Season: 10 Episode: 150
Listen to episode 146 in Spanish:
Summary:
Do you say what you mean and mean what you say? When you tell someone you’re going to do something, do you follow through? As we begin a new year, there’s something to be said about being a person of your word. In fact, if you’ve made goals and desire change in the new year, you’ve already given your word that you will do what you plan in order to accomplish those goals. We’ll discuss what the Bible says about keeping your word. We’ll also discuss why your word is attached to your reputation, and what integrity really means. Do you have it?
Quotables:
Recommended Resources:
Cross Examined Article: Is Teaching Your Kids About God Child Abuse?
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It’s the first episode of 2024 and I’m looking forward to the guests we have lined up for you to learn from. I thought we’d start the beginning of the year with some things we can keep in the forefront of our minds as we set goals to better ourselves this year – but not without the help of the Holy Spirit, of course.
Before we get into that, let me remind you that our first class of Baseline Apologetics begins on January 18th. If you want to take the class with me, go to shandafulbright.com/shop. You’ll get the book in the mail but you won’t get it before we meet. Registration for this class is going to close on January 12th. If you want to do the study independently, just order the book at shandafulbright.com/shop.
Second, Let’s Get Real begins on the 8th so there is still time to register your middle schooler for the class. Go to onlinechristiancourses.com to sign your child up. They will learn the why behind the what of Christianity.
Ok. This is the first episode of 2024 and I want to talk to you about how to be a person of your word and why the Bible tells us we must be people of our word. My husband is going to be on the podcast soon to discuss the three things to instill into your children and one of them is why a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, which is a verse in Proverbs. We’ll touch on some of that today as we discuss the strength of your word in relation to your reputation.
The three things we’ll discuss today are:
- The significance of people’s names in the Old Testament.
- What it means to be a person of your word.
- Do you have integrity?
You’ll see why I added the part about integrity once we get to it.
The significance of people’s names in the Old Testament.
If you’re familiar with the OT and names, you often see the name of the person and the meaning of their name. Parents were very intentional about naming their kids back in the OT and we see this all throughout its pages. Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah. A few other examples are Jacob – meaning deceiver. His name was later changed by God to Israel – God perseveres.
When Rachel was about to die giving birth to Benjamin, she was going to name him Ben-omi -son of my sorrow. Jacob did not like that name and did not want his name to be attached to something negative, so he changed it to Benjamin – son of my right hand.
There are some examples of name changing in the New Testament, though not as many.
Jesus changed Peter’s name to Peter from Cephas. Paul’s name was changed from Saul to Paul.
The point of this is that people were often named based off their character or circumstance in which they were born. You might wonder why I’m using this as a point in the importance of being a person of your word, but a person’s name often reflects their character and that’s what we become known for. How many times do you hear someone name their kid Hitler? You don’t. And for good reason. No one wants their kids to be associated with a genocidal maniac.
And it’s not so much that we know the character of the baby we birth, but when we choose names, we research them, toil over them, think on them because that child will grow up with that name and they will create a reputation around it. And that is exactly what you’ve done with your name as an adult. Are you known for being a person of your word? Do people know that when you say something you’re going to come through with the delivery?
The point here is that you have created a name for yourself one way or the other.
There is a reputation surrounding your name that people think of when they hear your name. Is that being a person of your word?
So what does it mean to be a person of your word anyway? It’s a person who can be trusted and counted on. If you said it, it’s as good as an old fashioned handshake, a pinky promise, a “take that to the bank” situation.
The encouraging thing about this is if you feel like there is a negative stigma surrounding your reputation, it can be changed. Just like God changed the name of those in the Bible who had a transformed life and transformed character, you too can change. But notice it wasn’t the person who changed their name. It was God. The naming of someone denotes authority. So when God changed the person’s name it shows He is their authority and He changed their name to reflect the change He made in them. So you cannot change your character on your own. This isn’t a habit you have to break, it’s a character flaw that we must ask God to help us with. So if you want to be a person of your word, talk to the one who can change you by His word.
What does it mean to be a person of your word?
There are a lot of verses in the Bible that will help shed light on this and I want to start with laying out 5 things the Bible tells us about keeping our word and why it’s necessary.
- Let your yes be yes.
- A good name is to be chosen (add to above)
- Wind and cloud without rain (can’t be trusted)
- Keep your word even when it inconveniences you (Psalm 15:4)
- Don’t say anything in the heat of the moment.
Let your yes be yes.
The Bible talks a lot about vows. A vow is a promise to do something. It was serious business in the Old Testament when someone made a vow. And if they didn’t keep it? There were serious consequences. The Bible tells us it is better not to make a vow at all than to make one to the Lord and break it. We see an example of this in the OT of a man who made a vow in the heat of the moment (which we’ll get into more in a bit), and he followed through with the vow but that meant he had to sacrifice his daughter. Do you think God wants that foolishness? No. But the weight of making the vow was on his shoulders so he followed through with it.
Jesus addresses making vows in the NT. He said, “33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Jesus was making the point that your simple word should be all that’s needed.
To go any further just means you’re placing your word on some other authority and it should already be good enough.
When I was a kid, my brother, sister and I used to make a statement and then we’d ask, “You promise?” And we wouldn’t believe each other until we said we promised. Why not? Because we lied unless we promised and we didn’t trust each other. Things have changed now that we’re older, I’ll have you know. But Jesus is telling us we don’t need the added clout of promises or swearing on things that seem more significant than our own word.
Simply let your yes be yes and your no, no.
A good name is to be chosen.
Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.” My husband and I love this verse and we talk to our boys about it often. My husband’s business is his initials, so his name is attached to his company. The reputation of his company is the reputation he carries with him wherever he goes, so it matters to him that he keeps his word when doing business. But it also matters to us that we keep our word no matter what we do. Your reputation is formed by those who know you, not by those who don’t.
For example, you guys know the me on this podcast and whatever you might see on social media. But you don’t know the reputation I have among my family and friends. You only know my persona – that is the aspect of my character perceived by what you see on the screen. But you can’t really know if I’m legit or not. How many times do we follow people who are frauds? Do you remember Millie Vanilllie from the 90s? Who would have thought they weren’t the ones actually singing Blame it on the Rain?
All of my 90s listeners will get that reference.
But here’s the deal – if I’m not the same person behind the screen as I am in real life to those who know me, then I am a fraud. And that means I am not living up to the reputation I pray reflects godly character. So your word and your name (reputation) have a lot to do with each other. They are intertwined. Some people are known for being flakes. And some are known for being nice but wishy washy. Some are known for being people of their words. But no matter what they’re known for – their word will be part of it.
Are you known as a cloud and wind without rain?
Proverbs 25:14 says, “Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given.”
What do you expect when you see clouds and wind? You expect certain weather conditions, right? Like rain. When someone says they’re going to deliver – they’re giving you their word that they’re going to give you something and you expect it. But someone who doesn’t follow through is like a cloud without rain – you expect it to happen but it never does. And a gift is something given, that means that this person is not necessarily brining you something you’ve demanded. They’re offering something but never deliver. Do you know anyone like that? That is a terrible person. In fact, people like that bother me. Because they stir up expectation and you count on them when it’s not even necessary. Don’t be a person who promises but never delivers.
Keep your word even when it inconveniences you.
Psalm 15:4 says, “He keeps an oath even when it hurts and does not change his mind.” There are times when you give your word in the morning and by afternoon it’s no longer convenient. Ever been there? I sure have. One thing I hate is when I say I’m going to do something and have to re-route, and it’s usually going to be because I got sick or something, which seems to be happening a lot lately.
But the point here is that even when it’s inconvenient, keep your word. Even if you’re tired, do the thing. You can equate this to showing up to work, helping someone out that you promised you’d be there for, going out with a friend you made a date with. Push through and do it because your word, your name is to be chosen rather than great riches. And you’ll be known as the person who comes through even when it’s hard or when others don’t.
Finally, don’t say anything in the heat of the moment.
There have been times when I’ve made a promise when I felt good and giddy an then regretted it later. Probably more than I’d like to admit. But again, then it’s become inconvenient, right? So you have to suck it up and do it. But the point is, don’t allow your emotions, or the heat of the moment, dictate your commitments. Always think them through.
The bible never encourages speaking in haste. It always encourages being slow to speak. I don’t know of one verse where the Bible tells you to be the first one to say anything. It talks about being wise and making every word count. But once you say it – once you commit – it’s done. You now have a choice to make: be a person of your word or be like a cloud and wind without rain and don’t deliver. I say follow through and learn your lesson for next time.
Okay, let’s move on to the final segment and talk about integrity. What is it and do you have it?
I think about his a lot because as a teacher, I use the word integrate – that means to combine so it becomes whole. Integrity is part of the word integrate. When we teach in Christian education, we must integrate the Bible with all other subjects – science, history, math. In fact, a biblical worldview is the integration of the Bible in the real world. If we don’t learn to integrate Biblical truths with life, we are compartmentalizing the Bible and how we live. We make the Bible something we do on Sundays, along with church, but there is a separation in how we live it. That is not a biblical worldview.
So how is this related to being a person of your word and having integrity?
Integrity is more than just being a moral person, although one definition will tell you that’s what it means. Integrity is wholeness – just like integrating and combining God’s word to the world we live in is wholeness in the education world. More specifically, integrity is being undivided. And people aren’t the only ones that can have integrity. People often ask, “What’s the integrity of this car?” Or, “Whats the integrity of the company?” – meaning, what is it known to do all the time or in the whole of things what is it known for? Dependability? Honest?
A person of their word has a integrity if they are whole – meaning, their word matters no matter where they are – at work, at church, at home, with friends. Integrity is wholeness of character – to be known as dependable, committed, faithful – and much of that has to do with reputation and being a person of your word. It’s consistency.
So what if a person is consistently unfaithful, uncommitted, and not a person of their word? Does that mean they have integrity in the wrong things because it’s wholeness but in the opposite direction? No. We would say they have bad character. And we wouldn’t call it wholeness, we’d say it’s not dependable, it’s fragmented.
Does God call us to have integrity?
Well, the word integrity as we know it is not in the Bible that I can find. But when Jesus tells us to let our yes be yes and our no, no, He is describing integrity – wholeness, where words and actions align.
In fact, the first and greatest commandment – to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind – is wholeness – it is integrity in what you say you believe and how you live it.
Close:
I want to close this out by grounding this episode in what I think matters most – being a person of your word to those in hour own home and sphere of influence. When you say, “I’m a Christian”, do you compartmentalize your Christian religion from the rest of your life? Does being a person of you word matter because it matters to God? It’s worth thinking about because if a good name is to be chosen rather than riches that can easily be squandered, we must examine ourselves to see if we truly have integrity in what we say and following through with it.
I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please leave a 5 star rating and review if you did, as that helps get the podcast into the earbuds of others. If you have ideas for what you’d like to hear on the podcast in 2024, send me an email at hello@shandafulbright.com and I’ll catch you on the next one.
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