Yes or No

Yes or No

And since you know that He cares,

let your language show it.

Don't add words like, "I swear to God"

to your own words.  Don't show your impatience

by concocting oaths to hurry up God.

Just say yes or no. Just say what is true.

That way, your language can't be used against you.

James 5:12

It is so easy to carelessly embellish our speech and stories with little tidbits that on closer inspection have no basis in truth or reality.  Somehow we feel that if we can make our facts a little more interesting or our tales more dramatic, they will have greater value to those who hear.  That could not be further from the truth.  After a while, those who listen will recognize embellishment and exaggeration for what it is, and we are labeled as people who can't quite tell the clear truth.

Jesus advised:  "Let your 'yes' mean 'yes,' and your 'no' mean 'no!' Anything more is from the evil one" [Matthew 5:37].  If you want to stay out of trouble and have people accept you as a person of integrity, pass everything that comes out of your mouth through the filter of absolute truth.  We will end up saying a lot less and meaning a great deal more.

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We will glorify the King of Kings, 

We will glorify the Lamb.

We will glorify the Lord of Lords,

Who is the great I AM.

He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth,

He is Lord of all who live.

He is Lord above the universe,

All praise to Him we give.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2087