“But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’” (Matthew 5:37)

This verse is nestled into an admonition from Jesus that we should tell the truth at all times. In verse 33 we see that we should “keep our word,” and in verse 36 we are told that we should not “swear by the head.” The latter phrase was a common expression of the times which meant, in essence, swearing on one’s life. The rest of that verse says “because you cannot make one hair white or black.” What that phrase is saying (and what Christ is saying) is that we should not think that we have more control over our lives than what we do. God is the author of life and if we swear on our lives, we are superseding His authority. It would be akin to swearing on our mother’s grave. We have no more control of our mother’s grave than we do on our own lives. Jesus is saying that swearing on anything is a useless endeavor; the key is living our lives in truth. After all, the worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them.    

There is a tremendous need for truth in this day and age… well, in any day and age. However, we are particularly surrounded with falseness as the time of Christ approaches. Like a massive boulder gathering speed down a mountainside, falsehood is gaining momentum both in and out of the church. This should be expected, but should not be accepted. As Christians we have the opportunity to illustrate the power of Christ by making sure that our “yes is yes” and our “no is no.” That small show of consistency can separate us from a world filled with erraticism.

A few years back, Brian Williams, well-known NBC anchorman, was caught in a series of lies about his involvement in some of his news stories. He was suspended and has a black eye that will follow him the rest of his career. However, not everyone feels he did that much wrong. His series of lies carry less of a stigma than single lies of newsmen, politicians, and public figures of the past. Lying has become almost acceptable if the person lying has the support of the majority. It seems that apologies for lying in this day and age are really apologies for getting caught. One of the early church fathers, Augustine, said, “When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” We live in a time when many words carry the haze of doubt with them. As Christians we are instructed to make sure there is no haze to our words. Others should, as they say, be able to take our words, “to the bank.”

It has been said that lies have no legs. They require other lies to support them. Lies are never individual and always come in herds. Lies maintain their lives only from more lies. Lies, like weeds in a garden, will choke out truth when it tries to surface. In Psalm 86:11 we are told, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” A wise man once said, “Lies are like hobos. You let one in and all his friends show up.”

Untruthfulness is a result of not fearing God. If we fear God, being truthful will be a priority. When we realize that all lies are an offense to Him, we will think twice about what we say. When our world revolves around us instead of God, lying is an insignificant trespass.

A minister told his congregation that he would be preaching on lying the following week and asked them to read Mark 17 in preparation. The following Sunday before he delivered his sermon he asked how many people read the assigned chapter. Many hands went up in the air. He smiled and said, “Mark only has sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.” It might be funnier if it wasn’t entirely possible. Lying is not just for alleys anymore.

Jesus lived out the words He said. In Matthew 22:16 He is told, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” Jesus knew the value of truth. He knew that truth was freedom. He did not have to listen to the words of others or test which way the wind was blowing.  He knew that the truth would set people free and their freedom was more important to Him than popularity. We are to follow the example of Christ and the apostle Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 11:1 when he writes “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” Every believer should imitate Christ, and every believer should prioritize truth, not occasionally, but constantly.

The world cries out for those whose “yes is yes” and “no is no.” As believers we need to respond to that cry. Only the power of Christ can equip us to accept nothing less than the truth from ourselves. The great American author William Faulkner said, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.” But Faulkner was wrong. Truth alone cannot change the earth, but truth about Christ can. As Christians we can change the world because our truthfulness lends credence to our words about Christ.

Christ is not just truthful, He is Truth. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Our word should always be our word, because our credibility about The Word will be determined by the truthfulness of our other words. Truth is the intention of many, but the deed of few. For believers truth must be much more than just intention. It must be real. Our words of Christ should not be diminished by others doubt in us. There is no better reason to let our “yes be yes” and our “no be no,” than the knowledge that it makes us better equipped to represent Christ. We should be truthful today, so that we can boldly share The Truth of Christ tomorrow.

“And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.” Genesis 42:8

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

One of my favorite men from the Bible is Joseph. His years with his brothers, their rejection of him, his ascent to the throne, and his eventual forgiveness of his brothers is a wonderful story that closely parallels Christ’s time on the earth. When Joseph became ruler over Egypt, his name was changed, and his identity and appearance was so altered that when his ten brothers arrived in Egypt they had no idea that the prime minister sitting before them was the same brother that they had abandoned in the desert years earlier.

Joseph’s rejection and forgiving heart to those who hurt him would be revisited again centuries later in the person of Christ. Like Joseph the rejection of Jesus resulted in His becoming a savior to a world in need. Joseph met the physical needs of a dying world and Christ met the spiritual needs of a dying world. Christ was so different from the king that the people expected that he became virtually unrecognizable to His own people. Just like Joseph’s brothers who stood before Joseph without recognizing him, Christ stood before his “family” and they knew him not.

Today we are surrounded by those who do not recognize Jesus. Jesus, like Joseph, has the keys to the future. Joseph would provide bread to his brothers during a famine and Christ can be the bread of life to those who are in spiritual famine. Jesus, like Joseph, sits ready to forgive, to extend mercy and accept those who have previously rejected Him. Jesus and Joseph both desired mercy over justice, both were willing to give the good things that are not deserved to those who do not deserve them. Both Jesus and Joseph found themselves in a position to turn their backs on those who had hurt them, but instead both reached out to meet the needs of their “enemies.”

We are surrounded by so many who need to know the Christ who sits on the right hand of God mediating for those who love Him. Let us do all we can to reveal that Jesus to the entire world, especially reaching those whom the Lord has placed in our lives. Every time Jesus is truly revealed, another one of “Joseph’s brothers” can weep with joy, gratitude and amazement, that the humble Suffering Servant who they rejected has forgiven them and is now their great and glorious King!

“The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” Proverbs 11:3

Today we live in a society that cares little about how we do things as opposed to what our results are. There seems to be little concern about what tactics get us to the top as long as we get to the top. Integrity can often get lost in the journey to reach our goals and sadly few seem to be bothered by that. The old idea that “it matters little who wins or loses, but how they play the game” has become a saying of derision and mockery.

Today’s verse tells us that playing the game, living our lives, with integrity is important. In fact, if we don’t, the result will be destruction. Our lack of integrity may seem to be working and “getting us to the top,” but in the long run it will fail us. A wise man once said, “Be careful who you hurt on the way up the ladder, because you are sure to meet them all again on your way down.”

There are many stories which illustrate the value of integrity, but here are just a couple I am familiar with. An aging king woke up one day to the realization that he had no male in the royal family to take his place. He decided he would adopt a son who could then take his place. He knew that such an adopted son must be extraordinary, so he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys. After a series of tests, only the ten most intelligent and physical boys were left in the competition.

Since the kingdom depended solely on agriculture, the king gave corn seed to each boy. The boys had three weeks to cultivate it and at the end of the time whoever showed the best cultivating would be king. The boys all rushed home, planted their seeds in pots and started caring for their plants.

One boy in particular was very disappointed. He did everything he should, even praying over his corn day and night, but his seed would just not grow. Many of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that because no one could tell one seed from another. The boys parents, however, had always taught him to do what was right and they reminded him that if the king wanted them to use their own seeds, he would have told them that. His parents told him that not all are destined to a throne, and it is better to not receive than to receive through deception.

The big day came and it was obvious that everyone had had great success with their seeds except for our one young boy. The king began making his way down the line while asking each boy, ‘Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?’ Each boy responded, ‘Yes, your majesty.’ And the king would nod and move down the line.

The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up who was shaking with fear. The king looked at the empty pot and said, “What did you do with the seed I gave you?’ The boy answered, “I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but I could not get it to grow.” The boy began to cry as the crowd booed and mocked him.

The king raised his hand, turned to the crowd and said, “My people behold your next king.” The stunned crowd listened as he continued. “I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn, almost all can do that. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test. To be a true king, he must place truth above all things. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout. Never!!”

We live in a society obsessed with success at any cost. Sports figures shorten their lives with illegal substances just to increase their temporary fame. Business people cut ethical corners to work their way to the top. Students have someone else do their work to better their grades. Does anyone care? Yes, God does and those who have integrity do as well. For all the world’s flaws we have hundreds of stories that are passed down through the years of people who have shown great integrity and are revered for it.

Bobby Jones, one of the greatest golfers of all time, once cost himself a championship by admitting that his ball moved a bit when he removed a piece of grass next to his ball, an automatic one stroke penalty. No one else saw it and even argued against it because they did not see it move. Even the tournament director said he did not notice it. But Bobby was adamant, took his penalty, and lost the tournament by one stroke. Afterwards, when the story made headlines, Bobby said, “What is the big deal, to congratulate me for this, is like congratulating me for not robbing a bank. It was what had to be done.”

Bobby Jone’s action lives larger than almost any other golf story from the past. Why? because as much as society says the end justifies the means, it still honors honesty. In the long run, failure often is often an opportunity for us to show the world that the integrity God speaks of is still alive today. Doing right, for right’s sake, is always right.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

When I was young and playing softball with my brother Gary, he went through a hitting slump very uncharacteristic for him. After he tried changing bats and everything about his swing, I suggested that maybe he should have his eyes checked. He pooh-poohed the idea saying that his vision was great and that couldn’t be it. After a bit, however, he did go in and was amazed at the difference in his eyesight when the doctor flipped the different lenses into place. He could actually see the chart!

Well, my brother found out that he did have a problem, but it took some close examination to determine it. We can very easily find ourselves thinking we are in a good place with The Lord when just the opposite is true.

My brother didn’t suspect that his eyes were the problem because he assumed that what he was seeing was what everyone else was seeing. Until he got a distinct contrast, until he saw what he should be seeing, he was unaware of his problem.

We might think we haven’t done much wrong in a long time and so we are probably doing really good with God. We might look around and think we are doing much better in our Christian walk than many, so we’re fine. We might pray before meals, wear a Christian shirt once in awhile, and even go to church sometimes. We get to thinking we’re in a good place — a safe place — home free. What finally got my brother into the doctor was not how he stacked up against others, but how he stacked up against himself. He really did not compare himself to others (he was still better than most), but he compared himself to where he should be, could be, and used to be. One of the most powerful weapons satan wields is wrapped up in the word “tomorrow.” We will start reading the Word “tomorrow.” We will get that prayer life going “tomorrow.” We will do that self-examination “tomorrow.” If Gary would have always put that exam off until “tomorrow” he would have never found out there was a problem!

A safe place can be a dangerous place! It lulls us into thinking that all is well and well it will always be. One of satan’s greatest tools is to get us to think that what we did yesterday is good enough for tomorrow. The reality is that we attribute all contentment to God, but sometimes Satan wants us to be content in where we are, as well. He wants us to compare ourselves to others and feel we’ve arrived! We can always find those who are messed up more than we are, but that doesn’t mean we are not messed up! God wants us to continually strive to be more like Him! (see the verse above) It is only when we come to a place of humbly looking at ourselves and asking us the tough question, “Am I all God wants me to be” that we will begin to see what God wants us to be.

We need to do a daily “I-examine.” We cannot be satisfied with seeing the world and everything we do out of focus. We need to ask if we are seeing what could be and should be in our Christian walk. We need not compare ourselves to others, but strive for God’s perfection today! When Gary got is his eyes “fixed” he not only made himself better, but he made the others around him better as well. We need to examine ourselves not just for our own sake, but for the sake of those around us who are dependent on us and need us to be all we can be. To be less than what we should be, is less than what we need to be, if we really want to live for Christ.

“Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.”   1 Corinthians 9:24-27

In these verses Paul compares the Christian with an athlete in competition. He talks about our discipline, our effort, and our integrity. These are good verses for us to keep in mind because today our opponents are many. Besides battling against our own flesh and the principalities and powers, we battle against a world that has turned right upside down and is changing the rules of morality to suit a disintegrating world.

Christianity is a faith of common sense. As we stray further and further from Christian principles we also leave common sense further and further behind. I find it amazing that groups that will close entire sections of a forest down for the tiniest of creatures can support the continual killing of the tiniest of humans. Unfortunately, most Christian principles are recognized by everyone as Christian principles. Some are so against Christianity that they must oppose everything about Christianity to prove their dismissal of the faith. Consequently, they must reject many of the common sense principles that Christianity brings to this world. Much of the world is going along with this craziness, but every day you will hear people saying, “where is people’s common sense?” Sadly, it is disintegrating by the same proportions that people reject the Biblical world perspective

I read a story about an unusual happening in the 1990’s in an NCAA Division II national championship cross-country race in California. A runner named Mike Delvaco and 127 of the states best runners were competing on 10,000 meter course to see “who would win the prize.” About three miles into the race, Delvaco was somewhere in the middle of the pack, when he realized that the runners had made a wrong turn. So he yelled out, “You’re going the wrong way,” but they didn’t listen. Only 4 others followed Mike when he turned in the right direction…and suddenly, he found himself in the lead. He must have had some doubt when the field dropped from 128 to 5, but he stayed on course.

However, that lasted only about a mile. Mike and the runners who followed him were soon reunited with the larger pack who, having gone the wrong way, actually shaved about a half a mile off the course. The shortcut of the many put them ahead of the small band of runners that took the correct path. This was bad enough for Mike, but the final blow came when, because so many of the runners had gone the wrong way, the officials changed the official course route to accommodate their error. So when Mike Delcavo finally crossed the finish line, he was number 103 overall. His right action was ignored and because so many went the wrong way they were rewarded with a shorter race. At the end of the race, one of Delcavo’s competitors “thought it was funny that he went the right way.”

Isn’t that a telling statement? In our mixed up world, when so many are wrong, wrong becomes right. Instead of the world keeping a standard of acceptable behavior, it changes what acceptable behavior is. But although the world changes “the course” to accommodate itself, God does not. He know the course; He made the course; and He expects us to run the course as marked. Numbers do not influence God. No matter how many go astray, he does not accept the majority as a sign of rightness. In Noah’s day God did not change his plan for the sake of the majority.

It takes courage and conviction to follow wholeheartedly after God instead of the rest of the world. Sometimes it can get lonely running alone, and we may be wondering where the others are going. Sometimes we will be heckled by the crowd while we are going the right way, maybe even laughed at by others in the race. And ultimately, the “race officials” may reward others for bad turns. But we must remain on God’s course. We must run with discipline, doing our best, staying on course, and when the race is over and we have finished the course, may He who is the true judge say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”