Integrity

Do I always have to keep my promise?

A promise is the pledge to another to fulfil a specified act.
One of the characteristics of being a person of integrity is being able to keep a promise. Psalm15:4 says, “...and keep their promises even when it hurts.” NLT
This means you keep your promise even if it is of no benefit to you. For example if you promised to meet a friend at a place for 3pm to help them solve a problem and another person calls later to invite you out to lunch at the same time. What do you do? You have to turn down the lunch offer so as to keep the promise you made to your friend.
We cannot at will change our minds when we see that breaking a promise is more beneficial for us, than keeping it. If you can’t keep your promise, you are not a trustworthy person.
We serve a God of integrity; a Covenant keeping God. A God who can be trusted to keep His promise, Ephesians5:1 admonishes us to imitate God as children do their parents – imitate His acts, Words, nature, ways, graces and Spirit. God Himself said in Psalm89:34 “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” God never changes, it’s His character. He is trustworthy. If you want people to trust you, keep your promise. The Bible says about God in Psalm138:2b “...for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name”. This means God’s Word is above every other manifestation of God you will ever see or hear.
Don’t make promises you know you cannot keep, and when you do make a promise, keep it. It tells a lot about your character and who you are.