It’s As Simple As Doing What You Say
We are all promise breakers. No matter how true to your promises you may be, we are all guilty of not always keeping our word. Why is this case? One reason is that we may tell people what they want to hear in the moment. It may be an innocent misstep, completely free of the purpose of being dismissive or intentions of not doing what we say. Another reason we break promises is that we over obligate ourselves and, even with planning and organization, there just may not be enough time to do everything we have committed ourselves to doing. Still another reason is that we may make promises that are unrealistic – like the famous, “God, if you will do this for me then I will never …”
While in Michigan this week I invited a person to attend the ongoing gospel meeting of the local church. They have promised they would come one night, but I am skeptical. Why? Because if I had a dollar for every person who I have invited to worship over the years who didn’t show, let’s just say I could retire early. It’s absolutely true that more people have said that they would come to worship who have not than any other promise that has ever been made to me personally. And that promise has been broken so often by so many that I actually expect when someone agrees to come to worship that they probably won’t. On the rare occasions they do show I am pleasantly surprised!
I am reminded that Jesus once told a parable about a father and his two sons. Both sons were commissioned to go work in their father’s field. The first said he would not go, but later he repented and went. The second son promised to go, but didn’t. Jesus asked which one of the two sons did the will of his father. The answer was the first. To this Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him” (Matthew 21:31-32).
Jesus was speaking to the self-righteous, religious elite of the Jewish community. They were poisoned against the truth and would not accept Him as the Son of God. They made plenty of oaths to the Lord and performed them, but they needed desperately to commit themselves to Him from the heart. Jesus was making the point that when God is truly first then we are going to not only keep our word, but we are going to change our minds when we are wrong in thought and change our lives when we are wrong in practice. We will not let good intentions be our excuse for not being obedient to the higher will of God.
God would rather us not make an oath to Him than to make an oath and not perform it. He is not interested in lip service. He wants our love and obedience. If we will think about His faithfulness in all things, even to the point of His Son not only working in the field but dying in it for us – then maybe we will do more than just promise to be His children. Maybe we will gladly and thankfully work in His field forever.
“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:37
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AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum
