Keeping

“O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart;”  2 Chronicles 6:14

Keeping – God is the original Promise Keeper.  Oh, Lord, there is no one like You, guarding Your promises forever.  That’s the sense of it.  God stands guard (shamar) over His covenant promise.  He carefully watches everything that might affect His promise and makes sure that it stands forever.

Did you realize that promise keeping is a measure of your character?  Your integrity is determined by how carefully you guard your promises.  A friend of mine recently celebrated his thirty-seventh anniversary.  That’s a promise kept!  I will most likely never be able to enjoy such a testimony of character.  Years ago I didn’t keep my promises, so I lost the joy of being able to say, “For thirty-seven years I have guarded my promise.”  God intended my promises to last a lifetime.  I’m the one who broke faith. 

But God promises to take me back.  I can look forward to one day saying, “God and I have been traveling the same road together in harmony for all these many years.”

God has always given Mankind responsibility for keeping promises.  Adam and Eve were given the responsibility to “watch over” the Garden.  The priests were given responsibility to guard the holiness of the temple.  The kings were given the responsibility to care for the people.  Promise keeping is part of God’s plan because promise keeping reflects the character of God Himself.  The covenants of the Old Testament are there to show us who God is and what He is like.  He keeps His promise.

Do your promises show others who you are and what you are like?  Are you like me?  Do you need a new start in promise keeping?