06 08 07 Better Not to Vow at All
(Keep Our Promises!)

“For I assure you that for every idle word men may speak,
they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.
For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned”
(Matthew 12:36-37 NKJV))

We say a whole lot don’t we? It begins with the first day of every New Year: I’ll do this better; I’ll change this about me’ I will commit to do this or that. Resolution after resolution goes incomplete and not even attempted. James, Jesus’ brother and early leader of the church, indeed had it right:

“No man can tame the tongue.
It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
(James 3:8)

How many promises have we made our spouse to establish a date night with our spouse (and keep it!), spend more quality time with the family, or plan a weekend outing? How many times have we made a promise in church during a sermon, only to break it before we leave the parking lot? How ‘bout this one: “If you give me this Lord, I’ll___________.” You fill in the blanks.

It’s time to be real promise keepers. It’s time to be men and women of our word, as well as our deeds. Has God ever lied to us? We then, made in His image, need to commit to be honest with God, ourselves and others. Don’t say what we can’t do. Don’t promise what we know we can’t follow through with. I know my wife would rather me be honest than sorry! It’s rather easy to be sorry and apologize. It frees me up, but the disappointment in my wife or child’s heart can last a lifetime! Imagine God’s heart ache over our “idle words”!

Our word is our bond. In a day when children especially need to trust someone, I pray they can trust a man or woman of God. Our walk is all about relationships---trusting one another. If a person, especially a child, can’t trust you and me and our words, how will he ever come to trust a God he cannot see? God gave us two ears, two legs, two eyes, two feet, pairs of many things. He gave us one mouth for a reason: He knew it would give us trouble! Our words speak volumes about each of us and our relationship to the Lord. Many times, it’s better not to vow at all, but when we do so, lets’ keep our promises!