Regret. That’s what I felt after my first day of volunteering. From my perspective, I had spent the whole time doing nothing, and I couldn’t imagine spending another precious Sunday doing the same pointless thing from 1 to 9 p.m. But I’d made a promise, having told the event planners that I would help out for two Sundays.
Have you ever wanted to break a promise?
Psalm 15 contains a verse that we’d all like to ignore at times: “[God’s worshipers] keep their promises even when it hurts” (Psalm 15:4). Ouch!
Why should believers in Jesus be promise-keepers too? Because the God we honor is a promise-keeping God. Moses once asked rhetorically, “Has [God] ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Numbers 23:19). The answer is a resounding No!
Those who worship in God’s sanctuary (Psalm 15:1), enjoying an intimate relationship with Him, will reflect His character too. And this includes fulfilling their vows even when it hurts. This doesn’t mean that there’s no way out of a poor promise, however. We read in Proverbs 6:1-3 this wise advice: “My child, . . . if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said—follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.”
The bottom line? Seek God’s wisdom in making wise decisions. Then, by His strength and power, fulfill what you’ve pledged.
In the end, I kept my promise and returned the following Sunday. The day turned out much better than I expected. I praised the promise-keeping God for His example and for helping me to do the right thing.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Mark 15:6-24
More:
Read Philippians 2:6-8 and consider the price God paid to keep His promise of providing a Savior.
Next:
Can you think of other reasons why God’s worshipers should be promise-keepers? How does God’s character inspire you to keep your promise even when it hurts?
Gary Shultz on September 25, 2015 at 5:58 am
One of the areas we need to be diligent in is keeping promises. It is a reflection of our Father to keep promises. I don’t know all of the phrases now; however, when I was married the promise was made before God and man. It even seems trendy to break promises in our current culture. Say everything and anything to sooth the present and let the next day take care of itself. God has made promises from the beginning and I’m glad he intends to keep them. Thanks
Adriel L. on September 25, 2015 at 7:55 am
Thanks for sharing, Poh Fang. I find the advice regarding poor promises really interesting – the solution is to be humble and eat your pride! Of course, we should avoid placing ourselves in such situations in the first place, because it dishonours God.
On what basis then should we decide whether or not to make a promise, since we know that we, as humans, are fallible?
Tom Felten on September 25, 2015 at 9:49 am
Helpful words, Poh Fang! I was reminded of a promise I made that I need to begin fulfilling today. May God be honored as we strive to live in integrity before Him and others.
Winn Collier on October 3, 2015 at 4:17 pm
Thanks for calling us back to integrity.