"Keeping The Covenant"
If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23
After World War II, Albert Gubay was dismissed from Britain's Royal Navy.If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23
A devout Catholic, Gubay was thankful he had survived the war. On the other hand, he was saddened by the fact his entire earthly fortune amounted to about 80 pounds. Even though a British pound was worth quite a bit more back then, it still wasn't enough to make a man consider himself rich.
That was when Gubay made a pact with God. He said, "Make me a millionaire and You can have half of my money."
To make a long story short, God made Gubay a millionaire ... and then He made him a billionaire. And as for Albert's oath? Albert Gubay is going to keep his word. That's right, when Gubay dies half of his money will go to causes selected by the Roman Catholic Church and his business trustees.
When I read that story, I wondered if God was surprised to see a sinner who actually decided to keep his word. Now I don't want to sound down on humanity, but our track record in that regard isn't all that good.
If you doubt me, talk to your pastor. Ask him about the percentage of baptismal and confirmation vows which are broken and the tragedy when wedding commitments are set aside. Truly, it is a mark of our sinfulness that we can so easily make promises to God and each other and even more readily forget those commitments.
Thankfully, our imperfections do not stop or stifle God from keeping His Word.
God promised to send the world a Savior, and He kept that promise in the person and the sacrifice of Jesus. He promised all who believe on Jesus as their Redeemer will be forgiven and saved.
It is a promise He has kept tens and hundreds of millions of times. Look as hard as you want and try to find a time when God set aside His promises.
This is just one of the reasons He is God and we are not, and it is one of the reasons we can absolutely trust Him and the things He tells us in His Holy Word.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks Your reliability is not dependent upon my faithfulness. I rejoice Your promises made to the fallen children of men have been fulfilled in the Person of the Christ. Now I ask the Holy Spirit to rest upon me that my word may also be one which can be trusted. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
