culture is certainly full of this kind of falseness. Help me be true to
what I say, to always do what I promise to do. Show me any time I’m guilty of
coercing or manipulating others and help me just say things simply and clearly
and let others make their own decisions. I’m some times guilty of attempting to manipulate those I
love the most, family members. I'm some times guilty of trying to impress those I don't know well. Help me learn to be transparent in all I say and do. Teach me, change me.
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