You first heard it when you were a child, "Now, I want you to promise me...."
".....you'll listen to your older sister!"
".....you won't get into the cookies."
".....You'll come right home after school!"
".....you'll be good for Grandma."
Of course, these types of promises weren't always freely given. You were requested to make them.
As you grew up, you might have learned to "use" promises yourself: "I promise....really!," or, "Hey, you promised!" Or, "Please promise me you won't tell." Promises eventually become an important part of friendships, showing trust. You even might have exchanged a promise ring with a special friend.
Simply stated, a promise is an agreement to do something or not to do something. The word promise or promised, (according to app research), appears in Scripture over a hundred times. In Psalm 15, David reveals the incredible value of keeping a promise.
* Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill? Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere. Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the lord,keeps a promise, even if it ruins him. Does not crush his debtor's with high interest rates and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes afforded him -- such a man shall stand firm forever. (vv. 1-5 TLB, emphasized). *
When you make a promise, you're saying, "Trust me. You can depend on me. I will follow through." Its not just an agreement on your part, its a commitment. And until this point, every promise volunteered on your part -- whether freely given or asked for -- was just the prelude to the promise you are going to make on your wedding day.
The details of a wedding ceremony -- the processional music, the attendants, the seating of the parents, the flowers, the words of the Minister, the food at the reception -- are important, but you could have all of the above and still not be married. The heart of your wedding will be your vows! Sadly, I have come across many couples that never gave any thought to the vows until either the rehearsal or the actual wedding.
Its not just making your wedding memorable with heartfelt vows -- its that your vows express what you will be doing with the rest of your life together!
The language of a wedding service should be the language of promising. Thats why the ceremony has such a serious ring to it. The promises are to be spoken seriously and without coercion. And once you make these promises through the exchanging of vows, you and your spouse will never be the same. You will move to a new life status by virtue of your promising. A transformation will take place. What was separate before will now become, "one flesh." And, no matter what happens, this fact can never be erased.
Promises have a future quality about them as well. A promise is only kept when it is fulfilled. A promise is not contingent upon changes in the future. Its not, "I promise, if...." There are no conditions. This is not a contract. A contract contains conditional clauses. Both parties are responsible for carrying out their part of the pact. There are conditional or "if" clauses: if you do this, the other person must do this, and if the other person does this, you must do this. But in a marriage relationship there are no conditional clauses. Its an unconditional commitment. Some people struggle with their marriages today because they forget this fact, turning their marriage into a contract negotiation, and forget the promises God makes to them as well, which are also unconditional in love, giving us His Son to insure His love to be found in us. Thus, each day of your marriage you will need to renew your act of commitment to your partner.
We have today in our own CC family a person you may know as Levi85 (M......) who has given me permission to give him a toast to his new marriage announcement and union to his fiancee. Unfortunately, he has not given me her name yet,( possibly in fear of my charm, NO!) But suffice it to say, I trust she exists ...Smile. Just kidding... Levi85!
.
I encourage anyone who knows Levi85 to give your own toast here, but allow me a second to say, "It has been an honor to have Levi85 as a friend, and as I have followed alongside him even when he visited the United States and in many situations there at his homeland, I have always known his heart to want to be with God and another. And I am happy to know God has provided him with this need and desire. His steadfastness in Christ I am sure she will benefit from, and I pray good health, and good stead in God's loving arms, congratulations my friend!,,," Salute! "Let the joy of the Lord, be your strength, and May God richly Bless you in this new endeavor, and union. And thank you for letting me tease you, only friends can do that! Ok, only friends should do that...smile..
".....you'll listen to your older sister!"
".....you won't get into the cookies."
".....You'll come right home after school!"
".....you'll be good for Grandma."
Of course, these types of promises weren't always freely given. You were requested to make them.
As you grew up, you might have learned to "use" promises yourself: "I promise....really!," or, "Hey, you promised!" Or, "Please promise me you won't tell." Promises eventually become an important part of friendships, showing trust. You even might have exchanged a promise ring with a special friend.
Simply stated, a promise is an agreement to do something or not to do something. The word promise or promised, (according to app research), appears in Scripture over a hundred times. In Psalm 15, David reveals the incredible value of keeping a promise.
* Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill? Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere. Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the lord,keeps a promise, even if it ruins him. Does not crush his debtor's with high interest rates and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes afforded him -- such a man shall stand firm forever. (vv. 1-5 TLB, emphasized). *
When you make a promise, you're saying, "Trust me. You can depend on me. I will follow through." Its not just an agreement on your part, its a commitment. And until this point, every promise volunteered on your part -- whether freely given or asked for -- was just the prelude to the promise you are going to make on your wedding day.
The details of a wedding ceremony -- the processional music, the attendants, the seating of the parents, the flowers, the words of the Minister, the food at the reception -- are important, but you could have all of the above and still not be married. The heart of your wedding will be your vows! Sadly, I have come across many couples that never gave any thought to the vows until either the rehearsal or the actual wedding.
Its not just making your wedding memorable with heartfelt vows -- its that your vows express what you will be doing with the rest of your life together!
The language of a wedding service should be the language of promising. Thats why the ceremony has such a serious ring to it. The promises are to be spoken seriously and without coercion. And once you make these promises through the exchanging of vows, you and your spouse will never be the same. You will move to a new life status by virtue of your promising. A transformation will take place. What was separate before will now become, "one flesh." And, no matter what happens, this fact can never be erased.
Promises have a future quality about them as well. A promise is only kept when it is fulfilled. A promise is not contingent upon changes in the future. Its not, "I promise, if...." There are no conditions. This is not a contract. A contract contains conditional clauses. Both parties are responsible for carrying out their part of the pact. There are conditional or "if" clauses: if you do this, the other person must do this, and if the other person does this, you must do this. But in a marriage relationship there are no conditional clauses. Its an unconditional commitment. Some people struggle with their marriages today because they forget this fact, turning their marriage into a contract negotiation, and forget the promises God makes to them as well, which are also unconditional in love, giving us His Son to insure His love to be found in us. Thus, each day of your marriage you will need to renew your act of commitment to your partner.
We have today in our own CC family a person you may know as Levi85 (M......) who has given me permission to give him a toast to his new marriage announcement and union to his fiancee. Unfortunately, he has not given me her name yet,( possibly in fear of my charm, NO!) But suffice it to say, I trust she exists ...Smile. Just kidding... Levi85!
.I encourage anyone who knows Levi85 to give your own toast here, but allow me a second to say, "It has been an honor to have Levi85 as a friend, and as I have followed alongside him even when he visited the United States and in many situations there at his homeland, I have always known his heart to want to be with God and another. And I am happy to know God has provided him with this need and desire. His steadfastness in Christ I am sure she will benefit from, and I pray good health, and good stead in God's loving arms, congratulations my friend!,,," Salute! "Let the joy of the Lord, be your strength, and May God richly Bless you in this new endeavor, and union. And thank you for letting me tease you, only friends can do that! Ok, only friends should do that...smile.
.
