PROMISE LESS; SURPRISE MORE

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Today, as I read Matthew 14 for my quiet time, I recounted times when I made promises I couldn't fulfill and one day, I resolved to throw surprises instead of making promises that would be difficult to keep. In this scripture, Herod's wife's daughter danced beautifully before him on his birthday. This made him extremely happy; right before his nobles, he promised to give her whatever she asked. 


This young lady went to ask for advice from her mother and she was given a very wicked advice; to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. At that time, John had been arrested by Herod because he spoke against the king who had taken someone's wife to become his. This lady was Herodias; the wife of Herod's brother, Phillip. Herod himself wanted to kill John but he was scared of the multitude because John was respected as a prophet of God.

Though the king was sorry about this devastating request, he had to grant it because he had vowed in the presence of his nobles and so that is how John the Baptist died. We make promises because, at that moment, that is exactly what we want to do, but, we do not know what the future holds. It is best to wait and surprise people with what we have for them rather than make promises we can't keep. May God guide us in this walk of life and help us to stop making promises that would be difficult for us to keep.

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