Swear!

 Matthew 23: 19         ESV

²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

Debbie and I had a life planning meeting the night before last, with a delightful young couple.

They are planning to be married, and we are helping them discover what it means to make and keep a promise.

A part of some of the greatest disappointments in this life, are when folks say they will do things, then they don’t follow through.

Something the young man said, keeps echoing in my heart.

“If I give God my word, that’s very serious stuff.”

And yet we can stand in the waters of baptism, and proclaim our life is going to be different.

There are times when we leave the waters of baptism, and the promises made are quickly forgotten.

I wonder if our promises are sometimes made with conditions on them?

“I’ll keep my promise alright, as long as it works out swell for me.”

Maybe that’s why Jesus had a problem with the Pharisees?

They had made a lifelong promise to love God without any condition. (Deuteronomy 6: 5)

I heard at a wedding Deb and I attended last Friday night, when the Pastor said to the bride and groom...

“A covenant made in the presence of God, can never be broken.”

I wonder if I’ve ever made a promise to God, with my fingers crossed behind my back?

I told God that I would love Him with my full heart, soul and strength...for all of my life.

I need to consider how well I’m keeping up my end of the bargain...