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How Much do you Value Your
Word?
We all desire to be like God our
Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. This
is our goal, our mission statement, and the goal placed before us.
As Jesus exhorted us, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as
your Father in heaven is perfect”.
I would like to discuss one character trait of our Father that we
should be striving to exemplify. It is the character that is revealed in
His “word”. Can you trust
God’s word? Does He do what
He says He will do? The
scriptures are full of examples of “the word of the LORD” speaking to
God’s servants. God’s word
has always been sure even though it has not always been believed.
Isaiah speaks of God’s word in this way, “The word of our God
stands forever”. That’s
powerful! That’s truly an
attribute of our Father we can trust…His word!
How well do we reflect this Godly trait in our lives?
Where do we see the reflection of “our word” displayed in our
lives? How well can others
trust and depend in your word? Unfortunately
we live in a society where the integrity of a person’s “word” is a
thing of the past. It used to
be that a man’s hand shake and his word was all one needed to trust an
agreement. Just think of all
the paper that would not be wasted if this was the case today.
However, in this day and age we are so far removed from that type
of character in many areas of our lives.
What does it mean to “give your word”?
Is your word a commitment on what you have just spoken, or are your
words thrown around casually with little truth or integrity?
Here are just a few examples that might come to mind when we
consider our word. How often
do people say they would like to do something, when in reality, they
really have no intention of doing so?
How often do people actually say they will do something, but then
don’t do it? How often do
people make a commitment to an activity, but then don’t show up?
How often do people show up late for an activity that has a
starting time? How often do
people exaggerate or alter the facts leading others to believe something
that is not true? How
often do we make passing comments like “I’ll call you” or “I’ll
pray for you” and then we don’t do it?
How often do we commit to more than one activity because we don’t
want to say “no” and then don’t follow through on our word? Are
these not all examples of how our “word” is used haphazardly and
without integrity? Should we
be more careful to consider every word that we speak and make it as
truthful and accurate as possible?
David said, “the entirety of your word is truth” (Psa. 119:160),
and Jesus said, “Sanctify them by your truth.
Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
We are to hold fast to the word of God because we know it is true.
We should also follow His example of speaking truth always.
Our “word” is important. Do
we give it the value it is due and can it be said about you, “He is a
man (or woman) of his word”?
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