You Have My Word On It

"Today's Devotion" For June 15, 2005

Read: Matthew 5:35-37; Hebrews 6:13-20

YOU HAVE MY WORD ON IT

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Mt. 5:33)

I've always been a fan of Jimmy Cagney. He was an actor of unbelievable ability, excelling in films and on Broadway. He was, in the parlance of his day, a "hoofer," able to sing, dance, and act. One of my all-time favorite movies is "Yankee Doodle Dandy," a musical in which Cagney plays the role of George M. Cohan, the famous song and dance man and playwright. One the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Cohan enters into retirement and ends his longtime partnership with his co-producer/writer and best friend, Sam Harris (Richard Whorf). As they're leaving Sam's office they're stopped by reporters expecting to report on the "dirt" of their breakup. Seeing the two of them shaking hands, obviously still good friends stops the reporters short. They're totally taken by surprise. Everyone had thought the breakup of, arguably, the most successful Broadway writing/producing partnership in history was because they were at odds with each other. When the reporters ask about the terms of ending the contract between the two partners, George reaches out and shakes Sam's hand, noting that a handshake was the only contract the two of them ever had.

If there's any truth to the old saying, "a man's word is his bond," the relationship between George M. Cohan and Sam Harris proved it. Yet, if there's anyone for whom this saying should be the most certain and true it would be for disciples of Jesus Christ. Our Lord reminds us that every word we speak is spoken in the presence of God. "Cross my heart and hope to die," swearing on a "stack of Bibles," and "As God is my witness" may sound good, adding emphasis to one's commitment to speaking the truth, yet they are meaningless phrases. A Christian's word and promise is to be true, forthright, and trustworthy. It's not enough to say we're going to do something, emphasizing our commitment to the promise by such phrases as noted earlier, we need to follow through. It's a reflection of the true condition of our hearts, a condition that God already knows. Calling on Him to be our witness is redundant and inappropriate.

"You have my word on it," ought to be enough said when God's children speak to others. Yet, because we live in a sinful world, people are skeptical of the motivation and commitment of others. Trust is not a common commodity among people. Too many promises have been made by others and broken for people to trust someone simply because they say, "You have my word on it." For many people the most egregious violators of trust are politicians, followed closely, at least according to some polls, by lawyers. People promise to make payments for a product or service and then don't pay. People draw up contracts and enter into business relationships with each other, then someone fails to live up to the contract. Every day, in so many ways, "You have my word on it," is an empty and useless phrase, used, primarily, to keep people at arms length.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we face the challenge of the truth of God's Word and our own every day. How we live and follow through upon our proclamation of the Gospel and our personal testimony to God's love for the world in Jesus is a greater testimony to the truth than any "You have my word on it" can be. Having been freed by Christ Jesus from the power of Sin, Death and Satan by His blood and righteousness we are empowered to live out our lives of faith. A faith-filled life in Christ always speaks the truth. As His redeemed children our word is our bond, regardless of the paperwork, contracts, and signatures which may emphasize our promises to others. There's no greater testimony to the truth of God's Word and His promise of salvation and forgiveness in Christ than you and I being true to His Word and to our words of testimony to Jesus. People will hear us and believe, not because we tell them but because we live what we say. It will resonate with people because they know from everything else we do and say that we don't lie. "You have my Word on it" God says in Jesus, and we can take that "to the bank."

Prayer: Father, in order to get others to believe what I'm saying is true, I often find myself saying too much and overstating my case. It doesn't matter if I'm giving my word to do something or I'm sharing Your Word of salvation with others - I run into skepticism and doubt about what's true or not everyday. Forgive me, Father, for so often using Your name in a vain attempt to get people to believe I'm telling the truth. Help me to not take people's skepticism personally, but to let my deeds support my words so that people might trust what I say; that my word is my bond. Then let them listen to the message of Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ and believe what they hear. Hear me, dear Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.