I promise… to no longer promise…

As a kid, I used to love (and still do largely) any kind of movie with martial arts, especially anything involving sword fights. That’s why growing up, I loved movies like The Three Musketeers, Zorro, and one of my favorite movies (despite my disdain for Tom Cruise), The Last Samurai. In fact, I always used to wish I had grown up in a time when I could have fought in incredible fights like the Samurai.

As a result, I sometimes still read about the Samurai and things like that in my free time. Today I learned something new. For all the things that a Samurai did, there was one thing a samurai would never do: make a promise. As part of their honor, their word truly was their bond, and if they said it, they didn’t need to promise for someone to know that it would happen.

I started thinking about protecting our honor, our integrity, and the sanctity of God and the Church by the way of keeping our words and was reminded of Christ’s teaching on the matter.

Matthew 5:37 states, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” James 5:12 further states, “Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no, or you will be condemned.”

Now growing up, I heard numerous sermons and messages on why you shouldn’t cuss or swear, which used those verses as foundations of their messages. And while I think that is a part of it, I think it’s a lot bigger than, “Don’t cuss.” If Jesus had said that today, I think He may have said something like, “If you say something, mean it.”

How much of our lives do we say we will do something that we never do? How often have you told someone you would pray for them, help them, call them, and not done so? We can, and have, come up with a wide array of excuses that seem to justify these lapses in keeping our word as okay, but is it really? If you were going on a date and your date stood you up and later said that something came up and wanted to try again, would you? Maybe once. But if they did it a second or third time, would you? I doubt it. Because they lose all credibility with you.

We live in a fallen word, and our credibility and integrity are a few of the things that we still can use to our advantage to set us apart (which is what sanctification even means), so we need to protect them. Proverbs 22:1 states, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

So I’m going to try to make a vow. I will try to no longer promise because I will try to no longer have to. Because if I really want the Lord to use me in great ways in my life, I need people to believe the words coming out of my mouth when the Spirit says them.

~ by unclewormwood on March 21, 2007.