This is painfully obvious
Do Not Swear
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And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.
James 5:12 (NET)
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James is probably the most practical book in the Bible.
What I mean is, you don’t have to go hunting for the deeper meaning in much of his letter.
He pretty much tells you exactly what to do.
Which can be frustrating because it forces me to reject my ignorance.
It’s a bit easy to sweep aside some of the teachings of God’s Word when it’s wrapped up in parables or metaphors or stories.
“Should I do this? Is it saying to do that?”
There’s a lot of working with the Holy Spirit to find the right path.
But James…
He makes it obvious.
Like this verse, “do not swear.”
No confusion here.
He’s clearly laying out the importance of living a life of integrity. That we should, as Christians, be a people who do exactly what we say we will do and don’t do the things we say we won’t do.
No hypocrisy, just integrity.
Ah, if only it was as easy to fulfill as it is to discuss.
Alas, I am a weak sinner. Prone to my own wandering. In fact, I often don’t do the things I say I will do and do the things I say I won’t do.
It seems Paul had a similar struggle (Romans 7).
I’m betting that you have a similar struggle too. Just like me and Paul and probably James.
God’s grace still helps us.
May we be a people who rely on His grace and live out our faith by our works.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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