HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORD? ARE YOU TRUSTWORTHY?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath
to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word
but must do everything he said.”
(Numbers 30:2)

MEDITATION:
Today a Christian is not under the responsibility to fulfill the ceremonial
law, but we are still under God’s law regarding vows and promises.
We, as Christians, are required to be truthful and trustworthy people.
Moses commanded the Israelites that a man…
“must not break his word but must do everything he said”.

In the course of a year, we make many more ‘vows’ than we may realize.
For example, each credit card slip we sign is a vow.
Don’t sign it unless you intend to pay.
A tax form will ask if the answers given were truthful.
Don’t sign it unless they were.
A code of conduct may be included
in the regulations for a student or employer.
Don’t sign it unless you plan to live by it.

Then there are the other ‘slips’…not of paper, but of the tongue,
where we fail to follow through on our ‘vow’.
“I’ll get back to you about that.”
“The check is in the mail.”
“We will get together for a meal while you’re in town.”

Jesus said,
“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;
anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37)

ACTION:
How good is your word; are you as good as your word?
Think before you speak.
Ask yourself, “Will I do what I am about to say?”
Keep your word.
Do you make promises that you do not fulfill?

If we follow what Jesus said in Matthew 5:37,
then we are obligated to follow through on all promises.
That is the kind of action that proves to others that our faith is real.
If others feel that they cannot trust our promises, then they may assume that
our faith is not trustworthy either, and we have lost our witness for the Lord.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have been less than
truthful. Help me to do a better job of following through on
commitments that I make, and to prove to others that I am trustworthy.
Help me to realize that whenever I cannot be trusted by others, then I
am damaging my ability to show them my faith in You is real. Thank
You for the assurance that Your Word can be trusted.”

blog: UTVOLWOODY.WORDPRESS.COM