33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old,
‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have
sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for
it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by
your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be
simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Isn’t it terrible when someone makes a commitment to you
and then breaks it? Those who make a habit of that are completely
untrustworthy. Relationships can be hurt or ended because of it. We can’t
expect people to trust us when we don’t follow through with our word. We
shouldn’t have to make promises or oaths for people to believe what we say.
In fact, Jesus tells us “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your
‘No’ be ‘No’. We should be so trustworthy that when we make a commitment, big
or small, others know we’ll follow through!
What about those you cannot trust at all; perhaps even an
enemy; how should you respond to them? Jesus talked about that too! He
commanded us ‘Love your enemies’. Even if we can’t trust certain people, or if
they’ve done something wrong to us, we’re called to love them. Jesus even
showed us this love when he was on the cross. He said in Luke 23:34, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He wasn’t talking
about the disciples, he was talking about those who put him on the cross! So
love your enemies in the same way. How can you be more trustworthy? How can you
love your enemies more?
Dear Lord, help us to be the person who is true to our
word, no matter how big or small the commitment is. Help us to love others
unconditionally, no matter how much of a friend or enemy others are to me. In
the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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