Devotional Song: Go to this link – Please take your time to see a video of a poignant song performed by the group, Phillips, Craig, and Dean, Let My Words Be few, reminding us how we, as Christians, must do all we can to stand in awe of our God when we declare our love for Him by keeping our vows and promises.
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Highlight Passage: Ecclesiastes 5: 2-5… [Making vows or promises is serious business.] … [NKJV]
2 Do not be rash with your mouth, … And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; … Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, … And a fool’s voice is known by his many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; … For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
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Highlight Passage: Ecclesiastes 5: 1-7… GO TO THIS LINK … [NLT] …
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Reference Passage #1: Deuteronomy 23: 21-23 … [NLT] … GO TO THIS LINK … [God’s word is clear about the seriousness of taking/making vows.] …
Reference Passage #2: Psalms 50: 19-23 … [NLT] … GO TO THIS LINK … [There are always consequences for a loose tongue.] …
Reference Passage #3: Matthew 5: 33-37 … [NLT] … GO TO THIS LINK … [Jesus warns about making oaths.] …
My Journal for Today: The photo I’ve attached signifies a day in our past when two business men shaking hands was a contract of fidelity; and if promises or vows were made, both parties could count on the other to fulfill those promises. However, our culture now has devolved into one of distrust, even when contracts are made and signed.
We know that well over 50% of those who make/sign marriage contracts, which are binding, legal documents, break those vows and marriages must be dissolved. Wouldn’t you agree that we have gotten to a place where almost NO ONE believes ANY promises made by politicians, especially those running for office? And how many promises are made to God or before God between Christians; and those promises are just so many words (and actually, many too many words) with the oaths falling to broken contracts or dissolved relationships. And we know how difficult it is for trust between two parties, when marriage vows have been broken, to be repaired and for the parties to interact with any degree of trust again.
That is why Solomon in his later years, after living a life of broken promises to God, wrote what God’s Spirit inspired the King of Israel to write in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5 copied/linked above. And this theme of the seriousness of making vows and promises is echoed in many other places in Scripture (see the reference links above), even with Jesus weighing in on the subject in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5: 33-37 where He said, “Let you yes be yes and your no be no!”
In other words, when we make a promise to someone, especially under our New Covenant relationship with Christ, representing Him in all we say and do, we need to recognize that such vows are VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS! So today as we go about our business, and especially as we relate to those we love, as today’s devotional song declares, “let our words be few,” and let all we say be honest and true reflections of our love for our Savior and Lord.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, … let my words be few and true today. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online blog entitled Today God Is First [TGIF], authored by Os Hillman. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read Hillman’s TGIF blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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