Keep your word

Jeremiah 34:¹⁵You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, ¹⁶but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves. ¹⁷"Therefore, thus says the LORD: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the LORD. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

1 John 5:² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

No one likes a person who goes back on his word. I think everyone in this world gets upset or thinks it is unfair when someone makes a commitment and then changes his or her mind. God hates this. God never goes back on His word. God never goes back on His covenant or promise. When the Hebrews promised God that they would proclaim liberty and they set all their slaves free, God was pleased. Then, they did something very sinful...they took back their slaves. They went back on everything they promised God. Obedience for the immediate moment is not true obedience. We cannot be obedient only when we feel like it and then when we don't want to be obedient anymore, we go back to whatever we think is best or whatever we want to do. If we truly love God, then we will keep His commandments. This is the evidence of our faith. Our love for God will keep us from going back on our word.

A perfect example of how I cannot go back on my word is my marriage to Hanzo. I've made a covenant with him and God that I'll be his wife until the day I die. If soon after I made those vows, I said, you know what...I've been obedient to this vow long enough, I'm not going to be your wife anymore, then I'd be proving more than anything else that I did not truly love Hanzo in the first place. Because I love God and I love Hanzo, I need to keep this covenant until I die. I'm not perfect however, I have, in the past, went back on my word before. It was not good. It was not blessed. I don't want to be like that ever again. When I say I will do something, then I must see it through until the end. Also, I must be careful of what I promise to do. If I take on too much, of course, I'll be obligated to fulfill all my promises. So, I need to know that if I truly love God, and I do, then I'll keep all His commands all the time, not just when I feel like it.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your unchanging ways. I thank You that You are the perfect promise keeper and that Your promises are good and full of life. Lord, I know that when You said You will never forsake me, that You meant it. You will take care of me and my family and so I have nothing to worry about. Lord, I ask that I be an obedient child of God. I ask that I keep my word out of my love for You. May I increase in my love for You, Lord. Show me today, how I can love You even more than yesterday. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.