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November 14 No Compromise

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It’s better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore, stand in awe of God. ~Ecclesiastes 5:4-7


Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 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. ~Matthew 5:33-37

This could be seen as another lesson in self-control. Be aware of who you are and know what you are offering to God. We live in a culture in which broken promises are the norm. Contracts have exit clauses. But even if they don’t, a good lawyer can usually find a way to justify breaking the contractual vow. To many, breaking a promise isn’t considered a lie anymore. As the winds change, so emotions change, taking commitment with them to other interests that are more appealing or easier to keep.

God, however, has not changed. Solomon’s words of warning are good ones here. If you make a promise to God and don’t follow through, it’s as if you have lied to Him, so be careful what you commit. Jesus echoes Solomon’s warning. which demonstrates that He knows how fickle the human heart is.

Just look at Peter, who said, with all of the intense emotion he could muster: “Lord, I am ready to go with You to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33) But Jesus knew better: “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:34) Jesus knew that Peter wouldn’t keep his promise, even though he felt it intensely in the moment.

“It’s better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” Self-control causes us to be careful and thoughtful about the promises we make to God. This is a sad statement of fact on our human condition, but it is good that we know ourselves before we sin, rather than find ourselves guilty of lying to our creator.

When we came to Cadillac, we received some wise advice from a fellow pastor who has really done amazing things in his ministry. Kathy and I have grown to love and respect him greatly. His advice to us was, “Set the bar low and live above it.” In other words, don’t over promise what you can do. Recognize your limitations, offer that, but daily strive to do better.

I think that the same should apply to our walk with the Lord. He is God. He already knows what we are capable of. As we offer to serve Him, offer what we know we can do, but don’t accept that place; rather, daily, strive to go beyond, do better and stretch beyond what you know you can do, to what you need His help to achieve. Don’t compromise. Don’t settle. But strive to improve, to be able to offer more to Him than you ever thought possible!

“Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your Holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord,who keeps his oath even when it hurts,who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalm 15:1-5

Prayer: Make my life a prayer to You. I want to do what you want me to. No empty words and no white lies. No token, prayers no compromise. I want to shine the light You gave. Through Your Son, Jesus, sent to save us from ourselves and our despair, Amen.

Song: No Compromise 



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