Daily Devotional
Do You Keep Your Word?
“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment.”
James 5:11-12
July 16, 2024
Ponder This
Jephthah was in the hall of faith: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah… (Hebrews 11:32). He was a man of strength, a man of steel, a man who refused to be shackled by the past, a man who refused to be bound by his enemies—and a man who was bound by his word. He had character in the face of difficulty, confidence in the face of danger, and commitment in the face of disappointment.
If there’s anything that the men of this generation need to learn, it is how to keep their word. Keep your word! Numbers 30:2 says, “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” Promise-keeping is important to God.
Think of the promises people make. So many people join churches and promise to be faithful and committed, but they’re not. Think of men who stand at the altar and promise to be faithful to their brides ‘til death, but they break their word. Think of people who’ve made a commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ, but they don't keep their word. We cannot continue to make half-hearted promises to God. We need to stand by our commitment to Him.
- When have you struggled to keep your word to God?
- Why do you think promise-keeping is important to God?
Practice This
Write a list of different commitments you have made to God. Ask Him to help you with them.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Real Truth Never Changes
Real truth never changes, and the truth about government is that it is God who ordains it, leaders who are responsible for it, and citizens who are accountable to it. The privilege of being called Americans comes with significant responsibilities—to God, to each other, and to the world.
