Vow

I made a vow to my wife over 27 years ago. I promised to love her and cherish her. I didn’t make that vow to my children, but I have, and I’m still doing my best to teach, inspire and motivate them to serve the Lord by serving others.

Jesus when teaching His first sermon, He reminded everyone to not make flippant vows. God didn’t require vows to be made, but IF you made one, you were expected to keep it. Jesus speaks plainly about the integrity of your word. Check this out…

³³ “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.³⁵ And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. ³⁷ Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37 NLT)

A simple yes or no will do. That is profound, but so simple.

I think that it should be clear by how I live my life that my word means something. When I give my word to someone, it should feel contractual. I work with contracts every day because people’s word and a simple handshake are not defensible in a court of law. In the courtroom of life, Christ followers should be different. Our word should be binding upon us. Our actions should reflect the One we follow – Jesus.

I did make a commitment or vow to follow the Lord. It’s simple and straightforward. I want to honor Him with how I live. I want to honor Him with the words I speak. I want to honor Him by wearing His name – Christian.

Pressing On!

Dwayne