I’m attending a wedding today. It will be a rather odd thing for me, because I will have no responsibilities in the wedding. For obvious reasons, I perform most of the wedding ceremonies I attend.
But for this one I will be able to sit down with my family and enjoy the proceedings. I am certain that I will also take mental notes about the things that the pastor says and does. He may say or do something that I will want to incorporate into my wedding ceremonies. So I will be listening carefully.
Listening carefully at a wedding – now there’s a concept. When you attend a wedding do you listen carefully to the vows that are said? If you are married, did you listen carefully to your own vows?
Let’s be blunt for a moment. The fact of the matter is that our society as a whole no longer takes seriously the vows made at a wedding. We hear and repeat and give assent to such phrases as, “to death do us part,” “for better or worse,” “in sickness and in health” and “for richer and poorer.” And yet, the divorce rate continues to go up. I heard of one couple who decided to be more honest in the ceremony itself. They asked the preacher to change the phrase to, “until love ceases do us part.” I don’t know if the preacher consented to the change or not.
Here’s the problem in a nutshell. The reason the divorce rate continues to increase is that people are unwilling to keep their word. We see that when we have to sign our names 347 times to buy a car or a house.
People know that people do not keep their word. We live in a continual state of mistrust and distrust. And you might say for good reason. After all, people don’t keep their word.
How about you? Are you known as a person of your word? Do others trust you to do what you say?
Jesus told His followers that they should not swear, but, “Let your yes be yes.” He was telling them to be honest. He wanted them to be trustworthy. And He still wants the same from us today.
I want to challenge you to be a trustworthy person. I want you to keep your word. Start with your family. Then be honest with your coworkers. Finally, make it a point to do what you say wherever you are.
That is God’s intent for us all. We can change our part of the world if we will be faithful and true. The good news is this: God is always faithful and true. We can count on Him.
But for this one I will be able to sit down with my family and enjoy the proceedings. I am certain that I will also take mental notes about the things that the pastor says and does. He may say or do something that I will want to incorporate into my wedding ceremonies. So I will be listening carefully.
Listening carefully at a wedding – now there’s a concept. When you attend a wedding do you listen carefully to the vows that are said? If you are married, did you listen carefully to your own vows?
Let’s be blunt for a moment. The fact of the matter is that our society as a whole no longer takes seriously the vows made at a wedding. We hear and repeat and give assent to such phrases as, “to death do us part,” “for better or worse,” “in sickness and in health” and “for richer and poorer.” And yet, the divorce rate continues to go up. I heard of one couple who decided to be more honest in the ceremony itself. They asked the preacher to change the phrase to, “until love ceases do us part.” I don’t know if the preacher consented to the change or not.
Here’s the problem in a nutshell. The reason the divorce rate continues to increase is that people are unwilling to keep their word. We see that when we have to sign our names 347 times to buy a car or a house.
People know that people do not keep their word. We live in a continual state of mistrust and distrust. And you might say for good reason. After all, people don’t keep their word.
How about you? Are you known as a person of your word? Do others trust you to do what you say?
Jesus told His followers that they should not swear, but, “Let your yes be yes.” He was telling them to be honest. He wanted them to be trustworthy. And He still wants the same from us today.
I want to challenge you to be a trustworthy person. I want you to keep your word. Start with your family. Then be honest with your coworkers. Finally, make it a point to do what you say wherever you are.
That is God’s intent for us all. We can change our part of the world if we will be faithful and true. The good news is this: God is always faithful and true. We can count on Him.