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| Our rings as a sign of our vows and commitment to each other. |
What’s
a Vow?
It’s
when you say you “will” do something.
I’ll be praying for you.
I’ll be there in 5 minutes.
I’ll give X amount of money to your
project.
3
Things that God wants from you (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5):
-- Fulfill
your vow.
-- It
is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.
-- Do
not delay to fulfill it.
Any Consequences?
Does
God take this casually? Will God hold you accountable for not keeping your word?
God’s
answer is in a form of a question: Why should God be angry at what you say and
destroy the work of your hands? Ecc 5:6
So the
next time you utter your “I will's”, be careful. You don’t want God to actively
oppose the work of your hands. That’s the worst and most devastating thing that
can happen to you. Because you don’t want your reputation to be ruined, your
credibility and influence lost, and the trust of your child, friend or
colleague gone.
What
should you do if you’ve failed in this area?
Repent.
Apologize. And be more responsible with your words.
Instead
of saying, “I’ll be praying for you”, pray for the person right away.
Instead
of saying, “I’ll be there in 5 minutes”, say, “I’m in this location now”.
Instead
of telling your wife, “I’ll clean the bathroom today”, tell her, “I’ll clean
the bathroom” because that could mean tomorrow, next month or next year (kidding).
You
get the point.
But
the reality is, we will continue to fail in this area.We will break our promises. We will forget, sometimes. However, there's a good news. God is not like us and He can and He will redeem us from the ramifications of our worldly ways. He is always true to His words. If He promises that He will be faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness, we can believe that it's true and we can claim it. And if your family has been damaged by broken promises, He can redeem even that.
God says in Psalm 89:34, "I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth
from my lips". That's how trustworthy God is.
