Yes and No

James 5:12 My brothers and sisters, it is very important that you not use an oath when you make a promise. Don't use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When you mean yes, say only "yes." When you mean no, say only "no." Do this so that you will not be judged guilty.

One of the most frustrating things is when a person says one thing but does another. It can drive you insane. So, when was the last time that you promised to do something and failed to deliver? Hmm?

The combination of over-promising and under-delivering is an all too common occurrence these days. And let’s be honest, when you behave that way, it undermines your credibility and it’s a terrible witness of the work of Jesus in your life.

Back in the early days of desktop computing, when we were moving from character-based terminals to the graphical interfaces that we’ve become accustomed to today, someone came up with the term WYSIWYG which stands for, “What You See is What You Get”. It was a revolution in personal computing and, when you think about it, it’s still a pretty good concept today. I love dealing with WYSIWIG people; what you see is what you get. You can rely on them; you can trust them to do what they said they’d do. In fact, we all like people like that, am I right?

James 5:12 My brothers and sisters, it is very important that you not use an oath when you make a promise. Don’t use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When you mean yes, say only “yes.” When you mean no, say only “no.” Do this so that you will not be judged guilty.

So, let’s all stop with the big promises, the grand schemes, and get back to basics. When you say “yes” – mean “yes” – and carry through on the “yes”, even if it’s hard, even if it costs you. And when you say “no” – mean “no” and carry through on the ‘no’ even if it’s hard, even if it costs you.

Not a bad way to live life. Not bad at all.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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