There are many parallels in James with the Sermon on the Mount. We have seen some examples of this during the past few weeks. Here is another example in James 5:
But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. James 5:12 (ESV)
This is very similar to what Jesus says in Matthew 5:37:
Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
Let your yes be yes and your no be no can be summed up in one word: INTEGRITY. It is to say what we mean and mean what we say. Every word we speak should point to the truth. Integrity is about valuing the truth and the truthfulness of our words.
Human words are often less than dependable. The truth is not something that is always a priority in this world. When you find a person of integrity, they will stand out. Jesus is the obvious example of this. He says:
I am the way, and the TRUTH, and the life. John 14:6 (ESV)
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be people of integrity. There is much involved with being a person of integrity. Here are a few examples of ways we might consider striving towards it.
Avoid Exaggeration and Hyperbole
There is always an emphasis on being bigger, better, and faster. To build ourselves up, we like to fudge the numbers. I remember being on the high school basketball team and we would always add an inch or two to our height recorded in the program. Today, when I gather with other pastors, we might talk about the size of our churches. It is tempting to exaggerate the numbers a bit so as measure up to the others. But when we exaggerate the truth, it is no longer the truth we speak.
Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
We are an overcommitted people. We keep adding to our already crowded schedules. We end up a mile wide and an inch deep with commitments we can’t keep. The challenge for many of us is that we have a hard time saying no. But saying no in the beginning is better than making a promise and failing to deliver.
Confirm the Truth
Remember when you were told not to believe everything you read. Maybe you are familiar with the Onion. It is a satirical online publication that publishes false news stories. These things are often funny to read. What is not so funny is when we share information that is either false or rumored. When we pass on false information as truth, it compromises our integrity. The next time you go to share a story on Facebook, do a little research and verify the information.
Be Honest in Your Assessments
This can be a difficult one. Ephesians 4:15 talks about speaking the truth in love. Realize we can speak the truth without love. But we cannot speak in love without the truth. We can tear someone down using the truth without love. But if we speak towards someone in a less than truthful way we are not speaking to that person in a loving way. 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, ‘love rejoices in the truth.’ The truth is not always pleasant. The truth is not always easy to speak, but it is the truth we have been called to speak.
Confess Your Sins
A person of integrity can admit when they are wrong. They will look to bring the darkness of sin to light. When we carry hidden sin, it compromises our testimony of the truth. We call this hypocrisy. Sin does not need to be confessed publicly, but it needs to be confessed. Find a trusted friend, mentor, or pastor and be willing to have that honest conversation.
Define Success as Quality of Character
What is the definition of success? For many it is having a big house with fancy cars and money in the bank. God’s definition of success looks a lot different. God’s definition of success is not in the quality of our possessions, but the quality of our character. Doing the right thing is not always the easy thing. Doing the right thing is often a costly thing. Integrity is doing the right thing no matter what.
Being people of integrity means being real. It is about being oriented towards reality. It is seeking the truth about ourselves, other people, the world around us, and our amazing God. There is no one more realistic than God. No one who is filled with more integrity. No one who epitomizes the truth more. In Jesus, we have our perfect YES!
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him (Jesus). That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)
Questions for Reflection
- What do you think it means for your yes to be yes and your no to be no?
- What is the value of integrity?
- In what ways are you less than a person of integrity? What steps do you need to take in pursuit of the truth?
- Share your comments.
Bob West says
Super read!! Thanks so much and God Bless everyone
Rashidat Kassim says
Thanks for this Pastor, this speaks to my heart and I feel stripped and broken down. I am a person of integrity at least I thought. I have a problem with telling adding more to a story which eventually results in a lie. I don’t know why, I dislike myself afterwards. I make a promise my YES will be my Yes and my No will be my No. I was doing so well today until someone was telling me a story and I don’t know what compel me to contribute with a story partial true and the rest I exaggerate with a lie. Pls Pastor help me, pray with me and with reading your blog, I am too ashamed to confess publicly nor to someone. How do I handle this pls. It is the key sin that seperate me from God. It is what is holding me back from His blessings and He loves me so much but I can only imagine how disgusted He must be with me.
Phil Ressler says
I was once told that if you could overcome something on your own, you would have done so already. It stresses the importance of having other people with whom we can be authentic and receive encouragement in our struggles. Find someone who could be a prayer partner with you. You don’t have to uncover everything right away. But pray and build trust with that person over time. As you do so you can be more transparent with them. If we cannot be transparent with brothers and sisters in Christ, we are simply going through the motions.
Also, consider sharing with a pastor. We take a vow at ordination not to divulge sins of people. The only exception might be if there was abuse involved or that someone’s life was in danger. But as pastors we hold many things in confidence. If you confess to a plaster there probably not too much that they have not heard. It is important to get those burdens in the open and expose them to the light so we can get the help we need.
Tim Littrell says
This struck home with me. I try hard to be a man of my word, still fail to measure up. Thank you, pastor.