Don't Make a Promise You Can't Keep

"The Lord hates those who don't keep their word, but he delights in those who do." Proverbs 12:22

Now days, your word means very little. Even a signed contract can be broken. In Bible times, someones word was solid. It held firm.

Our words have become futile, fickle, and ever changing. We make rash promises to God and to people.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-6-"As you enter the house of God, keep your eyes open ad your mouth shut! Don't be a fool who doesn't realize that mindless offerings to God are evil. And don't make rash promises to God, for he is in heaven, and you are only here on earth. So let your words be few. Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, being a fool makes you a blabbermouth. So 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. It is better to say nothing than to promise something that you don't follow through on. In such cases, your mouth is making you sin. And don't defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved."

So often we make promises to each other that we either never intend to keep or can't keep. If you give your word, be sure you commit to keeping it. If you know you can't, it's better to be honest and tell them, than to break it.

Jesus help us be mindful of how we approach You, and the vows and promises we make. May we never make rash promises that we never intend to keep. In times of suffering, sorrow, fear and frustration, may we remain silent and listen for Your voice. Amen

Not Just Because It's Wrong, but Because It Breaks His Heart

Before we break these next few passages down, I just want you to chew on them a little bit, in hopes that as you swallow, God will make Himself known, and the sadness and sickness that fills His heart will also fill yours. 

Not just because it's wrong and disgusting, but because it devastates the Lord.

Jesus break our hearts for what breaks Yours!

"That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.  And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.  Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.  They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.  They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.  They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too." Romans 1:26-32

Jesus as we chew on the depth, the reality, the sadness of these verses, let them open our eyes and break our hearts. Speak to us through these passages. Speak directly to our hearts and show us any of these sins that You see in us. Amen