It was also a greater moment to surprise them with their request later..when they thought it wouldn’t happen! Jesus thinks this issue is important enough to include it in HIS teaching as well…

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you’, and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no’. When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.” Matthew 5, Msg

SO, don’t promise anything you cannot or don’t intend to keep! This includes ALL areas of life! When someone asks me to pray I have learned to stop and pray with them right then…because I am human and I forget sometimes. When someone asks for prayer on facebook…I stop and pray for them at the moment I read it. That has trained me not to promise or be pious…just pray when asked.

Don’t promise to show up at a project and not be there. If you never intended to go but just wanted, at the time, to look better by saying you would in a circle of friends, you go wrong. I think Jesus is telling us it hurts worse (them and you) if you promise but can’t or won’t keep your promise. Have the courage to just say no…or yes. If yes, then follow through.

We are a society that could use some honesty in our responses. Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

Dear Heavenly Father, We get caught up in wanting to be accepted to the point of promising what sometimes is impossible to keep. May we always evaluate our motives and actions and be ready to answer honestly to others and ultimately to You. In Jesus Name, Amen!