Friday, November 11, 2011
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. James 5:12
I believe that James is re-addressing those who have extra. He tells them to not to swear, or to make a special promise or oath. Why? What’s the big deal about this? James is saying that our character should be the same no matter what kind of agreement we make with others. Why should we have to really emphasize our intentions and promises by swearing an oath? Are your promises not good unless you go as far as to swear an oath? James emphasizes that the promises we make should be good and should be kept no matter what.
Application: When you make a promise, can the person you promised “take it to the bank”? Are you the kind of person that can be trusted? Is your word your bond?
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
When I promise something i do take it to the bank my mom used to tell me don’t say oh “I to god” and I used to never know why and I kinda still don’t know why. I can be trusted because if someone is willing to share a secret with me then it’s my dutie to take it to the bank hehe! :).
Typo: I swear to god*
This kinda reminds me of how little kids will always pinky-promise! & I used to do this alll the time! But now, I don’t do anything to make people believe that I’ll keep my promise. And I’m glad! 🙂
I hope I can be trusted! I don’t think I’ve done anything that would make people think I’m untrustworthy or anything like that, but I have definitely made mistakes and broke some promises (which I regret!). We’re getting to the end of the book of James 😦 so I think when he says “But above all, my brethren” that means it is REALLY important! He wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t. So this isn’t something to take lightly, although for me it is kinda confusing! I think that part about letting your yes be yes and your no be no, is kinda like we shouldn’t make promises we can’t keep or something like that!
I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty confused when I read this today. I read the application and commentary then went back and read the verse again and I get it a lot better now! I know I haven’t always been trusted and one point even by my parents. That was the worst, and definetly not something to be proud of. I used to say I swear to God to my sibilings when I was younger until my parents told me to stop saying it and now I know why. Our words can be more powerful then we realize sometimes. I know when I make a statement and I say yes I want it to actually mean yes when I say it, I don’t want to find myself contradicting what I say. This verse is really important and something I think we all kinda forget about!
Pumped for tomorrow! Can’t wait to bring these parents to the ground! (With love of course :)) see you guys tomorrow!
this makes me think of pinky-swear too!! i think i can be trusted.i take promises seriously.i’ve made mistakes and broken promises 2.which i also regret! “but above all,my brethren” thats pretty much something important.its not anything 2 take lightly like alexis said,its not that confusing.for me its 50/50.the yes be yes and no be no is a little confusing.i kinda don’t get what that means.pretty cool message today!! 🙂 loveu and seeu guys tmrw!! 🙂 <33
I think I’m a person that can be trusted. When my friends tell me something, I don’t go spreading what they told me. I respect tem & what they have to say! I’ve become beyond cautious of who I give my trust too.. I’ve been hurt a lot in the past, and especially now. 😦 as of right now, I’m in an argument with my “bestfriend” about trust. Its killing me & idk what to do. I’ve been praying about it & I’m just telling her the truth. But even tho I’m tellingthe truth, I feel like the bad guy.. Idk it’s hard right now
my word is my bond, and it hurts when I believe other people’s word is true & I find out it isnt. I thank God everyday for being the most trustworthy loving person In my life, because even on my weakest days He makes me a little bit stronger!! Trust is such an important part to relationships, and we shouldn’t have to “swear” to assure our trust! It should be true the moment we make promises. If I can’t keep them, I don’t make them. It’s a hard concept, but I know I wouldn’t wanna break any ones trust, because it hurts a lot. I feel like James wrote this book for me sometimes… Haha 🙂 everyday I learn something that I can apply to my life! It’s crazy, the bibles so cool!
This is something that I try to uphold, it can sometimes be hard and to be honest it can sometimes depend on the person. I know that kinda goes back to the favoritism part of James but that is something that definitely is a character trait I strive for.
I am really thankful for how faithful you guys are to comment everyday and learn from God’s Word. It is pretty incredible that we are about to finish the book of James. Next week is the end. Do you guys have any suggestions for devos in December?