Simple Yes

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “my word is my bond”. It is a strong phrase and one that actually reflects a biblical principle. I’ve seen movies and TV shows where people make and break promises as if their word doesn’t really matter. But believers shouldn’t be that way. We should be men and women and boys and girls of our word. We should never make a promise that we can’t keep. Better yet, we should do what James teaches us to do, and not swear at all. In chapter 5, verse 12 it says:

"Above all, my brothers, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No,' no, or you will be condemned."

I try to make it to Haiti about once every year or so. And one thing I’ve learned about their culture is that you should never make promises that you will not keep. You shouldn’t say that you’ll “swing by someone’s house tomorrow” if you won’t. In Haiti, your word is your bond. And if you break your word, even on something as simple as saying you’ll drop by someone’s house, you are considered liar and will have broken trust. But even if you don’t live in Haiti, I challenge you to do what you say, and say what you mean, even if it may hurt someone’s feelings. Honesty is the best policy. And as we learn in James, it is also a biblical virtue.

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The bible teaches us that words are very important. They can be used to build someone up and they can be used to tear someone down. The bible says that we will even be judged by what we’ve said on earth when we ultimately appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Words matter. We can also lie with our words. If we promise, or swear, to do something and don’t follow through, that can be considered a major offense. In another place in the bible, we’re told that if we swear to God and don't keep our promise to him, we will not escape judgment. People have died in the bible because of misguided promises. So, I challenge you to honor your word. Get in the practice of never promising anything, but let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No”, no, as the bible says.

Friend and Master

Sometimes believers can fall into the trap of relating to God so much as our friend that we forget that he is also our master. I don’t know about you, but I cherish the fact that he allows, and even wants, us to feel comfortable around him. We can share with him our unfiltered thoughts and ideas. We can joke with him, let our hair down around him, and be ourselves with him. But God is also our master. He is holy in the greatest sense of the word. And even though he allows us to become comfortable with him, we should never forget that. David was reminded in second Samuel chapter 6, verses 6 and 7 where it says:

"When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God."

Even though God is our friend, we must also fear and revere him as a mighty and holy God. Just like fire can give us warmth and comfort, and can aid us and help us survive, it can also burn us. It can even kill us if we forget to respect it. Uzzah forgot to respect and revere God’s holiness. He forgot that God gave specific ground rules as to how to approach the ark; ground rules as to how to approach his holiness, and it cost him his life. I encourage you to heed this lesson; to know that God is your friend, but not to forget that he is also your master.

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Sometimes we need to be reminded that God is not just our friend, but that he is also our master. We are encouraged to be ourselves around him, but we also know that he is holy, sovereign and is to be reverently feared. David learned this the hard way. Uzzah didn’t set out to be irreverent. His act was an accident. And when he was killed, David became angry and afraid. He was immediately reminded of God’s holiness. In verse 13 it says that, “When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf”. David was struck so powerfully with the fear for the Lord that after every six steps he sacrificed to the Lord. I encourage you to guard yourself from ever acting irreverently toward God. Because even though he is our close friend, he is also our master.

Acknowledge Sin

One attribute of being a follower of Christ is our willingness to agree with God as to what he considers sin. When we sin, we need to acknowledge our sin as sin, and confess it to God. We shouldn’t attempt to cover it up or ignore what we’ve done, as if our sin might somehow go away or go unnoticed. For God to forgive us we have to first acknowledge our guilt; we have to acknowledge our sin. David writes in Psalm 32 verse 5:

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” - and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

It can be difficult to acknowledge our sin and face the evil that we’ve done. When we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us and shines a light in our heart as to how we have wronged God. As a result, we feel guilty, dirty and shameful; a feeling that no one wants to have. But to be forgiven, we must acknowledge our sin and not try to cover it up. It is only when we confess our transgressions that the Lord will forgive us and remove our guilt. So, if you have sinned I encourage you to acknowledge your sin. Whatever you’ve done, your guilt won’t truly be removed, until you humble yourself and confess your transgression to the Lord. And the bible says that God will forgive the guilt of your sin.

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Have you ever done something so wrong that you just want to forget it or make believe that it never happened? Well, David reminds us that we shouldn’t try to cover up, or ignore, our sins. No matter how minor or severe we believe our sins to be, we need to acknowledge them and confess them to God. The weight of sin and guilt can be emotionally and psychologically heavy. It can affect the way we live, the way we feel, the way we relate to others and especially how we relate to God. Let God lift that weight from your shoulders. He is the only one who can free you. He is the only one who can cleanse you. And he is the only one who can give you rest.

Planted Word

In Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus shares the parable of the seed that fell along the path, the rocky places, the thorns and the good soil. When the seed - or the word of God, fell on the good soil it became the “planted word” and it produced a crop thirty, sixty or one hundred times what was sown. If you are a believer, then the word of God has been planted in you. Hopefully, it was planted in good soil. And for the seed to grow; for our faith to continually mature, we need to do what it says in James chapter 1, verse 21 which says:

"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

Everyone who has heard the word of God has received the seeds from Jesus’ parable. Believers, however, have received the “planted” seed, because it has taken root in our heart. But I believe that for us to mature as believers, for the seed to grow and produce thirty, sixty or one hundred times what was sown, we need to embrace righteousness by separating ourselves from the ways of the world and the philosophies of the world. James tells us to get rid of all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent. That implies separation from the world. The verse prior to this one suggests that by having these pollutants in our life, we cannot produce the righteousness that God desires. But we are to humbly accept the seed planted in us and allow God to make it grow.

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Every believer has the seed, or the word of God, planted in our heart. “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you”, as James declares. Separation from the world is not easy. We live here. And as James says, the moral filth and the evil are very prevalent. As it tries to permeate our eyes, ears, minds and hearts, we need to remain steadfast, and not allow the temptations of the world to give birth to sin, and for that sin to create a stronghold in our life. On the contrary, we are called to navigate this world with the aid of the Holy Spirit. And when we are in step with the Spirit, he can produce a yield of thirty, sixty or even one hundred times what was planted. So, I encourage you to continue to purge the sinful toxins and pollutants from your life; to get rid of the moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. And to humbly accept daily, the word of God planted in you, which can save you.

Righteousness

Every believer wants to be considered “righteous”. Even though the bible reminds us that our righteousness is like filthy rags before God, we all want to be justified in his sight. In as much as possible, we all want to be “right” before him. Faith is one way we can please God. The bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. But as James tells us, we are not justified, or thought of as righteous, by faith alone. In chapter 2, verse 24 it says:

"You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone."

James gives examples of Abraham and Rahab to highlight his point. Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God and Rahab put her life on the line to harbor Israelite spies. James says that these acts were credited to them as righteousness. So, if we want to be considered righteous, or credited with righteousness, our faith has to be accompanied by deeds. So, I encourage you to examine your deeds. Does your faith express itself in action? Do you obey with action, love with action, or sacrifice in step with your faith? If not, I challenge you to consider how you can.

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James reminds us that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. Believers should be people of action, not just people of prayer. We are not called to stay safely in our comfort zone and hope that other believers will do the heavy lifting by putting themselves in harm’s way, or by giving of their time and resources for the cause of Christ. I believe that God has a plan for every believer, a plan that involves some form of action. And when our faith is accompanied by action it will be credited to us as righteousness. If you don’t know what God’s plan is for your life, if you don’t know what you are being “called” to do, I encourage you to ask God and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. When we are willing, God can use us. And when he uses us, our faith accompanied by action can be credited to us as righteousness.