The Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles
Posted on June 29, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 5:33-37 (NKJV)
5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
Devotion
Faith removes the need for swearing an oath. It establishes the truth in the dealings of our life, for faith is a gift of God. When someone has been given faith through the work of the Holy Ghost, he trusts that the Lord will work out the troubles and concerns of his life in a way that will benefit him. When one trusts that the Lord will act on his behalf, there is no need for lies or deception. He can simply trust that the Lord will order things for his good.
With faith in the Lord God, yes is yes and no is no. The truth of the Word of God will always be truthful. The lies of those who desire to deceive about what the Word says will still be lies, no matter how much they try to dress it up in eloquence. We do not need to swear an oath in order to make God’s Word true. It is true with or without our oath. This is why we can simply trust that when our Lord tells us that His redemption gives forgiveness, life, and salvation to those who cling to Him, we can say “Amen, yes, it is so.”
Prayer: O Almighty God, Who by Thy Son Jesus Christ, didst give to Thy holy Apostles many excellent gifts, and commandedst them earnestly to feed Thy flock: Make, we beseech Thee, all Pastors diligently to preach Thy holy Word, and the people obediently to follow the same, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
O Lord, Who never failest to help and govern those whom Thou dost bring up in Thy steadfast fear and love: Make us to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
