Devotion for Today: 19 June 2007 Devotion for Today "Credibility" Matthew 5:33-37

19 June 2007 Devotion for Today  "Credibility"  Matthew 5:33-37

Pastor Bryan Sherman tells the story of a bus load of politicians that

were driving down a country road when, all of a sudden, the bus ran off

the road & crashed into a tree in an old farmer’s field. The old farmer,

after seeing what happened, went over to investigate. He then proceeded

to dig a hole & bury the politicians. A few days later, the local

sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus & asked the old farmer where all

the politicians had gone. The old farmer said he had buried them.

The sheriff asked the old farmer, "The coroner wasn’t here. Are you

sure they were all dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them

said they weren’t, but you know how them politicians lie!"

Credibility- the art of being able to tell the truth.  Unfortunately,

our society has lived with a "credibility gap" for so long no one is

able to recognize the truth anymore.  In fact, those who honestly are

telling the truth are accused of lying because people will automatically

assume that they are.  Like the farmer in the story who buried the

politicians, many will try to bury or conceal their deeds out of shame

or embarrassment they might cause us.  And when some one comes around

asking questions, they put "our own spin on it" to keep those facts from

coming to light.

As believers in Christ, one of our formost responsibilities is to be

propagators of the truth, not only by what we say, but especially in

what we do.  Are our lifestyles should credible to the point that people can

see the change that Christ has brought to our lives or do we engage in

a false front of spirituality and pray that nobody finds out what we

are really like?  I had someone tell me recently that when someone

comes around him spouting a litany of "praise Jesus, hallelujah, amen,

praise the Lord, etc." he immediately writes him off.  I asked why he

felt that way.  He said "because when people do that (God talk) stuff,

they are trying to manipulate my good favor toward them when they know

it is not deserved in any other way."  Sadly, he is right.

Christ said in Matthew 5:33-37: "Again, ye hgave heard that it hath

been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but

shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.  But I say unto you, Swear not

at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for

it is His footstool:  neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the

great King.  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst

not make one hair white or black.  But let your communication be, Yea,

yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

In these verses, Jesus is not only condemning those who swear oaths,

but the very fact that they feel that they have to do that demonstrates

that they would not have to do it if they truely believed what they

said themselves.  May we do all that we can, by God's grace, to close

the gap of credibility around us.  Have a blessed day!

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@embarqmail.com

jcrussell@liberty.edu

Devotion for Today