1/19/2017 Mike about 45
Is it better to make promises without following
through, or to follow through without making promises? Jesus told a parable of two brothers who fit
that description. The first son made a
promise and didn't carry it out. Jesus commended
the second son who at first refused to go help his father, but later thought
better of it and went anyway.
A man named Mike reminded me of this parable as we
talked about his beliefs. He had heard
and responded to the Gospel while incarcerated, but now that he is released he gravitates
away from the Bible and toward sensational conspiracy theories online. He had made commitments to God but fails to
follow through. Mike doesn't attend
church, but even while we talked he responded with impulsive enthusiasm, saying
he would like to attend and asking all about it. He excitedly said he'd like to come to a
Bible study I was attending that evening.
But he never came. I'd like to
give him the benefit of the doubt and assume a good reason that he didn't
follow through, but this seems to fit a pattern in his life - making promises without
following through.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had a solution for
our broken promises - don't make them in the first place! He said "But I tell you, do not swear an
oath 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. All
you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the
evil one." We should be extremely
careful about the promises and even the more informal commitments that we
make. It is better not to make a promise
at all then to make one only to break it.
So what about resolutions, or the various commitments
or promises we make toward self-discipline such as Bible reading, prayer,
fasting, or sharing our faith regularly?
It seems like the minute I make a vow or promise to God, the enemy of
our souls sets to work to break down my commitment and resolve. I end up feeling like a failure and wondering
if the Power of God or my faith in Him are even real.
I've found it is better to prayerfully set goals, and
to prayerfully ask that God help me to reach them. Goals are different from promises. They show our intentions, but they also show we
know better than to make promises we can't keep by our own effort. Trying to fulfill a promises by our own
strength of will is lonely and discouraging, but walking with God and our
family of believers toward completing a goal builds relationship and encouragement. God isn't impressed with our empty promises. He wants us to know Him and walk with Him
toward godly goals.
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