“Better it is that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Ecc. 5:5
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“I baked it just for you. It was my grandmother’s special recipe.” A moist pineapple cake is thrust into my hands before I have the chance to protest.
My low-carb diet is no secret and part of me is annoyed that Barbie went through so much trouble for something that we are both restricted from eating. I feel a slight twinge of guilt as I set the cake on the counter out of my sight and reach.
She ignores my slick move and cuts off a thin slice. With the grace of a ballerina, she smoothly presents it on a plate in front of me.
“Oh, just have a bite. It won’t hurt.” She giggles with delight as her eyes dance in anticipation. Barbie dives right into the thick yellow slice on her own plate with reckless abandon.
As her eyes bug-out from sugar ecstasy, my stomach starts to growl. But, I stay firmly grounded in my refusal. Until I reach my goal of loosing these last five pounds, no indulgence will pass my lips.
Barbie herself had also vowed to go carb-free with me just one week ago. She has wanted to loose weight for quite a while and we promised to keep each other accountable.
Ecc. 5:5 states an important fact that many people brush off as just a trivial slip-up. The promises we speak with our lips matter. They not only reflect how honorable and trustworthy we are to others, they also pave the way for how we feel about ourselves.
If we tend to speak empty words that we have no intention of following through on, we do ourselves a disservice. We make it harder to believe that change is actually possible. This solidifies future defeat. How can we trust ourselves to be successful when our track record reflects that we are not capable?
What do you want? Define it, go for it and don’t short yourself by not following through. Good things come to those who work—never to those who only wait for them to get good.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I admit that I have become complacent. I have made so many promises in the past that I have never kept. Some, I had every intention of keeping, some I did not.
At any rate, my word is my honor and it is shameful to admit that I have very little honor in my words.
I want that to change. I need your help. Can you help me to be a person of my word? Can you give me a heart that craves to not only speak the truth, but to hear the truth as well? Can you give me lips that will build me a good reputation, not one that is unreliable?
There are many slick talkers out there, but I want a life that is different. I want a life of substance. In Jesus’ precious name, bless me with this. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional.
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan