In yesterday’s devotional we talked about the importance of being honest with your words. 

Makes sense, right? After all, God is a God of truth. Jesus comes to us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God’s “word is truth” (John 17:17). If we want to be his disciples, reflecting his truth needs to be a priority. 

Having said that, here’s another part of what it means to be honest. 

Consistency. 

This is about being honest all the time, not just some of the time, and regardless of whether things are going well or poorly, or whether you’re talking about something important or something mundane.

In Jesus’ time some people had devised a way to get out of telling the whole truth. In response, Jesus said: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). 

This message is for us today as well. We should be honest—consistently. Our yes should mean yes regardless of the circumstances, and our no should mean no regardless of the circumstances. Other people shouldn’t have to question whether or not we’re telling the truth.

I remember an old movie where two farmers were negotiating the sale of a piece of farming equipment. Someone suggested they write up a legal contract. The farmers scoffed at the idea. “I’ve known Ted for 55 years. We can shake on it.” Their handshake was good enough because they knew the other person was trustworthy. They were the same person no matter the situation. Each of them was a “man of his word.”

We live in a time of half-truths, full lies, shady dealings, deception, misinformation, scoffing, and digital manipulation. 

It’s exhausting. And dark.

Let’s be different. Let’s be honest—consistently. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

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Notes:

–The Up Daily Devotional is celebrating 10 years!
Recently I was interviewed by Life 100.3FM (Ontario’s Christian Superstation) about this devotional. I also provide information about how it all began, and also how it’s going. Click here to read (or listen), or tune in to ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan’ wherver you subscribe.

-“People of the Word are people of their word—in these 3 ways.” Click here. Sermon.

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.