28/07/2013 - FLEE FROM IT

• 
• 
• 
• 

Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, One of those who is surety for debts.

Proverbs 22.26

God made a covenant with man. Through this alliance he provides for all our needs, so we do not have to shake hands in a pledge with others. If making a commitment with someone in this sense were not bad, the Lord would not have told us to refrain from it. As a matter of fact, it is his will that we, his servants, remain at his disposal, not tolerating anything that goes against his Word or lead us down an evil path.

Any vows you make with anyone (except with your spouse) is not of God. However, even in the covenant of marriage, we must not deny God’s lordship over our being – spirit, soul and body. As a result, in our marital relationship, the limits of holiness must be respected; after all, our life must be maintained holy and clean for the Father (Leviticus 20.7; 1Peter 1.16).

While doing the work of God, we must also refrain from making alliances. We must serve the Almighty with the fear and respect he deserves. If, for example, a Christian finds a “friend” and then the former ends up ignoring the wrong behavior of his “friend”, he is making himself an enemy of God (James 4.4). This shows that the clauses of the covenant that the Lord has established with us through the blood of Jesus must be complied with at all times. And we must always seek, first of all, the kingdom of God and his justice (Mathew 6.33a).

In addition, when entering into a debt covenant with a person, you may feel tempted to stop serving the Lord God, making yourself an accomplice of the sin of your “friend” because you do not want to offend him. But then, why would you compromise your salvation for a person that is being used by the devil? Be holy and faithful in all things, and you will do more than if you were in a covenant with someone, as when you serve the Almighty, you also serve others better.

The Scriptures clearly say that we must not be one of those who shake hands in a pledge. That is because the hand of the Lord holds ours at the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, so this is sufficient to help us in any situation. Therefore, he who is afraid that one day he will need the help of man denies the provision of God, which is more than enough.

Never trust anyone in such a complete manner as to declare that he has done nothing wrong, because only God knows the heart of man. Someone may even end up a surety for debts because of that. So if a brother has been accused of something he did not do, pray for him, ordaining that the truth becomes known. However, under no circumstances, make yourself accountable for another person’s mistake; rather, let the Lord judge him.

Lastly, remember that we are servants of the Lord, so we must follow his instructions. He knows all things and he will never judge us unfairly (even if this goes against someone’s wishes). All we need is the covenant that God has made with us through the blood of Jesus.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares