Worship Ministry - December 2024
Be True
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.
We recently introduced a new song called “Leaning.” A bit of a new take on the classic hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”, and verse one comes right from James 5:12.
Let my yes be yes
To you, oh, Lord
Let my no be no
To things of this world
If I rise or fall
If I stand at all
I am leaning on Your everlasting arms
This struck me hard and I think it's particularly hard for all of us to live a life that displays a life of truth. We have so much pressure to present our best selves to others at all times. On social media, we have to be “perfect” and that “perfect self” isn’t a real person. It is especially true when it comes to what we say and how we say it. When we are online it is easy to say things we would never say in person or to someone's face. We forget that what we say matters, and as a Christ follower this carries a bit more weight.
I remind my 5-year-old son of this a lot when he says something he knows he shouldn’t or uses a tone that is disrespectful. I asked him if he would like to try saying it again or in a different way. You and I need to ask ourselves that same question when we are talking to others. Is what we are saying honoring the Lord? Is how we are saying it building up others around us? As we live in the world, we must live in a way that sets us apart and a big part of that is making sure what we say is consistent, true, and glorifying to the Lord.
There is a quote that has been attributed to Aristotle but there is some debate on whether it might be a historian named Will Durant. Nevertheless, the quote goes “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” I think the first part of that quote really applies to what we say. If we let our flesh control our tongues, we are going to as James 3:6 says, “set a forest ablaze.” 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
The writer doesn’t mince words! He says that our tongues or words can be so destructive that it’s like starting a wildfire that burns everything down in its path. That’s a hard standard for us to keep when we live in our flesh! We want to say what we want when and how we want! We will even defend it as Americans with the First Amendment freedom of speech! However, if we let our flesh or the world control what we say, we will cause great destruction. We will push people away from the truth of God’s Word. But, if we let the word of God and the spirit of the Lord guide our tongue, we will speak what is true and what is glorifying to the Lord. We will point people to him with encouragement, wisdom, and love. We won’t be full of contradiction but a voice of truth that those in our lives can rely on.
So I encourage you, as we live in the world for the Lord, to “be true” to God and His church. What we say matters for the spreading of the gospel! So live for him! God is worthy of our lives, so let's seek Him. Let’s seek Him as we tarry here on earth, waiting for His return.
Love you and mean it!