Walk with God

The Christian experience is often described as a journey rather than a destination. Characterized by movement, adventure and discovery, life is not a peek from a stationary observation deck. The 91st psalm says, “The Lord watches over the sojourners; He upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin” (Psalm 91:11 ESV).

How is God aware of our “way” in our circumstances? What step does God want you to take?

Are you in need of substantial help to motivate or enable you to keep your promises – especially those you make to God? You are not alone. Consistently keeping promises requires support from others who are seeking the same goal. Some thirty years ago, the Promise Keepers organization was formed to enhance your ability to do so. Founded in 1990 by Bill McCartney, former coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. His teams won a national title, along with three consecutive Big Eight championships (1989-1991).

The Promises Keepers articulate seven key promises that help form the integrity of a Christian man.  There are other resources on their site to help you strengthen your character and your faith.

promises that matter

The Promise Keepers’ organization is built around the foundation of God’s Word. Since the very beginning, the group has held these seven promises in esteem about how to commit themselves to applying God’s Word in their lives. Let’s look at each of the promises in detail.

A Promise Keeper is …

  1. A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus through worship, prayer and obedience to God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 95:1-7, Proverbs 3:5-6).

We understand honoring someone through our actions. We honor – give God glory – through our worship and prayer, and through how obedient we are to His Word. But we realize we do a pathetic job unless we rely upon the Holy Spirit. When we do these things right, the results are promises kept.

  1. A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises (Ecclesiastes 4:12, Hebrews 10:24, 3 John 3-4).

We need each other. The phrase “one another” is used about a hundred times in ninety-four verses in the New Testament. Solomon offers two powerful analogies: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV) and “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV).

  1. A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity (Hebrews 4:15-16, Micah 6:6-8, Romans 6:19).

One of the most famous and long-lasting advertising slogans in American history touted that Ivory Soap was “99 44/100% pure. No additives or chemicals, not even bubbles of air, pure soap which allows it to float. The name was created by Harley Procter, the founder’s son, who was inspired by Psalm 45:8 KJV.

  1. A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and biblical values (Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 6:4, Mark 10:6-9).

Many point to the breakdown of the family as the source of a host of civilization’s problems. A promise keeper would agree.

A Promise Keeper understands …

  1. A Promise Keeper understands that Jesus calls him to be His hands and feet, serving others with integrity. He purposely lifts up the leadership of the church and his nation in prayer (Acts 4:32-37, Romans 12:4-8, 1 Peter 4:8-11).

Serving is a foundational thread in the teaching and earthly ministry of Jesus. The desire to keep promises connects praying for leaders with the ability to carry out a promise. We need our leaders to make the right decisions so we can follow.

  1. A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity (Psalm 133:1, Ephesians 2:14, Colossians 3:14).

The heart of the prayers of Jesus and Paul is that the church would be united. Today we see the effects of a divided nation, and such a nation cannot stand. We need each other, battling arm in arm, to make this work.

  1. A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission (Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 28:19-20, 2 John 4-6).

The last words given to the disciples by Jesus before He ascended into heaven encouraged and challenged them to make disciples. As they were going – through the normal avenues of life – they were to influence the world, casting a ray of light to those languishing in darkness. The influence was to help turn people away from the darkness and gently, with love, nudge them to the real truth found in God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ.

“Promises to Obey – assembling a ‘to do’ list,” from the lesson series, Return from Babylon | scattered & gathered, June 2020

 

 

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our Scripture

Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.

We obligate ourselves to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord (ESV);

 

New American Standard Bible: Nehemiah 9:38 NASB, Nehemiah 10:28-29 NASB, Nehemiah 10:35 NASB

New International Version: Nehemiah 9:38 NIV, Nehemiah 10:28-29 NIV, Nehemiah 10:35 NIV

The Message: Nehemiah 9:38 MESSAGE, Nehemiah 10:28-29 MESSAGE, Nehemiah 10:35 MESSAGE

New Living Translation: Nehemiah 9:38 NLT, Nehemiah 10:28-29 NLT, Nehemiah 10:35 NLT

 

our lesson

Do you keep or break promises? If you break them, you are certainly not alone. We have all broken promises before – to our family, our friends and to God. Broken promises have a disastrous effect on our relationships with others and within ourselves.

Enjoy a one page summary of the lesson. You can print copies for use with your group.

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[su_pullquote align=”right”]Points to Ponder

1) How do you feel when someone breaks a promise to you? What does it do to the relationship that you have with the person?

2) Sometimes promises are broken for legitimate reasons. When this happens, how do you explain that you will do your best to not let it happen again? How can you best ask for forgiveness?

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why do we break promises

So why do we continue to break promises? First, most people begin with good intentions. We want to please the people that we know and love. We want to do a good job at work or school. While there are some people who intentionally mislead others, most just aren’t able to follow through.

Second, we make our promises based on what our “best self” would do in the circumstance. But our “best self” is rarely at work in keeping the promise. Begin today to work toward keeping your word. If remembering is a problem, find some high tech ways to be reminded of the actions that are needed. Explore the reasons behind why you have difficulties keeping your word.

[su_pullquote]Verse to Memorize

For all the promises of God find their “Yes” in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV). [/su_pullquote]

promises to Nehemiah

For Nehemiah, the people of faith signed a covenant to live their lives with God. First they agreed to walk with God. Henry Ford once said, “Those who walk with God always reach their destination.”

 

[su_pullquote align=”right”]Words to Wrangle

The people of God are called out to be a people who are different than the world. We are a part of the covenant between God and man. The idea of the covenant was a written affirmation of the verbal agreement. The signatures of both parties made the agreement legally binding. Have you entered into such a covenant with God? Have you thought about writing down what you agree to keep as a part of your covenant? [/su_pullquote]

 

Next they promised to observe all the commandments of the Lord. Don’t you love how Nehemiah writes the phrase “the commandments of the Lord, our Lord?” We see things all the time, but there are times when we pay attention and times that we don’t. There are times we see God as almost impersonal – away from us, perhaps watching, reigning from afar. But there are times when we understand it is personal – this is our God, He is concerned with my welfare. He wants me to succeed.

Finally, the people pledged to obey. It takes more than observation of God’s ways, it takes actually doing what He asks. The word implies being compelled by a legal or moral duty, but it is actually a term used in biology.We need to obey because it is our very nature.

pledging to God

[su_pullquote align=”right”]Conclusions to Consider

1) A primary truth in this lesson is we keep our promises because of the certainty of God’s promises. Make a list of promises that God has made and how you recognize they were kept and fulfilled? Can you share one example of how God has kept a promise to you?

2) We can trust God, no matter the circumstance, because God always keeps His promises. Would you agree or disagree? Why? Do we really believe that statement?

3) We are participants in the new covenant with God. In what ways have you put your signature on the dotted line of the contract? [/su_pullquote]

 

It describes something that is restricted to a particular function because of its purpose and design. The lungs are made to breathe air, not water. We are obligated to be faithful and obedient to God by design.

 

The declaration is made by the entire company of people,  filling in the blanks that are implied  in Nehemiah 9:38. Everyone, from the oldest down to the youngest who could understand, was standing before God and sharing in this oath. They reinforced the oath with a curse, in essence calling down disaster if they should go back on their word.

 

 

Return from Babylon: Lesson Four
 sub-lessons
Want to take your study to a deeper level? The images to the right represent ten “sub-lessons,” each supporting the theme in today’s lesson.
Click on an image and you will be taken to another page of content. Pick as many as you like. If you have a small group that meets two weeks apart, there is a study for each week day.

 

We all spend time asking the bigger questions about life. A believer understands that all truth is God’s truth. It is a principle that masters all of education. While an unbeliever may have discovered the consistency of natural behavior, a clear perspective on culture can only be seen through the lens of faith. A Christian worldview accepts the beginning, the life lived in the middle and the ending are best interpreted by the presence of God.

How have some pursued truth, and what are we doing to applaud their quest?

Does the world think that it is a big deal to keep promises? Listen to what others have said about keeping promises.

People with good intentions make promises. People with good character keep them. Michael Josephson

I know that it is a bad thing to break a promise, but I think now that it is a worse thing to let a promise break you. Jennifer Donnelly

People ask me why it is so hard to trust people. I ask them why it is so hard to keep a promise. Wiz Khalifa

Promises are empty words if you’re not keeping them. Mike Ditka

Don’t respect someone for making a promise. Respect them for keeping it. Unknown

Keep every promise you make and only make promises you can keep. Anthony Hitt

Promises mean everything. But when they are broken, sorry means nothing. Unknown.

Promises are like the full moon. If they are not kept at once, they diminish day by day. Ancient Proverb

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost

Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing. Edmund Burke

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes … but no plans. Peter Drucker

Promises are like crying babies at a theater; they should be carried out at once. Norman Vincent Peale

How can you tell that the world values “keeping your promises?” Can affirming the importance and value of promises be a way to introduce someone to Christ? What does it say to the world when a Christian breaks a promise? How does breaking our promises to the world affect our witness to the world?

 

Click on this image to return to the main page for Lesson Four: Promises to Obey

easter blossoms and sunrise

Promises Kept

There are times, seasons perhaps, in my life when I reflect on the things that are important and of value. The death of a friend or family member causes me to ponder the meaning and purpose of life and the possibility of life after death. […]

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