Deuteronomy 23:21-23
“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For the Lord your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin. However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
There is a saying that some people will often lie when the truth would have been better. I bet you know at least one person who is always saying they will come to your party, help you with a project, or be a certain place at a certain time… and none of this ever happens. I don’t know about you, but I would almost rather this person just say, “I’m not doing that,” or “I can’t be there.” Suppose you volunteered to help at a soup kitchen, and then you didn’t show. Wouldn’t that be worse than not volunteering in the first place? What if you told someone, “I will do this!” and then did as you pleased instead. How do you think that person would feel about you? Would you be considered trustworthy and honest? Would this person feel insulted or disappointed? You would essentially be saying to this person, “You are foolish to believe me.”
Sounds rather harsh and distasteful, doesn’t it? But this is exactly what we do to people… and worse yet… to GOD! We make all sorts of promises and commitments… and then blow off the person. “I got busy,” we say, or “I just couldn’t get it all done.” So don’t commit in the first place! With God, we make incredible promises… “LORD, I promise I am going to stop staying out all night drinking and partying”… until we get the next invitation. Or we say, “Father, if you will just help me get out of a jam this one time, I promise, this will never happen again!” Or even, “God, You have blessed me so much… I’m going to tell everyone how much you mean to me. I’m going to be at church every Sunday… I’m going to be kind, gentle, filled with grace and forgiveness toward others, and I’m going to serve You like never before!” Then we head out the door to a Sunday golf game or dinner and a gossip session with our best friends.
If we are brutally honest, each one of us is guilty of breaking our vows to the LORD, because we humans seem to be wired to make promises we cannot keep! But we can do better. I’m not saying we can ever completely stop this, but we CAN make improvements. We must make a concerted effort to think about our promises… to God and to others… and to remember that it’s always better to tell the truth. If we are uncertain about fulfilling a commitment, say, “I’m not sure I can make it,” or “I would love to help, but I don’t believe my schedule will allow for this now,” or even “I’m sorry, but this is not something I want to do.”
When it comes to serving God, we must be equally careful. If we are not fully committed to a volunteer position, it would be better if we didn’t volunteer in the first place. I am not saying that this gives us an “out” when it comes to volunteering. But we must be very certain that any commitments we make are 100% fulfilled… or we should not offer to help in the first place. As for promising things to God… He already knows what we are capable of handling and what offers mere lip service, and He does not appreciate the latter. Be honest with God… tell Him, “LORD… I’m trying. I may not get there every Sunday… I may have times when my mouth engages before my brain… but I desperately want to serve you and to operate in your will – and not in sin. I am asking You to help me… to show me how to always give You my very best.” Then mean it!
If you only make one vow, let it be to try your very hardest to serve God according to His will. This means you will have to be more awake and alert… and there will be times when not speaking up is better than biting off more than you can chew. Ask God to strengthen you in these areas, and always give Him your very best. The truth is always better. Always mean what you say… and say what you mean.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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