Keeping Promises

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No'" (Matthew 5:37 NIV)

Charles Brewer, the founder of MindSpring Enterprises, made promise
keeping the foundation of his company. When MindSpring started in
1993, he included this statement in his company's core values:
"We make commitments with care and then live up to them. In all
things, we do what we say we are going to do." Charles Brewer
believed that if he could create an environment in which keeping
promises was the rule rather than the exception, he'd be
significantly ahead of the competition. Sadly, he is the exception.

The Journal of Business Ethics asked more than 700 business people to
write down their values in the work place. In addition to promise
keeping were items such as competency, work ethic, seniority, and
overcoming adversity. And the result of the survey? Keeping
promises was at the bottom of people's list! That held true
regardless of gender, supervisory experience or even religious
background. How sad, being a Christian made no difference!

Understand this: promise keeping is a foundational cornerstone in any
relationship, whether personal or professional. It's absolutely
essential to success in any endeavor. The president of one of
America's biggest television networks observes: "In selling commercial
time, integrity means everything. About 80 percent of your business
comes from the same people every year, so selling is about the
strength of relationships. In the end, the honest guy really does
win."

So, where do you draw the line when it comes to promise keeping? You
probably have no trouble keeping one when it's convenient, but how
about when it isn't? And what about keeping it when it'll really
hurt? For Jesus' view, re-read the scripture at the beginning of
this message.