That phrase 'shall vows be performed' caught me this morning... Neder (Strong's H5088) Shalam (H7999) the second word Shalam is the verb from of Shalom (H7965), the noun, translated peace and completion.
"O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas" - Psalms 65:2-5 ESV
Vows performed make peace.. but whose vows?
"the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy." - Psalms 65:6-13 ESV
It is true that by making a promise we plant something in the ground and by keeping it we reap a harvest. It is investment that brings a return. No investment no return.
What investment does grace make? It is the investment that makes the hills 'gird themselves with joy' and the flocks and grain 'shout and sing together for joy'... true Shalom... complete peace in prosperity. Not just a handshake that forms a bond that turns into a lasting relationship... that and more... much more.
"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow... The sower sows the word... But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." - Mark 4:3, 14, 20 ESV
"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NKJV
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you" - 1 Thessalonians 3:12 KJV
Jesus paid His vow on the cross. Now grace make a vow that the relationship will be based on a gift and not performance. Jesus kept His vow and grace gives an increase from God's supply.
Being unequally yoked in marriage or business makes a commitment that can not be followed through on. You shake on it but it many times turns to vanity.
Grace makes a one sided commitment that it can follow through on. It doesn't shake our hand. The Father lays His hand on us because of what Christ has done and commits to us. That commitment will bear fruit.
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