"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people" (:14, 18).

The making of vows, the stern declaration that things will be different this time, speaking in ringing terms that call for changes to be effected in the future is a familiar experience. But we can't change the weaknesses in us that we so much want to change when we speak of our intention to do what God wants us to do.

So it might occur to us to ask, Are vows of any use? Do the gathering together of our best hopes, stating firmness of purpose, setting ourselves in a certain direction, and calling on others to witness it play any positive role at all?
I think the answer is yes.

SOME FAMILIAR VOWS

Hippocratic Oath: to treat the ill to the best of one’s ability, to preserve a patient’s privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation…

A Knight’s Vow: To obey the King. To quest for the Holy Grail. To speak the truth and maintain the right. To protect the poor, the distressed, and all women. To practice courtesy and kindness with all. To despise the allurements of ease and safety. To maintain honor and the cause of God. To all, with strength and will, to right the wronged.
Boy Scout Oath: On my honor, I will do my best - To do my duty to God and my country and to have good character; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Virginity Pledge: Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship.
Wedding Vow: With this ring I thee wed, To love you, comfort you, honor and keep you In sickness and in health, for richer for poorer And forsaking all others keeping only unto you, Till death do us part.

I.  DEFINITION OF A VOW

1.  A Promise Made to the Lord
…often with conditions and particular results on both parties, implying failure to keep will result in disfavor.
A promise made to God as an act of SINCERITY -  Shows Authentication.
A promise made to God as an act of WORSHIP -  Shows Appreciation.
A promise made to God as an act of OBEDIENCE - Shows Dedication.

… Difference between “vows” and “oaths.” The vow was a promise to do a certain thing for the Lord, while the oath was a promise not to do a certain thing.
   
Vows are commitments to God to perform some duty or abstain from some activity. A vow is like a promise taken to a new level. When we make a vow, we do it entirely on our own with God as our witness.

2. A Promise Made to Someone in the Lord’s Name.
A ‘vow’ is defined as ‘a promise, or something sworn’; A solemn promise, as the vows of unchangeable love and fidelity.  In a moral and religious sense, vows are promises to God, as they appeal to God to witness their sincerity, and the violation of them is a most heinous offense. One of the most sacred vows of all time is the Wedding Vow.

II.  WHY WE MAKE VOWS?

WHY WE VEER FROM VOWS
1. We don’t like obligations - Accountability & deadlines binds us
2. We love the easy life - Free to do as we please
3. We fear future outcomes  - Not going the way we hope
4. We have a tendency to be selfish.

SO, why make a vow?
l Because it’s the New Year (Resolutions)?
l Because others are doing it (Peer Pressure)?
l Because you think that’s the only way you can get God to do what you want?
l Because that’s what God wants you to do!

LIFE IS VALUELESS WITHOUT VOWS
1. Life becomes aimless without vows.
2. Life is wasted without vows.
3. Vows keep you passionate.
Our life is what it is because of our vows or our lack of vows. We should recognize that our decisions determine our destiny.  Visions must be matched with vows if our castles in the air are to become realities.
 
THE VALUE OF VOWS
1. Vows gives stability to your life.
2. Reminds you what you have and where you are going
3. Vows are essential for spiritual growth and success.
4. Vows gives me direction and a reason for purpose
5. Vows give focus. 

III.  VALIDATE YOUR VOWS

l Ps. 116:14, 18 "I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people." 
l Psa. 76:10-11 “Vow and pay unto the Lord.”
l Ps 61:5, 8 - God hears our vows. Daily perform your vows.
l Psalm 65:1 “and unto thee shall the vow be performed.”
l Eccl. 5:4  “When thou vowest a vow unto the Lord.”

Num 30:2 Once a vow was spoken it became an irreversible contract with God.
Deut 23:21-23 It is a sin to make a vow and not to keep it.
Eccl. 5:5-7 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not keep it.
Leviticus 26:14-20 The consequences of breaking a vow were serious. As in the O.T., God in N.T. times did not take breaking a promise lightly. Acts 5:1-11
Joshua 23:1-13 Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:20 Danger and consequences of breaking our original promise.

Judges 11:30-40 Jepthah’s Vow. The danger of making a rash pledge. Bargain Vows are extremely dangerous! Don’t keep a wrongful vow.

WHAT ABOUT TODAY?
Oaths Matt 5:33-37
Put serious thought into the promises that you make to the Lord.  Choose a pledge that will have a significant impact on your life, but that will not be impossible to keep.
Proverbs 20:25. Vow, but THINK FIRST.
Vow complete devotion and obedience.
Vow from thanksgiving, not from a desire to get something from God.

It is okay to make vows in some cases, not as a payment for a service but as an expression of our gratitude to God.
The situations that call for a vow is one that would glorify God, and the interests of His kingdom among men, or to further of ourselves in His service, which we are already commanded to do.
When we make these vows we should use words like, “Since you have done that I will do this,” not “If You do this I will do that. “
 
KEEP YOUR PROMISES 

1. KEEP YOUR PROMISES…EVEN WHEN THEY SEEM INSIGNIFICANT
2. KEEP YOUR PROMISES…EVEN WHEN YOU REGRET MAKING THEM Ps. 15:4
3. KEEP YOUR PROMISES…EVEN WHEN YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS

IV.   FIVE VOWS EVERY CHRISTIAN OUGHT TO MAKE TO THE LORD
(Psalm 116)

1.  A VOW OF SALVATION (Ps. 116:13a)
“ I will take the cup of salvation . . ."
This is a vow that deepens our personal experience with God. The bitter and the sweet. The pleasant and the difficult. I will experience God’s full program for my life.

2.  A VOW OF SPIRITUALITY (Ps. 116:2 & 13b)
"I will call upon the name of the LORD" This is a vow that lifts us to a new level of spiritual experience.

3. A VOW OF SEPARATION  (Ps. 116:9)
"I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living".
This is a vow that transforms all of life.  Influence. Example.

4. A VOW OF STEWARDSHIP (Ps. 116:17)
“I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving"
This is a vow that releases joy.  Your life can be an anthem of praise. Your life can be a channel of blessings!

5. A VOW OF SERVICE (Ps 116:14)
“I will pay my vows unto the Lord.” 
This vow testifies of my relationship with Christ.  I owe all to the Lord!
(cf. Joshua 24:15; 1 Sam. 1:28; Jonah 2:9)