December 4, 2025

Hey guys,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. This week’s Thought comes from Matthew 5:37, “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t’. Anything beyond this is from the evil one.” This mandate from Jesus comes from His Sermon on the Mount. This truth is so simple and yet so critically important to our relationships, whether those are relationships in the church, in our culture, in ministry, in our families, or in our marriages. It is so vitally important to “let your yes be yes, and your no be no”,  as James says it in James 5:12. 

This verse comes in a larger conversation that Jesus is having about vows. In that time, Jews would swear by something bigger than themselves. They would swear by Jerusalem, the Holy City. They would swear by Heaven, or they would even swear by their own heads. Jesus is saying, “don’t do that!” Just simply, “let your yes be yes and your no be no.”

You may hear this in my tone as I write this, but I’ll admit, I’m a little bit jaded. My wife and I were leading a college ministry back in 2010-2011 when Facebook first introduced the option to put an event out there for those who followed you, or those in your group. When presented with an invitation to our event, they could give us three different responses: yes, no, or… maybe! I’m not saying that Facebook has caused all of our world’s problems, but they definitely ruined this one! Our culture has become a Culture of Maybe. We’re not willing to stand up and speak the truth. We’re not willing to say yes or no. Then, if we do make a decision, we don’t necessarily follow through with it because we’re paralyzed by the fear of missing another opportunity. Most of you know what FOMO is, if you don't, it is the fear of missing out. 

This may be a little sacrilegious, but if you need another source on this subject other than Jesus, take it from Yoda, of Star Wars fame. He said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” That’s straight from the mouth of Jesus! That’s straight from Matthew 5. Jesus said, “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t’.”

Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Then, people can know that you’re a man or woman of your word, and you are able to be trusted. 

Love you guys,

John