Again this month we continue our examination of "Living the Code" and how that just might reflect our
Christian values. My thanks to Dakota Livesay who shares this each month in his publication, Chronicles of the
Old West. In case you missed it, or need a reminder, here it is again
Living the Code:
1. Respect yourself and others.
2. Accept responsibility for your life.
3. Be positive and cheerful.
4. Be a person of your word.
5. Go the distance.
6. Be fair in all your dealings.
7. Be a good friend & neighbor.
This month I'd like to focus on the fourth of those principles - "Be a person of your word." And here, Jesus has
some very clear instructions for us.
"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the
vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear 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 swear
by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No '; anything
more than this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:33-37)
Certainly, almost all of us would agree that swearing falsely is not the sign of a good Christian. Revelation 21:8
reminds us that there is no place in the Kingdom of God for liars. But how many times have we listened to
someone "swear to God" they are telling the truth, only to find out they weren't? How many times have we
ourselves "shaded" the truth or told a "white lie" to avoid trouble or embarrassment, and expected, or at least
hope to be believed?
Telling the truth is not always easy. It may involve honestly admitting things we have done wrong, mistakes we
have made, and personal flaws and failures. It may very well be embarrassing and painful. It may even mean
that the person to whom we speak the truth will lose respect for us, even though we are being honest.
But isn't it always worse when we lie and are found out? Doesn't that destroy trust to an even greater degree?
And even if we are not "caught in a lie", we have sacrificed our personal integrity.
Jesus calls us to an even higher level of honesty, a level that truly makes "our word our bond". He wants us to
"tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Ifwe say yes, it should be yes. If we say no, it is no.
So we should be very careful not to make promises we might not be able to keep. Ever had someone tell you
what they thought you wanted to hear, like "Your car will be ready by 5 PM," only to discover that they knew
all along it would take 3 days? Did it help you to trust them in the future? And more importantly, is that the kind
of person you want to be?
So let's make our yes, yes and our no, no. Let's be very careful about what we promise and be sure we can keep
our word. Let's be persons of our word. It's better for all of us, and it's what Jesus wants.
You've got my word on it,

Pastor Keith