DEVOTION ~ KEEPING TO THE PROMISE

Theme: Keeping to the Promise 

Text: Jeremiah 35:5-11

⁵ Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Drink wine.” ⁶ But they said, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, you nor your sons, forever. ⁷ You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.’ ⁸ Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, ⁹ nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; nor do we have vineyard, field, or seed. ¹⁰ But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. ¹¹ But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, ‘Come, let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians.’ So we dwell at Jerusalem.”

Making promises is easier than keeping them. Whatever you promised to do or keep, must be honored as such. As children of the Most High, we have a charge to keep and a God to glorify. We must honour the Lord by obeying His instructions and doing His will. Our lives must glorify God and show the world, really we are the true children of our Father.

Like the Rechabites, you need to know and understand what promises you have made or called to keep. If you don't know much about the promise, it is difficult to keep to it. Jeremiah the prophet offered the Rechabites wine to drink in the House of God. At least the place where the wine was offered should have given them the notion, it's in the Lord's presence they are drinking it so it doesn't matter. However, to them the place it is offered doesn't matter like the instruction given and the promise to keep to it. That should be the attitude of all believers when enticed to sin or go contrary to God's will. 

Have you been able to keep to the promises you made to God? Why are you struggling to keep them? Is it that you easily forget about it or you don't know the essence of keeping to the promise? To help you, whenever you make a promise, write it down indicating the time, place and reason for making such promises. Display it at a place you can easily see and read it as often as you can. Do well to always reflect on it whenever you want to make a decision whether it will go against your promise to the Lord. If it will, decline on the decision and ask for grace to make the right decision. You're a sojourner on this earth: naked you came and in the same way you will return. Your desire should be to build God's will in your life than accumulating earthly riches. Your tent must be the habitation of the Holy Spirit. 

Prayer: Father, Your charge I have to keep and to glorify You as well. Forgive me for not keeping to Your instructions. I've done what pleased me in time past. But today, I pray the strength to be able to do Your  will. Holy Spirit divine help me to be faithful in obeying God's instructions like how the Rechabites obeyed the command of their fathers. Thank You for making me anew and giving me chance to do Your will. In Jesus' name have I prayed. AMEN!