Let Your Yes Mean Yes | Daily Devotional 1628

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1628. Today's Devo is called Let Your Yes Mean Yes.

Hey there, we're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy, the to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why every weekday we share a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Well, good morning. Mary Alessie here with you again. I have the privilege to be here all week, and I am the mom to Lauren, Gabby, and Stephanie, and the mother-in-law, I should just scrap the in-law part, the mom to Rochelle. So I have the privilege of having these beautiful four women in my life. I just feel so blessed. And I was invited to come again and be a part of the podcast. So I just want to jump right in. We are in James right now, and we are on verse 12. And today is just verse 12. Are you ready? Let's read James 5:12 together. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any oath, but let your yea be ye and your nay nay, lest ye fall into condemnation. What does that mean? Let your yea be yay and your nay be nay. Well, that's Bible terms for your yes be yes and your no be no, lest you fall into condemnation. You know, I like to say this. My husband's a no person, and I'm a yes person. I will say yes to anything, just about anything. If it's fun, count me in. He's a no person. He has to say no first because he needs time to process what you just asked him. We could not be more different. But here's what I have found out over the years that it's better to be a no person and keep your word and think about it and then change your mind and be a yes person because now you're the hero that changed your mind, rather than being a yes person and you tell everybody yes, and then you change your mind and you have to go back on your yes. And the Bible is clear on that. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. You need to make sure that in this one verse you understand how powerful this challenge is for you and I. Let your yes mean yes and let your no mean no. And in the time of James, people sometimes would make elaborate oaths to make statements sound more believable. So they would swear by heaven, swear by earth. It was almost manipulation that they would use and it would complicate promises, but it also opened the door to dishonesty. So they were trying to sound trustworthy without really living it, you know what that's like. So they weren't really living the trustworthy life. So you couldn't take them at their word. And James is telling us that followers of Christ should never need exaggerated promises. Our yes is yes, our no is no. We don't need to convince anything of anybody of anything. Our character should give weight to our words. We stand by what we say. So if we say yes, people should be able to depend on that yes. And if we say no, it should be a clear and honest no. So the next time somebody asks you, can you make it on time? Can you be there at eight o'clock in the morning? Make sure that when you say yes, you mean yes. Be committed to your word. See, this echoes the same teaching of in James 5, of uh Jesus in Matthew 5, because God cares about truthfulness and honesty, but he also cares about our consistency and our integrity. It's being the same person in private that we are in public, that we are doing what we said we would do, even when it becomes inconvenient. I gave my word, I can't let them down. My word is my bond. Sometimes we break our word because we just want to please everybody. I can tell you that was me. I would say yes to everybody because I just wanted everybody to be happy. But I didn't realize that if my yes did not mean yes and I couldn't back it up, I was actually letting them down. And when we say yes too quickly, it is a sign of immaturity. We haven't thought it through. And it really just comes from a source of not wanting to disappoint people. And then we get overwhelmed and we get resentful and we get unreliable. I've been there. An honest no is often kinder than a yes we cannot keep. So make sure your commitments are grounded in your character and that you might have good intentions, but you fail to follow through. You will let people down. So make sure that your yes is yes and your no is no, because trust grows when our words and our actions agree. How do we apply that today to our lives? Well, just take a minute to think about your recent commitments. What have you said yes to? Is there a phone call that you promised or a text that you promised to respond to that you haven't yet? Or is there a debt that you said you would repay and you haven't done it? Or a conversation that you've just decided not to continue because you want to avoid it? Listen, choose one area today where you can overcome that and step out and catch up with your words. Go back and let your yes be yes and your no be no. And you know, here's a little tip. When somebody asks you something that requires a yes or a no, how about say this instead? Let me pray about that, or let me check my schedule before I commit. See, wisdom doesn't require an immediate yes. Learn that the hard way. So with your family, on the job, in your church, with your friendships, be a person whose words can be trusted. Don't be so quick to just say yes. And then in the end of it, you got to take that yes away and disappoint people. Integrity may seem like a small, ordinary choice, but it carries spiritual power. Never forget it. It carries influence. And every time your actions match your words, you reflect the faithfulness that God has, that he wants us to reflect because he keeps his word. And as his people, we should be known for keeping ours. Let's pray. Father, make us people of integrity. Let our yes be yes and our no be no when we commit to something we follow through. Let our lives reflect your faithfulness. In Jesus' name, amen. Now here's today's declaration. My words will be honest, my commitments will be thoughtful, and my actions will agree with what I say. Be blessed today.

So there you have it, your five minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you've found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.