April 5. How Long Are Principles And Promises Good For?

How long is a promise for? Do we promise or even expect that when a business is started that it will last for a year, a decade, or possibly even beyond one’s lifetime? Although we operate in the present, our concern and thought of the immediate and distant future is relevant.

It is relevant because if you are expecting to be providing value for a long time, we need to have a set of principles to subscribe to. Although our products and services will probably change over time, our principles probably will not. What principles are you operating with today?

Do you have them listed? Chances are, if you do not know what they are, or have them listed, then your employees, team and customers do not know them either. As a result of not having them listed, customer loyalty is probably low, as well as employee or team loyalty.

When we have our principles identified we can then make promises and fulfill them. If one begins to experience costs that are no longer bearable, promises will stop happening. Businesses and teams will cease operations when that cost becomes so high as to destroy the equity of the team.

Teams will disband and members will leave your organization when we break promises. But team members will leave as well when other teams make promises to them that they believe can be met. Why would you collaborate with others who fail to deliver on the promises they make? What is the first thing you can do to communicate your principles?

At Moses' legacy talk, before he passed away, he shared the history of the nation of Israel. You can find it in Deuteronomy. In doing so, he shared the importance of recognizing the time element of promises and their intentionality.

He told Israel that God had them wander forty years as a punishment for not doing what he instructed. But he also shared that the covenant to enter the land would be measured for all the generations to come. The covenant would apply to generation after generation. This was a call to a way of life.

It was a call to a set of principles for them to live by. By the time that Jesus roamed the earth the principles had become a mindset of rules to enforce instead of principles to live. We are the people of a resurrected Christ, a people of love and respect. We are a people who embrace a new life and a new promise.

Where might a lack of a known set of principles be harming us individually, our families and our communities? What can we do to make sure to have that set of principles? If you do not have one written or developed, I would bet that you cannot communicate it clearly.

The more clarity we have of our principles, as a follower of Christ, the more we will follow his example. We might expect to fall short at times of his perfection so we can be thankful for his sacrifice and grace. But I want to walk closer with my Savior Jesus, how about you?

What is the first thing you can do to live a principled life following Christ? What is your manifesto of principles today? I promise, if you do not have a manifesto of principles, then starting with identifying just one or two could be a powerful way to begin developing one. 

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, you are the Creator and you still have secrets that you may share with us. Today, we are on a path walking with Jesus. Help us to know your desires in our hearts, so that we are empowered to live a principled life.

Make your directions and covenants be honored with our words, thoughts, and actions. Jesus taught us how to live, using parables and miracles. Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to feel and love your principles.

Make them a reflection of our love for you in our principled lives for today, tomorrow and the generations to come. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,