let your yes be yes...

I'm back after several months of absence. This is what I really admire about blogging, it's an avenue for me to just express what I feel about certain issues without being confrontational. I decided to visit my blog again just so I could write something about what I just realized.

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:37

These words from the Book of Matthew came across my mind again as I was pondering why we get into trouble sometimes, because there are moments that we prefer to be men-pleasers instead of God-pleasers yet we do not mean what we say. As a matter of fact, culturally it has become so ingrained in us that even to our own hurt, we still put up that facade just so every one around us would be pleased. My understanding about let your yes be yes and your no be no is that it admonishes us to be truthful in all things, that we should mean what we say and reject any pretensions. Doing things out of compulsion and obligation leaves us with nothing but disappointment and heartache. Only efforts done out of pure love and pure motivation could gain the Master's approval. Let us therefore make every effort to serve out of love, as doing for the Lord and not men because it is the only way to get heaven's back.