31“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’32But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.33“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD.’34But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.35And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.36Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.37Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
Jesus is not an easy person to follow. I am especially guilty of not just saying yes or no. I try to “sugar coat” things. Now, lets be clear, Jesus is not advocating being cruel in our speech and claiming we are just being honest. No, but that is not my problem. My problem is that I try to find a nice way to say no, and often it sounds way too much like maybe. I need to stop that.
But in a broader sense, the Lord is really telling me to say very little, but mean what I say. Perhaps it would even be good advice for me in this Bible study! If we say what we mean, and mean what we say, it is very like wise to also say as little as possible.
Lord, guide me and help. Open my heart, and shut my mouth. And when I speak, help me to clear and concise. And finally Lord, when You call on me or instruct, help me to just say “yes”!
Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*