One warning I give to any of our new staff or interns is that in the life of self-supported ministry, there will always be a few people who say they are going to support you but never do. I am not sure why this is, but it happens. And it is always disappointing because you want to accept the word of people, particularly when you likely are to know them.
It is so easy to offer up a promise, but it is also easy to fail to fulfill it, particularly if we are more interested in how we are perceived than committed to the promise we’ve made. If someone tells me of difficulties they are having, I may be tempted to tell them I’ll pray for them because I don’t want to appear uncaring, but the reality may be I am not committed to following through. The same is true with commitments of financial support to missionaries. I know the need because someone I know has presented it to me. I may feel the compulsion to commit to give, but my heart is not really in it. If so, then it is more likely to become an empty promise.
When I was a child, I desperately wanted to take vacations around the country and so I pleaded with my dad to take me. His standard response was “next year.” I realized much later that he had no intention of taking me, but he didn’t want to disappoint me, so he opted to make a promise he had no intention of fulfilling.
James warns us of the dangers of being loose with our promises (5:12). As followers of the Lord, we follow One who is faithful in keeping His promises; thus, we should be faithful in doing the same. Whatever we promise, we should do, or else humbly confess and seek forgiveness when we fail to follow through on a commitment. And before making promises, we should consider the responsibility we have in Christ to fulfill them. We should not quickly promise something without thinking through our commitment to doing it.
Today, remember that if you are follower of Jesus, you represent Him who is faithful in all He promised. So consider carefully the promises you make. A promise made should be one that you keep.
© Jim Musser 2015
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