DEVOTION ~ SWEAR NOT

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Theme: Swear Not
Text: Matthew 5:33-37

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.



Ever been caught in situations where none believes your side of the story? To vindicate yourself, you often say; true for God or I swear. In the text for our consideration today, we will learn what Jesus has to say concerning swearing. To swear means to establish an oath of which you are obliged to fulfill or to invoke the name of (a sacred being) in an oath. The oath established binds the individuals involved (the one who swore and the witnesses). In the past, one could swear but not falsely and an oath in God's house must be duely fulfilled.

However, Jesus teaches us not to swear by any thing. The human nature has weaknesses which will not permit perfection in all we do. For that reason, it is better not to swear. Dear beloved in the Lord, the key places we are warned against; heaven, the earth, Jerusalem, and our head are places of interest to both the soul and spirit. God's dwelling place is sacred, it cannot be profaned. The earth sustains life it must not be defied, the new Jerusalem is a place of hope therefore it must not be abused in any form and the head is our crown of glory we must not in anyway loose our dignity.

What we need do in life is to develop a sincere spirit of standing by what we profess. The truth cannot be partially truthful, for a change in the truth makes it a lie. We must learn to stand for the truth, good values and resist any form of falsehood by letting our YES be YES and our No be NO. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. The devil isn't straightforward in anything, do not be like him.


Prayer: Dear God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray for the enablement of the Spirit of God to be honest and sincere in all areas of our lives that we may please You even now and forevermore. AMEN! 

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