Are you a person of your word?

Simply put, God wants us to be people that stick to our promises. Any words that pass our lips are a personal vow to God. Breaking a vow with God is a sin. In 1 John 2:5, it says that “whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected”. Any intentional statement to someone is a promise, any promise is a vow, and any vow is sacred.

Why do Christians often get a reputation of being “hypocrites”? Well, of course we are all human, no-one is perfect, and we don’t claim to be perfect. It may appear to be quite a harsh label, but I really believe it’s mainly because our words are often not congruent with our actions.

I believe that as Christians, we should be known and respected as people who do not stray from what we say. I believe this is an extremely important aspect of leadership. How can people respect you if your words are of no value? In order to be respected by those around us, we must ensure that our actions listen to our words every single time. 60% of the time is not good enough here. If you’re coming from a base of 20%, then sure, following through on promises 60% of the time is great progress, but we really need to be pillars of reliability with everything we say. That may be achieved by simply speaking less, or by making a concerted effort to follow through on “empty gestures”.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been guilty countless times of empty gestures, or “words for words sake”, knowing fully that I didn’t intend to act upon what I had just stated I would “definitely” do. It’s a habit I’m not proud of! For example, “ah yes, we’ll definitely meet again for coffee soon” or “I will definitely do the dishes later” or “I will definitely work on my assignments this weekend”. Sometimes words just come out because they seem appropriate at the time, but to be honourable Christians (or just honourable people in general), we need to follow through on the contract we have been bound to by our words. It’s certainly on my agenda for improvement this year… you have my word! ;-)

How amazing is it to know that we can stand by every word that came from Jesus? How incredible is it that we can trust Him to fulfil all of His promises? Let’s follow His lead… By becoming people of our word, we can make significant strides in personal growth, leadership, and most significantly, leading a life that God has called us to lead.

Let’s do it together!

Peace Amigos!

Jordz