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 Volume 2  Number 12 

ENGAGED March 20-26

Day 5

Why would we ever say, “I promise”? Could it be

because all men know the unreliability of other men’s

vows? We have learned that we are not reliable and

therefore when we really want someone to believe us, we

have to say such things. I promise, I am telling the truth, if 

I am lying I am dying, honestly, I swear...all are examples

of proof that our Yes is not always Yes and our No is not

always No. Jesus tells us to live our life in such a way thatour words mean something and other people can trust each

word we speak. How careful are you with your 

vows/words/Truth? How much importance do you place

upon this issue? If Christians do not have honesty in our 

words, we have nothing and do damage to the character 

and nature of God. 

It is very difficult, once trust has been breached, to

regain it. When are you most tempted to misrepresent

yourself, or lie your way out of a situation? Today, resist

those temptations, remembering that, once trust is lost, it is

never fully regained in the same way.

Speak in such a way that people always know

where you stand. This is what love does, and models what

Jesus said as well, in this passage. 

Day 4

When the scribes and Pharisees made an oath in

the name of the LORD, that oath must be kept. On the

other hand, if one made an oath without expressly using

the Lord's name, (this is the "catch", the "fine print" so to

speak) this oath was considered to be of lesser significance

and did not demand one to be quite so conscientious about

keeping it. So the practice had come into vogue of making

oaths "by heaven", "by earth", "by Jerusalem", "by the

Temple", etc. If a person was ever called on the carpet for 

not fulfilling an oath, the vower could say, ‘ah, I had my

fingers crossed.’ Later in Matthew, Jesus again is clear 

with the scribes and Pharisees about their abuse of oaths

declaring "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever 

swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears

by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.... And,

'Whoever  swears by the altar, that is nothing, but

whoever swears by the offering upon it, he is

obligated." (Mt 23:16, 18) Should we be careful when

we make commitments, even if we are not fully sure we

will fulfill it?

Think of a relationship that has been hurt by your 

failure to fully exemplify the truth. Or perhaps it has been

done to you. Determine today to begin to heal that

relationship, and ask God to help you establish a “track 

record” of truth, honesty and integrity. Or, if you have

been wounded, give them a chance to reestablish a truthful

relationship with you.

When was the last time that you said yes but

didn’t mean it? What about no? What were the results? 

Matthew 5:33-37“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago,

‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to

the Lord.’  But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either byheaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his

footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one

hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your

‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

through

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 Day 1

You have heard - First Jesus said to His

listeners, "You have heard"—that's the human

standard. Then He said, "But I say to you"—that's

God's standard. Which are you more obedient to?

God’s expectations or man’s expectations? To whom

do you compare your standing with God? Your 

neighbor or Jesus? To know who we really are, we

must study the standard of Christ. Are we trulyobedient to His teaching or man’s interpretation of His

teaching?

Honesty is the basis for all healthy

relationships. Think of every relationship you have,

which you would consider to be healthy. Is honesty

the foundation of these relationships? If not, what is

the depth of that kind of relationship?

Read the story of a king who made a rash vow

in Judges 11. Start in verse 29. Why did Jephthah

make such a rash vow? What were the consequences

of that vow? 

Day 2

Jesus is speaking of Honesty. Why would anyone

take a false vow? Why would anyone agree or confess

something they did not believe or understand? There may

be many answers here. The pressure from the outside

world causes us to make decisions we would not make if 

left to ourselves. How many of your daily decisions are

governed by external pressure?

Just as honesty is crucial to healthy relationships,

dishonesty destroys them. Have you ever been woundedby dishonesty? Have you ever wounded someone close to

you with dishonesty? How long did it take to restore trust?

Has it been restored yet?

Does anyone in your family ever start a statement,

“I swear that this is true” or “True Story”? Has there ever 

been any doubt as to their truthfulness, so that we would

have to say that something was true? 

Day 3

Do you think God holds us to every vow?

Will man stand accountable for every vow he makes,

whether to God or to other men?

Psalm 76:11 “Make (command) vows to the Lord

your God and fulfill (command) them; Let all who are

around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.”

Ecclesiastes 5:4 “When you make a vow to God, do

not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight infools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should

not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do

not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in

the presence of the messenger of God that it was a

mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your 

voice and destroy the work of your hands?”

To make a vow to man places man in control of 

outcomes and truth. Do you see the problem with

this?

If someone needs to “absolutely” promise, or 

tell you they are “really, really, telling the truth this

time”, do you think there would be doubt in your mind

about their integrity? Make up your mind today to be

a person of integrity, where your yes means yes, and

your no means no. 

The people in Jesus’ time felt like it was okay

to have a “secret code” as to when something they

said was true. Are there times that you think it is okay

to say something when you really mean, and others

might know, that you mean something else? Do you

think that this is okay after reading this verse?