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Keeping Your Word
March 11, 1942, was a dark, desperate day at Corregidor. The Pacific theater of war was threatening and bleak. One island after another had been buffeted into submission. The enemy was now marching into the Philippines as confident and methodical as the star band in the Rose Bowl parade. Surrender was inevitable. The brilliant and bold soldier, Douglas MacArthur, had only three words for his comrades as he stepped into the escape boat destined for Australia:
I SHALL RETURN.
Upon arriving nine days later in the port of Adelaide, the sixty-two-year-old military statesman closed his remarks with this sentence:
I CAME THROUGH AND I SHALL RETURN.
A little over 21/2 years later—October 20, 1944, to be exact—he stood once again on Philippine soil after landing safely at Leyte Island. This is when he said:
This is the voice of freedom, General MacArthur speaking. People of the Philippines: I HAVE RETURNED!
MacArthur kept his word. His word was as good as his bond. Regardless of the odds against him, including the pressures and power of enemy strategy, he was bound and determined to make his promise good.
This rare breed of man is almost extinct. Whether an executive or an apprentice, a student or a teacher, a blue- or white-collar worker, a Christian or a pagan—rare indeed are those who keep their word. The prevalence of the problem has caused the coining of terms painfully familiar to us in our era: credibility gap. To say that something is “credible” is to say it is “capable of being believed, trustworthy.” To refer to a “gap” in such suggest a “breach or a reason for doubt.”
Jurors often have reason to doubt the testimony of a witness on the stand. Parents, likewise, have reason to doubt at times to doubt the promises of politicians, and the credibility of an employee’s word is questioned by the employer. Creditors can no longer believe a debtor’s verbal promise to pay and many a mate has ample reason to doubt the word of his or her partner. This is a terrible dilemma! Precious few do what they say they will do without a reminder, a warning, or a threat. Unfortunately, this is true even among Christians.
Listen to what the Scriptures have to say about keeping your word:
“Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.” (Ephesians 4:25 NKJV)
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17 NKJV)
1) “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 2) He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;” (Psalm 15:1-2 NKJV)
“Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:5 NKJV)
“If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:2 NKJV)
Questioning: Judging yourself on this matter of keeping your word, are you bridging or widening the credibility gap? Are you encouraging or discouraging others? Let me help you answer that by using four familiar situations.
- When you reply, “Yes, I’ll pray for you”—do you?
- When you tell someone they can depend on you to help them out—can they?
- Whey you say you’ll be there at such-and-such a time—are you?
- When you obligate yourself to pay a debt on time—do you?
Granted, no one’s perfect. But if you fail, do you own up to it? Do you quickly admit your failure to the person you promised and refuse to rationalize around it? If you do, you are really rare…but a person of genuine integrity. And one who is an encouragement and can encourage others.
Do you know something? I know another One wo promised He would return. He, too, will keep His word. In fact, He’s never broken one promise. There’s no credibility gap with Him.
Do you know something? I know another One who promised He would return. He, too, will keep His word. In fact, He’s never broken one promise. There’s no credibility gap with Him. He will return!
Deepening Your Roots
1 Chronicles 17:16-27; 2 Chronicles 6:12-15; Psalm 145:13
Branching Out
- What’s a promise you made someone but have failed to keep?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Go back and keep that promise this week, or let the person know the time and date you expect to fill that unfulfilled promise.
- Make a promise to someone today…and fulfill it.
- Find a promise in Scripture and write it down here. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Claim it for yourself. Encourage yourself.
