Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9, NIV)
The character of a person, it has often been said, is measured by what you do when no one is watching. Of course, this means it is infrequently measured at all—at least in the moment. Only later, or when a pattern has been established, do we say of a friend, “You can always, always trust him.”
Golf may be at something of a crossroads, and much because cameras now go where they did not go before. It’s rarer that no one is watching. And some of what is being seen suggests that not every golfer—not even every professional—can be trusted all the time.
We have two options when another’s integrity is called publicly into question. We can let suspicion take root and join the chorus of criticism, even going so far as to call another person a “cheater.” Or we can take the opportunity to question ourselves: “Am I a person of integrity? Can people always trust me?”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly challenged his listeners, which included those whose commitment to learn from him was in place. He reminded them of teachings they had been hearing all their lives, but then turned some of those lessons in a radically different direction.
You didn’t dare cross God or another by going back on the promises you were making.One of these lessons apparently had to do with swearing. If you grew up in a religious setting, you likely were taught this kind of lesson as staunchly as I was: Do not swear. And especially do not swear to God.
The tricky part of this childhood lesson is when you grow up to read the Old Testament passages for yourself, people did swear by God. And when they did so, they understood that the oaths were altogether binding. You didn’t dare cross God or another by going back on the promises you were making. The consequences were severe.
But in the traditions of the religious leaders, conniving set in. How about if I swear by something a little less than God—the earth, say, or Jerusalem? Will I be in the same amount of trouble if I break that oath? Probably not. And it sure sounds good!
What Jesus recognized is that such lesser oaths provided excuses for people to live without integrity. So he made God’s intention plain: “Let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no.” Jesus’ lesson wasn’t about swearing at all; it was about being someone we all can trust. And so, next time we catch wind of a cheater, let’s slow down with the finger-pointing and step up with humble self-examination.
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Jeff Hopper
March 4, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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