Yes and No


James 5:12
But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

 Once again, James addresses another issue that has to do with the tongue - our propensity to swear. By swear, I don't mean curse words. I mean the kind where you hold up your right and and say "I swear to God . . . " Somehow those words are supposed to give greater import and strengthen your case for truthful speech. We use them very flippantly and that is a big mistake. If your integrity is questioned, calling on the name of God isn't going to help rectify that problem.

 One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says they will do something and then they just don't. Something better comes along and they blow off the promise they made to me. They become untrustworthy. Their actions draw me to the conclusion that they cannot be trusted to do what they said they would do. It's disappointing. They may have said 'yes' but they actually mean 'no'. In this one verse, James addresses that situation and explains that to do so may bring down condemnation.

 For many, the problems lies with the fact that they are afraid of what others will think of them. They fear other people more then they fear God.  This leads to the problem of being a people pleaser. Generally that results in everyone being displeased; the person you lied to, yourself, and especially God. Yes, I did just use the word "lie" back in that last sentence. When you say 'yes' and don't follow through, you have lied. That might be a tough pill to swallow, but it's still true. According to James, it is okay to say 'no' when you need to say 'no'. And here's a big addition to that statement - you don't owe an explanation for your 'no' (or your 'yes'). Just pick a decision and stick with it.

 Of course we fail, and of course we can change our minds. But overall, be a person who lets their 'yes' be 'yes' and their 'no' be 'no'!

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