VOWS

This can be wonderful feeling when you make this kind of promise. And you can even feel so wonderful that you can end up going out and boasting to the world about you faith and commitment.

Then comes the day when you actually face the uncomfortable issue of reality. That is when there occurs a RISK. Suddenly when there is a price to pay things may not seem quite as thrilling at otherwise. You find yourself in the corridor of possible danger. And that is when you have to face the truth of choice.

The longer one endures in one’s faith the more reality is a memory we don’t forget. We become more cautious about such things at making vows because there is a risk to such vow.

Plus there is another danger too. You can incur the risk of judgment from the Lord if you make a vow and in the beginning do it just to impress without actually trying to keep it.

Such a situation can be seen in the scriptures with the New Testament account in the book of Acts of Ananias and Sapphira. There was an incident mentioned where some of the members sold property and gave the money to the church, which was under such terrible persecution and difficulty.

It was a voluntary act and nobody was required to do it, but this couple decided to participate. So they sold this property and gave the money to the church. Only they held back some of it without mentioning it to the disciples.

God revealed their deception to the Apostles through the power of his holy spirit and the costs to the couple for lying was that they died. They did get punished for not giving the entire amount, but for lying because their motives were basically greedy in nature.

The message I think we have to learn from all of this is to be honest in our commitments. God doesn’t expect with a vow for us to do the impossible, but he does expect us to be faithful to what we say. It is an extension of our faith.

Today it is easy in so many ways to not be honest and worry about one’s commitments. We can rationalize such behavior because no one is watching. But we forget that God has warned of how he views a false witness with such terrible hate and judgment.

Unfortunately some people can’t resist the need to gleam some attention for themselves even if that attention is based on deception. We may even succeed in doing so in this life without consequences.

However, eternity does await and with the Lord he has all eternity to be sure we are either punished or rewarded for such choices. I pray we seek with an open heart the path, which God sees as pleasing.