TITLE: H0noring Commitments May 12, 2015 By Yolanda Payne 05/12/15 |
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On Monday morning “Honey, on Thursday, will you take me to my doctor’s office?” Ann’s mother asked. “Sure mom, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go” Ann immediately replied, but she failed to ask her mother about the time she desired Ann to pick her up. On Thursday morning when she awoke Ann felt somewhat discouraged. She questioned her agreement to take her mother to her doctor’s office. “Why did I agree to take her somewhere?”she mourned. Actually she did not want to give her mother a ride to her doctor’s appointment. She merely agreed to her request because she felt obligated. She pretended her willingness when actually she did not want to go with her mother.
Like Ann, sometimes we make commitments without careful reflection. We pretend to be willing because of our desire to perform “expected” behavior. It’s only after such a commitment has been made and we begin to inwardly complain.
We often rashly make commitments involving church activities, etc. without considering what is expected and our ability to perform as expected. Sometimes individuals make commitments to work as missionaries before understanding the activities of a missionary. Commitments made may be sincere, but problems often arise when those commitments are made haltingly without considering the consequences. When asked some will grudgingly agree to go while inwardly they desire not to go. Let’s think about the responses of the two brothers when asked to complete a task by their father. One immediately responded yes and the other responded no. Later the brother who answered no changed his mind and honored his father’s wishes. He did what he was asked to do. The brother who immediately responded yes failed to perform his father’s wishes. Jesus asked which brother perfumed his father’s will. All agreed the brother who completed the desired behavior honored his father’s request and not the one who merely agreed but failed complete the desired behavior. He failed to honor the commitment he had made.
During his ministry on earth, Jesus emphasized that we should consider the consequences before rushing into war. The same goes with our readiness to make commitments before considering the consequences of those commitments and our ability to fulfill those commitments. Commitments made should be honored. It’s better to delay a commitment than to make a commitment and not honor it.
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