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Broken Promises

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it.  He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.  (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)

This verse pierces me deep down to the soul.  It forces me to think about all those times I brought empty promises before the Lord:  “Dear Lord, if you could please help me through X, I’ll do Y in return.”  Time and time again, the Lord helps me through X, but I never even attempt to fulfill Y.  Why on earth do I do that??  Do I not take my promises to the Lord seriously?  Do I consider Him so loving and forgiving that I find it acceptable to break my vows to Him? 

The truth is, I would do almost anything to avoid breaking a vow to a family member or friend, but when it comes to the Lord I am considerably lax.  This is something I must make every effort to change – not for the Lord’s sake but for my own.  The Lord doesn’t need anything from me, but I need all He has to give:  His fellowship, His wisdom, His strength, His mercy, His forgiveness…

Perhaps someday I’ll make a vow to never make an empty promise to the Lord again.  Hopefully I’m never that foolish, unless I mean it with every fabric of my being.   

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