Today let's talk about God... God's nature, God's character, things like that. I would like to share a few concepts that stood out to me while I read today's portion of the One Year Bible.
Nehemiah 9:8 reads, "You have done what You promised, for You are always true to Your word." Isn't that wonderful? God ALWAYS fulfills His promises. No ifs, ands or buts. Always.
In our individual daily quests to be more like the One who made us and loves us so deeply, it strikes me that keeping our own promises would be a good step in that direction. So let's dig into what goes into making promises, and how to keep them to the best of our abilities.
In my relationship with Lena, we make "pinkie promises." Sure it's silly... but when one of us offers our pinkie, between her and me, that is sacred. It's cute and all... but a pinkie promise between us says, "I seriously, truly GUARANTEE you this is true and I will keep my word." Pinkie promises are not to be messed with! :-)
One principle to which we should hold when making promises is the idea of counting the cost. Luke 14:28 says, “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?" According to this, we should think about whether we are able to fulfill a promise before we make it.
We should not throw our words around... to impress people, to get forgiveness, or even out of strong emotion; for example, because we feel sorry for someone and want to help. Don't promise it unless you can provide it. Empty promises are worth no more than the wind that carries them.
Keeping promises is also of great importance when we consider promises made to God. Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, "When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him."
My desire is for God's character to show in my life. I mess up sometimes; say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing... but my desire to show Christ's character is deep. I ask forgiveness and move forward. The same is available to you.
So let's count the cost and make good, solid promises. We will become more like God when we do this, and grow closer to Him while we seek to please Him and to know Him better.
