Before I start with today’s blog, let me explain what happened yesterday.
Our day started about 2 am with hard winds and blowing icy rain. About 4 am, that changed to snow. I’m not sure if the small booster antenna I have iced over and it prevented me from getting a signal but from 3:30am to almost 12 pm, my phone screen read “no service”.
But, I’m back today.
Dave and I were watching a movie, an old western, the other night and the character had to place his hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth, so help me God. That got me to thinking – why and how did they practice become a part of court testimony?
Since most of our laws are based on Biblical instruction, I assume that this procedure also has its basis in the Bible.
“Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. 8 But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen.” James 3:7-10 ERV
Most all of us have had a problem with our tongues at one point or another. We had been known to embellish, exaggerate, gossip, criticize and twist the truth ever-so-slightly to make it fit our account or remembrance of an event. We need God’s help in controlling our words – it’s with His power that we can have victory in this.
We need God’s help to speak truth, the whole truth. Even God, Himself, when He needed to swear an oath, swore by His own name because there was nothing greater than Him.
“God wanted to prove that his promise was true. He wanted to prove this to those who would get what he promised. He wanted them to understand clearly that his purposes never change. So God said something would happen, and he proved what he said by adding an oath. 18 These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours. 19 This hope is like an anchor for us. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe…” Hebrews 6:17-19 ERV
Each morning, our attitude should be “Lord, put a guard over my words. Let me speak the truth in every situation with a loving heart”.
“I know that you heard about him, and in him you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self gets worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil they want to do. 23 You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. 24 Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him. 25 So you must stop telling lies. “You must always speak the truth to each other,” because we all belong to each other in the same body.” Ephesians 4:21-25 ERV
Let’s be like that old cowboy in the movie, “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help me God!”