Jul
4
2013
Empty Promises
Posted in Daily Living 2 Comments
They were known as exercise sandals.
A wooden base with a simple leather strap across the top.
The wood base had strategically placed bumps for your toes; indentations for your heels.
Walk in these shoes and you were sure to have toned legs.
The commercials always had leggy models walking happily down the street.
I wanted a red pair.
I saved my babysitting money and bought them.
They were horribly uncomfortable and I was extremely sorry I wasted my money.
I did my test walk around the neighborhood.
I tried to walk in that leggy kind of way.
My foot slipped out of the wonderful exercise sandal and I tripped and fell.
My red brush burned knees perfectly matched the red strap across the top of the shoe!
A suntan lotion promised you an overnight tan.
My Irish skin that always burns and freckles thought this was the solution.
I bought a tube and applied it at night.
I woke up to find orange skin, orange sheets, orange pajamas, and no tan.
Spray this product on your hair and sit in the sun.
Natural highlights will appear.
Possibly…unless you are in terribly hot sun for a long period of time.
Orange highlights anyone?
Live and learn some might say.
I say empty promises.
Empty promises in wedding vows that are discarded when opportunity knocks.
Empty promises in product warranties with details hidden in the fine print.
Empty promises in politicians that change into someone else when elected.
Is anything trustworthy anymore?
Does anyone say what they mean and mean what they say?
Above all, my brothers, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” no, or you will be condemned. (James 5:12)
It is hard to imagine that there was ever a day when a handshake alone was enough.
Your word was everything.
Your integrity was based on the trustworthiness of your word.
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostle’s feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard about what happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “this is the price.” Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. (Acts 5:1-10)
Ananias and Sapphira were not punished for holding back the money.
It was theirs to do with what they wanted.
They were punished for lying about it.
Their word meant nothing.
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 11:3)
Duplicity. Deceitfulness. Double Dealing.
As believers in the Lord Jesus, our word should reflect Him.
The world needs to see the difference.
It cannot be business as usual.
We have to hold out a better way.
The world needs to see we are sold out for God!
Sold out because God’s Promises are not empty.
Sold out because God’s Word is true.
Sold out because God said what He meant and meant what He said.
Sold out because The WORD is JESUS!
And Jesus can be trusted.
Nothing about Him is empty.
Jesus is God the Father’s promise…fulfilled!
Great message, thanks! We bought a dining room set; oak table with 5 leaves and 8 chairs custom made from an Amish man a few years ago just on a handshake. He had already been cheated by another man but trusted me to come back. Of course I did. We may always trust in God; He will never break his promise to us!
Al,
How wonderful…business done the old fashioned way!
What a testimony to God that YOUR word was trustworthy…and you went back when you said you would.
Gina