[Wednesday's Devotional] - Do not swear at all…

3   Do not swear at all… Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'  But I tell you, Do not swear at all…  Matthew 5: 33 – 37, [NIV]   In the Old Testament, people swore oaths to underline the seriousness of their promise.  They might swear by their head, by the earth, by Jerusalem or whatever was thought to be important.  But an oath that did not mention the name of God was not thought to be binding.   Jesus cuts through all this frivolous nonsense.  No-one needs to swear an oath at all.  Just be honest, he says.  This is all about integrity.  And he adds:   Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your No', 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.  Matthew 5: 37 [NIV]   The way we present ourselves to a world which likes to pick holes in Christian belief is of the utmost importance.  We don't need to colour what we say by swearing, exaggeration or boasting.  But what we promise we must deliver, and what we believe we must live out faithfully.   Don't unsay with your life what you say with your tongue.  [Richard Baxter, 1615 - 91]   Lord, please help me to honour and to serve you with both my words and my actions.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2016 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!