Walking with the Wise #462: Keep Your Promises

“A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it

is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.”

—Proverbs 25:14 (NLT)

Promises promises. Words are easy. You can say anything you want, provided you don’t have to do what you say. We have become accustomed to people promising one thing and doing another. We have done it ourselves. But that is not the way of the Christ life. The Christ life consists of those who “keep their promises even when it hurts”—Psalm 15:4 (NLT).

Making a promise and failing to fulfill it is like a farmer with joyful excitement expectedly looking to the clouds in anticipation of rain for his thirsty crops. Once the clouds pass by without rain, he feels disappointed, hurt and frustrated. Promising something is an act of love and compassion, an act whereby we put ourselves on the line to deliver something to the one being promised. They sense that love and then build expectations of joy on that promise. Failing to fulfill our promise is to make them feel unloved and uncared for—and disparages our name and the name of the one who bought us, namely Christ.

Our responsibility is to keep our word, even when it hurts, making sure as much as humanly possible to bring about the promises we give—no matter how painful or difficult it is, or how long it may take.

Do you make promises you can’t keep? Have you hurt someone by failing to fulfill your word? It is better to make no promises whatsoever than promises you know you can’t keep. Love those whom you have promised enough to keep it. And if it is impossible, go to them as quickly as possible, apologize to them and ask their forgiveness for disappointing and hurting them. Be a person of integrity and show by your life (and especially your promises) that you are faithful, and by keeping your word, you will also show Christ to be faithful as well, and He will receive glory because of your faithfulness. Amen.