The last few weeks have been really tough in my pastoral role, mostly because of too many people saying they will be doing something and then not. I’m not just talking about practical matters here either. As a pastor I deal with many areas of sin in people’s lives. Many people commit to address these but then do not follow through. Jesus says, “let your yes be yes and your no be no,” Matthew 5:37. He said this in the context of saying things on oath, which He condemned. If you are asked to do something, whether it be a practical matter, a personal matter or a spiritual matter, then we must be honest enough to simply say “yes I will” or “no I won’t.”
To say one thing and do something else usually affects those around us negatively. Trust gets broken down and relationships get damaged. Pastor Steve Bryant used a great acronym last week, which was “JOY, standing for “Jesus, Others, Yourself.” In all our decisions let’s put Christ first. What would Jesus want me to do in this situation? Secondly, How will my decision affect those around me? If we do things this way around we may just work out that the decisions we want to make ourselves are often self-serving and not of God.
So, “let your yes be yes and your no be no,” Matthew 5:37.
That’s God’s way,church.
About Pastor Julie
I’m passionate about the church – building believers up in their faith, to be all God intended them to be; and I’m passionate about sharing the love and hope of Jesus with people who don’t know Him yet.