Pennies on the Dollar

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but how much are our words worth? If you look at our culture today, one might estimate, not much. We live in a world of fine print. Whether it is near microscopic at the bottom of a contract or a blazing blur of words at the tale end of a TV commercial, we have subjected ourselves to a world where legal counsel is a must if we wish to keep from losing our shirts to unscrupulous scam artists. It is like this because phrases like, "my word is my bond" are no longer standards of business integrity but rather they are the exception. I would venture to guess that most of you, like myself, have been on the receiving end of a shady deal or disappointment in the area of a broken promise. However it wasn't always like this. Many folks in my grandfather's generation lived with the belief that if you shook hands on it, it was a done deal and both parties would honor it. A person's word was worth its weight in gold.

Back during Joseph's times, they went even further to honor their word. Jacob (aka Israel) and his eleven sons have moved to Egypt to be with Joseph during the great famine. Jacob is aged and wants to clear up a few things with his son: "When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." And he said, "I will do as you have said." He said, "Swear to me " So he swore to him Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed." (Genesis 47:29-31)

I don't know about you but sticking my hand under someone's thigh is a little strange to me. But culturally it was similar to our shaking of hands. Joseph gave his word to Jacob, and fulfilled in Genesis 50. Later this same tradition is carried on with Joseph's bones, but this time it was different. He told his brothers to carry his bones back to Canaan, but apparently, the oath they took was binding on their descendants because they didn't fulfill this oath until hundreds of years later after they were released from Egyptian slavery.

What kind of weight do our vows hold? Whether we shake hands on it or put our hand under the thigh of the one we pledge to, it means nothing if there is no intention of making good on our promise. Here's what Jesus says on the matter, "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil. (Matthew 5:36-37) Now all of us have moments where something changes or we overcommit ourselves, I know I do. But are we doing everything in our power to do what we committed to? Put your money where your mouth is, or are your words worth pennies on the dollar from when they were spoken.

Follow Through

If you play golf, baseball or anything where you have to swing an item to participate, you have likely been told in order to be using correct form, you must follow through with your swing. Therein lies a truth to be learned in our Christian walk. Consider James' words:

"Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned." - James 5:12

Over the past few years, if you know me, you know that Jill and I have endured much in the way of wounding from those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. So much so, that I now am learning to trust again. The up side of that is that God has taught me that He alone will never forsake me. The down side is that when you are in ministry, in order to function as the Body, I believe, you have to have a certain amount of transparency and vulnerability and rely on each other. I am not so naive to believe that I must bear all of my soul to all that I come into contact with at all times, but I also have been in ministry long enough to have learned that if you are not real with folks and cannot depend on each other, it is not healthy and can impede your effectiveness as the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

However, with that said, I think one of the things that I struggle with the most being back in ministry, is being able to take people at their word. And unfortunately, believers do not make it easy. I have had a habit of overcommitting myself like many, but at the core of who I am, I feel it is sin to say "I will do that" and never follow through. I cannot tell you how many people tell me they will do such and such and never do it regardless if it is big or small things. To me, if an non-believer is watching us from the outside (and they are!), and sees that we, for the vast majority of the time, fail to keep our commitments to each other (and they do!), why would he or she want anything to do with the church.

If you have no intention on following through with what you say, just say, "no, I am sorry I cannot do that at this time." In my book, to not do so is the same as lying and showing a lack of integrity. To quote Paul, " not that I have attained all this," but when I do screw up and overcommit and can't follow through, I accept my lumps, confess I dropped the ball and ask for forgiveness. I certainly don't turn around and do it again and again destroying my credibility with others. I know I am whining about a pet peeve of mine, and I apologize. But, I keep coming back to the verse quoted above. Let us strive for excellence in all that we say and do and may it be all for His glory. Amen.