Follow Through On Promises Made To God

A friend of mine shared that he had been ill since birth. As he grew older, his condition worsened, prompting him to pray to God for healing, as many of us might do. Along with his request, he promised to dedicate the rest of his life to serving God's kingdom if his disease were to be removed. Thankfully, God answered his prayers, and my friend kept his promise to serve the Lord until his passing.

Whether we have dire circumstances or not, we want to be the type of people who follow through on our spiritual commitments. When our heavenly Father speaks, we want to listen and obey without delay.

During Holy Week, Jesus shared this poignant story to emphasize an essential aspect of the Christian life:

Matthew 21:28-32 says, "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 29 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the Father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did what his Father wanted? 'The first,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.'"

Jesus told this story about two sons who were asked to work in a vineyard. The first son initially refused to go to work but later changed his mind and went. The second son said he would work, but failed to follow through. Jesus compared the second son to the religious leaders of his time, who spoke the right words but took no action. Interestingly, the first son was likened to tax collectors and prostitutes, who were viewed as the lowest members of society. Jesus emphasized that genuine commitment involves more than just religious words; it requires real actions.

With this in mind, we must be careful not to prioritize outward religious appearance over inward devotion to God.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 tells us, “When you make a promise to God, don't delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all your promises to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.”