“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20
A rainbow is God’s Vow and everlasting covenant with all the people of the earth.Truly, every promise we read in God’s word is His vow – His commitment to us as His chosen people and His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-10). God keeps all of His vows in the same manner in which He expects us to keep His. Joshua said of God, “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Joshua 23:14
Joshua had deep convictions of God’s faithfulness to all that he promised, enabling him to rise up to great leadership, and allowing him to lead God’s people to victory after victory. Joshua’s convictions also enabled him to make his own personal vow to God, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). The vow to serve God faithfully for the rest of our lives is the promise of every Christian and the declaration upon which all others will be based. At baptism, we vowed faithfulness to the lordship of Jesus unto death. Upon that commitment we make additional vows of how we use our time, money, and our families in ways to serve and inspire others as well.
Dream Dangerously:
What areas of your life must radically change? Where do you want to be one year from now? Five years from now? You must dream about a deeper walk with God through radical prayer and fasting. How about evangelism? What would be so dangerous and put you on the cutting edge, forcing you to rely more on God? Do you desire to support God’s Kingdom by interning? Dream of leading a Bible Talk or House Church? You must dream before you can vow.
Vow Dangerously:
A vow must be specific or it will be impossible to fulfill. If you want to be bolder in evangelism, what impossible goals will you make in your neighborhood or Bible studies with non-Christians? How much more prayer, Bible study, and fasting will you promise to deepen your relationship with God? How much more time and resources are you willing to sacrifice to build the Kingdom of God? First, think about what you think you can do. Then get a little dangerous, vowing beyond that commitment and acting in faith. Finally, get specific and get advice, so that you can fulfill your vow.
Fulfill Your Vows Dangerously:
We must not delay to fulfill the vows we make, nor should we allow our mouths to lead us into sin by not fulfilling them (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6) It’s easy to allow the worries of life, like financial or family challenges to distract us from fulfilling even the most basic of vows to our Lord like being devoted to the fellowship by coming to everything and being on time (Acts 2:42), having discipling times so that we can be taught to obey everything Jesus commanded. (Matthew 28:20) The greatest chance of success in fulfilling your vows to God is to stay strong with Him every day and have someone hold you accountable for the promises you make. Ask for the prayers and encouragement of many so that your vow can radically change your life, inspiring others with your transformation
Let us follow the example of those before us who saw the faithfulness of God and through their convictions dreamed, vowed, and fulfilled their vows to the glory of God!