James 5:12‏

12. "But above all [things], my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be [a simple] yes, and your no be [a simple] no, so that you may not sin and fall under condemnation."

Once again, James turns to the matter of our words as they are relative to our spiritual reality. James has been exhorting us to manifest patience and to live in light of the imminent return of our Lord. There is blessing promised to those who demonstrate endurance. Now he wants to remind them of the importance of being totally honest and trustworthy in the matter of speech. We are not to swear or make oaths. In saying, "But above all", it suggests that this is a matter of special concern. Maybe it reflects that the use of the oath had become rather common in everyday speech among the Jews of his day... but more importantly, we must step back and look at the implication we make when we do this.

Remember in chapter 4, James taught us, "13. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. 14. Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor. How arrogant we are to think we know how the next moment will turn out!

I am reminded how Peter looked at Jesus and said, Lord, I will never desert You"... imagine if he had sworn? Friends, do we not see the spiritual implication our words have in life and before a supreme God. God loves us too much to let us not be more responsible for what we speak. Amen?

Let's pick up with James verse 5:13 next time.

I love you.