"Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no" 2 Corinthians 1:17, 18.
"Say what you mean...and mean what you say".
It's one of the lessons I was taught early in life. It means our words need to be authentic, We cannot say one thing for public consumption while saying another think in private...or, in our minds. This is serious. It's one of the things that irritates us so much about our politicians. We've come to be quite certain that we cannot believe a word they say. They promise us one thing in order to get elected and then go to Washington and do quite another.
Is this accidental...or by design? I think we all know.
Paul says we cannot say "yes" with our lips if "no" is in our hearts. Doing so constitutes a lie.
So, Paul explains..."I intended at first to come to you...therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this". Even so, sometimes our good intentions do not come to pass. Had he not offered this explanation the community in Corinth could have rightfully assumed the promise was a lie. He closes this chapter by explaining "I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth".
Today the lesson is clear: Never promise to do something unless we honestly intend to do it. And, the only reason our promise should not come to pass is if we have a clear conviction from God, Himself, that we should do something else...noticeably, for their benefit.
In that case...making peace with somebody we have angered means letting them know we didn't change our intentions for our own convenience.
Live boldly out there today...
No comments:
Post a Comment