September 10, Fulfill Your Vows

Today’s reading: Psalms 46-50

 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” - Psalm 50:14-15.

It is important that you treat God as you would any business partner. When you make a promise, you should keep it, and not break your word to Him just because you can’t see Him or because He is gracious. If you vowed to be more generous, keep your word. If you vowed to pray more, then pray. If you vowed to be a better spouse, parent, student, child, or worker, then work to fulfill what you promised to do or become. If you do that, then the promise in today’s passage is that God will answer you when you are in trouble. If you ignore your vows, then He will ignore you. Jesus encountered people who made promises, and then were unable to follow through:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father” (Luke 9:57-59).

Have you made a vow to God? Are you fulfilling it? If not, what are you going to do about it?