Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them. (Ps. 76:11)

WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY that places less value on keeping one’s word. Politicians have always made grand claims when seeking office; now we expect them to lie about both their intentions and their character. Advertisers have always had a loose relationship with the truth; but now we have no confidence that a “thirty-year shingle” will last for three decades or that a “money-back guarantee” will be honored.

We seem no better at keeping our word. An appointment with a doctor or dentist, once a sort of sacred obligation, is now more of a loose plan. “I’ll be there if nothing else comes up in the meantime.” Bankruptcy lawyers have done a booming business in recent years as nearly 1.5 million people each year determine that they cannot honor their word by repaying their debts.

God is always faithful. He keeps His word, to the letter, every time. And He calls us to enter a sacred covenant with Him.

Believe in Him, regardless of your circumstances. Honor Him with all of the choices you make, regardless of “what comes up” in the meantime. Offer your entire life to Him, with no “escape clause” held in the back of your mind. When you follow your own path, you’ll zigzag from one crisis or desire to another. When you make a promise to the Lord and keep it, your life will be blessed. Really.

Make a promise to God today, and determine to keep it.

Lawrence W. Wilson is a pastor, author, blogger, and avid cyclist from Fishers, Indiana. He is the author of A Different Kind of Crazy (WPH).