The Problem with Making Promises – Regrets

I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

─ Psalm 89:34

On the way to the cross, Peter made promises to Jesus – I’m going to stand with you; I’m going to fight with you; I’m going with you right to the end. Jesus looked at Peter and said, “Peter – this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

One more problem with promise making is it leads to regrets. We make a promise, can’t keep it and experience regret. Peter made promises to Jesus, broke them and then experienced regret.  His intention was right. No doubt he meant what he said when he said it. Then in the reality of life, all the stress of that moment and Satan’s influence, he didn’t keep his promises.

The good news is that Peter’s best days were still to come. He could’ve stopped right there at that regretful moment and disappeared, but he didn’t. God, through His love, grace and forgiveness, allowed Peter to continue to grow.

We can’t get stuck in this thing of making promises that we don’t keep. Instead, we must learn from it. Peter became a man of God in extraordinary ways, unlike what happened that night, which showed his humanity. In his fallenness, Peter made a promise and regretted it, but then became an extraordinary leader in his life as a follower of Christ.

Today’s One Thing

Do others trust that when you make a commitment that they can count on you to keep it? Ask the Lord to help you keep the promises you make today.

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