Making a promise or
commitment is serious business! In Numbers 30: 2 the Bible says,
"If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth." In Ecclesiastes 5:5, Solomon writes,
"It is better not to make a vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it." I doubt that many of us make a promise or commitment to do something with the intent not to. Our intentions are good, but we let everyone and everything get in the way of our follow-through on some of our commitments. Maybe we have over-committed, taken on more than we can accomplish. Jesus spoke plainly when he said,
“But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for
it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you
cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be
‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil
one." Matthew 5: 34-37. Woah! That one hits below the belt, doesn't it? We need to learn to say NO? In a word, YES! In our eagerness to serve the Lord, we often say yes when we haven't prayed about it. Teaching that Bible Study class, or singing in the choir, or leading that missions effort may not be what God wants you to do at all. He may have another area of service that He is calling you to. It is clear that we can't and shouldn't try to do it all. This causes burnout and we become easily discouraged. In that scenario, we are generally operating out of our own abilities, and not God's calling on our life.
Once we have prayed about making a promise or a commitment, then we must do it with our whole heart, mind, and soul. It is important to be dependable. When we commit, other people are counting on us. If we don't show up or otherwise carry out our responsibilities, it creates a burden for someone else. Someone else may have to step up to take up the slack that you have created. This may not be what God needs for them to be doing, but they are doing it, because you didn't!
What commitments have you made to serve the Lord? Have you followed through? Are you doing what God called you to do, or are you allowing being busy with other things consume your time? What is keeping you from your commitment? Does it have eternal value? Did you make a promise to do something and then didn't follow through?
Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be dependable. Follow through on your promises and commitments.
Pam Archer, Director
Women's Ministry
