Sunday, 24th September 2023

Alex Buabeng-Korsah

TOPIC: BEING TRUTHFUL

THEME SCRIPTURE: “But let your communication be , yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil.” - Matthew 5:37

 

PREPARATORY QUESTIONS:

1. What did Jesus mean by let your communication be yea, yea or nay, nay?

 

In the Old Testament, swearing was part of the lives of the early men. As such, they were warned by the Law to never swear falsely. Swearing falsely made a person worse than an infidel. The reason is this. Men required each other to swear, dragging God into a matter purposefully to force each other to honor their words or to make an issue binding.

This meant that men were insincere within, but they tried to be sincere without, because they had sworn an oath.

But Jesus made a correction to this. He said to His disciples, “You have heard that it has been said by those of old time, ‘You shall not make false vows’, but you shall perform to the Lord your oaths” (Matt 5:33). He continued by saying, “But I say unto you, Swear not at all” (Matt 5:34). Jesus forbade swearing and making an oath because if a disciple needs an oath before he or she can be believed, then that disciple is not honorable.

Precious one, today, trading lies has become part of our society. Men and women have become so untruthful that we have names for types and forms of lies such as white lies, half-truths, grey lies, etc. There are all sorts of justifications for being untruthful today, including not wanting to hurt the feelings of the other person or the other person not being able to handle the truth. Yeah, the truth can be bitter, but Jesus was clear in His instructions: “Let your communication be “yes, yes” or “no, no” (Matt 5:37). In Scripture, when a word or phrase is repeated in a speech, it means the matter is sure or firm. Hence, Jesus was telling His disciples that if you say 'yes', let it be a firm ‘yes’, and likewise if you say ‘no’.

Jesus calls for honesty without an oath.

Beloved, swearing is unnecessary and irrelevant. It actually makes you an unbelievable person when you need an oath to instil confidence in others. The critical issue is truthfulness. Can men rely on your word? Can what you say be taken as honest and sincere words? The father of all liars is the devil. But we are not the children of the devil; we are the children of the Father of all truth. This is why Jesus wants us to practice truth and sincerity in relation to society and especially among ourselves as believers. It is worth noting that anything we say that is more than a firm 'yes' or a firm 'no' is evil, Jesus pointed out.

Always remember this: “Truthfulness is the expression of inner security and of integrity.”

Remain blessed. 

 

FURTHER READING – Matthew 5:33-37

Call to Salvation: Today is your day if you have not received salvation by turning over your life to Jesus Christ. Click here to do so.

 

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MEDITATE ON THE WORD:

1. Why do we lie sometimes or are insincere?

 

 

CONFESSION

Precious Lord, my life is associated with you. Whatever I do or say, men will wonder what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Hence, my words from today going forward will be truth and also sincere. I receive grace to always walk in honesty and with integrity. Hallelujah!

 

1-Year Bible Reading Plan

1 Chronicles 7; Ezekiel 20; Luke 17