Matthew 5:33-37
Can people trust what you say? Are you generally trustworthy? I've blogged several times about honesty. Jesus makes a point in these verses that James also discusses. Perhaps you know people that, when they really want you to believe them, they throw lots of extra things in just to emphasize their honesty. "I swear on my mother's grave..." "By God..." Or the childhood favorite, "cross my heart." Jesus says that these things should be unnecessary. You should be speaking in such a way that when you say "yes," you don't have to say anything else. Of course, that only works if you are honest. If you're constantly telling half-truths and deceptions (even if they are completely lies), then you'll have to work harder to get people to believe you. But if you are known as someone who isn't afraid to tell the truth every time, people will realize that your "yes" really means yes and your "no" really means no. If that's not the case right now, it may take time to get there, but it will happen. But you have to work at honesty.
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