Proverbs 20:25
An impulsive vow is a trap; later you'll wish you could get out of it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Recently, a politician claimed that she would get gasoline prices down to $2 a gallon if elected President. No sooner had she made this claim than her staff began to backpedal and say, “What she really meant was… XYZ.” Politicians do this all the time. And honestly, we’ve become somewhat numb to it… to the point that we often don’t even hear what they are saying, much less pay attention to the “meat” of their message.
I’m not sharing this analogy to spark political debate. ALL politicians… all PEOPLE… make promises they can’t keep. But the point is that we often engage our mouths before our brains… then find that we surely wish we could retract what was just said!
My challenge for each of us today is to think more carefully before we make promises. Did you just tell Joe you would pick him up after work, when you know full well you have other obligations at that hour? Have you promised someone you will “do whatever you need”… knowing that you have appointments and other obligations to fulfill and can’t possibly be available on a moment’s notice? Did you vow to love another person and be faithful to him/her, even while you were looking around to see if someone better might come along? Did you promise God that you would love Him and serve Him… that He would be LORD of your life… and now you are living in a way you know does not please Him?
Vows are serious business. And like dishonesty, breaking seemingly insignificant or small “vows” leads to failure to deliver on bigger ones… and the cycle that is created can be vicious. Check your thoughts, your words… and your promises. Ask God to guide you as you make daily decisions and vows… and you will have no regrets.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label vows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vows. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for January 22, 2011
Hebrews 6:18
God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Imagine how you would feel if you were a young person waiting for your mom or dad to pick you up somewhere… say after school… and they never came for you. What if they told you, “I promise I will be at your ballgame, play, band concert…” or another event… and they didn’t make it. It’s bad enough that other people lie and don’t keep promises and vows, but when we think about our own mother or father, we expect things to be different. These are the people to whom we have hopefully run for safety, encouragement, and assurance that everything will be okay.
The truth of the matter is that, sadly, there are parents who break promises and vows to their children every day – about issues that are both great and small. There are parents who flatly lie to their children. For some, there is no safety, encouragement, or assurance to be found in the arms of a parent. As heartbreaking as this seems, it is reality for far too many.
The GOOD NEWS is that our HEAVENLY FATHER will never lie to us. He will never break a promise or a vow. What God has told us He will do for us is 100% the truth – guaranteed. His arms are open to receive us, and we can run to Him for safety any time. He is always available to encourage us and reassure us that everything will be okay, if we just stick close to Him.
God offers us hope when no one else can. If you are fortunate enough to have – or to have had – parents who were honest and dependable, thank God for such a blessing… and thank them for honoring their responsibility to God as a parent. If you have experienced disappointment from mere humans, remember that you can always count on God. He never changes or disappoints. I promise!
©2011 Debbie Robus
God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Imagine how you would feel if you were a young person waiting for your mom or dad to pick you up somewhere… say after school… and they never came for you. What if they told you, “I promise I will be at your ballgame, play, band concert…” or another event… and they didn’t make it. It’s bad enough that other people lie and don’t keep promises and vows, but when we think about our own mother or father, we expect things to be different. These are the people to whom we have hopefully run for safety, encouragement, and assurance that everything will be okay.
The truth of the matter is that, sadly, there are parents who break promises and vows to their children every day – about issues that are both great and small. There are parents who flatly lie to their children. For some, there is no safety, encouragement, or assurance to be found in the arms of a parent. As heartbreaking as this seems, it is reality for far too many.
The GOOD NEWS is that our HEAVENLY FATHER will never lie to us. He will never break a promise or a vow. What God has told us He will do for us is 100% the truth – guaranteed. His arms are open to receive us, and we can run to Him for safety any time. He is always available to encourage us and reassure us that everything will be okay, if we just stick close to Him.
God offers us hope when no one else can. If you are fortunate enough to have – or to have had – parents who were honest and dependable, thank God for such a blessing… and thank them for honoring their responsibility to God as a parent. If you have experienced disappointment from mere humans, remember that you can always count on God. He never changes or disappoints. I promise!
©2011 Debbie Robus
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