I was sufficiently convicted after reading Matthew 24 this morning in The Message Bible. Jesus stated His qualifications for promotion: vigilance, dependability, consistency (on time, every day), and always doing the job even when no one is watching (but of course He is always watching).
He desires consistency in small matters. So do I. I asked a friend to call me last night between the hours of 8 and 9. The response email said: No problem whatsoever. I want to be 100 percent cooperative. But by 9 o’clock, no phone call. I did get a call around 9:15 with this apology: I started to call earlier, but then my neighbor asked me to help with a project. All I could think was, “What happened to the promise you made to me first?”
The more I thought about this, the more my finger started pointing to me. How many times have I made a promise to the Lord or to someone else, with every intention of doing so, and then another option came up that I preferred or it just seemed more pressing than what I had promised? I did not keep my word. Ouch!
My distrations are NEVER an excuse for breaking my promises. What if God operated like that? I’m so sorry, I got carried away in a great conversation and forgot to bring the sun up this morning. I guess you’ll just have to be in the dark all day. God says it’s better not to make a vow, then to make one and not keep it.
I can’t do anything about all the promises I did not keep. Thank God for His grace and forgiveness and for the grace and mercy of my friends. But today (with God’s strength and grace), I will keep my word.
August 1, 2011 at 11:31 pm |
I wake up 5 minutes behind schedule and many days back pedal from there. This, as I find w/ all of your messages, is very pertinent to my life right now. Thank you and may God continue to Bless you and Excelling Living!