Your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.

James 5 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Come now, you rich people, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ⁴ Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of armies. ⁵ You have lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and put to death the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.

⁷ Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. ⁸ You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. ⁹ Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. ¹⁰ As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Today’s text says: Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.  There was a time when a person’s word was considered as good as a contract. Now we are in a time when not only are people’s promises not kept, but even much of what is written is challenged and voided. How much better would it be if we all simply let our yes be yes and our no be no? What if politicians and leaders kept their promises and told the truth? How much better would it be if we could trust the media to tell the truth? What about us, is our yes, yes and our no, no?

In Genesis 1:26 it says that we were created in the image and likeness of God. In Isaiah 55:10-11 God says: As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it produce and sprout, And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.  In Numbers 23:19 He says: God is not a man, that He would lie, Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?  God will do all that He promised, everything that He has said in His word. 1 Corinthians 1:18-20 says: As God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, … was not yes and no, but has been yes in Him. For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us.  We are to live out the promises of God, through our lives being an Amen to what He has said.That God will do all that He promises, means that He will also do the things He has warned us about in His word. In Revelation 21:5-8 He says: “Behold, I am making all things new… It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  Not keeping our word is no small thing. God will do all that He says.

Today’s text says: Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much… My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.  The reality is that none of us can truly turn a sinner from their way. Conviction is the role of the Holy Spirit and judgment is only for God. All we can do is speak truth and share the reliable word of God. Jesus taught us to pray saying: Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We can be part of the answer to Jesus prayer if we will let our yes be yes, and our no be no, if we will speak the truth on earth about the truth of heaven.

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.