What is Your Standard of Integrity? “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you 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 Look at this one little line: “You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.” So, as we look at our own integrity (or lack of), we’re not going to hear Jesus say, “It’s okay to just let stuff slide.” Quite the opposite – He really tightens the bolts on the idea of integrity! Deuteronomy 23 says, “You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.” You see, what we say with our mouths and then what we do afterwards, is what makes up our integrity. And believe me, God takes seriously what we promise others. So much that sometimes, it’s better not to promise at all! In short, it’s better to under promise and over deliver. Jesus’ rule is really quite simple. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No;’ anything more than this comes from evil.” It shouldn’t require an oath, a vow, but just a simple “Yes” or “No.” Integrity is keeping your word. Jesus is the perfect example of that kind of person. God in the flesh kept His word, even to His death on a cross. I’m so thankful that Jesus always kept His Word. When He said He would go to the cross, He went to the cross. And when He said He would rise again in 3 days, He rose again in 3 days. What a great King we serve. He is our Lord and Savior. He is the ultimate standard of integrity.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 09:34:25 +0000
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