VOWS

VOWS: Committments, Life-Policies, Quality Decisions: (Ps 188:27) [Please read, & meditate on, & I was created by God, and will maybe memorize, the refs.] be judged by Him. He is the BASIC Ps 139 reality of my life. Col 1:13 I_Cor 6:20 Jesus Christ is my Savior and Rom 10:9-10 Tit 3:5 the Lord of my life. Ps 119:97 II_Tim 3:14-17 I accept the Scriptures of the Mt 10:35 Ps 1:2 Josh 1:8 Old and New Testaments to be the Jn 5:46 Ps 199:105 Pv 7:3 Word of God, my infallible guide Jas 1:25 Rom 12:2 for what I believe and do. I will Jn 8:31-32 Ps 37:31 seek to understand them as well as Lk 24:27,32,44,45 I am able, to memorize as much Ps 119:9,11,16 Dt 6:6 Scripture as I can, to meditate Mt 4:4 Ps 199:18 Ps 40:8 upon it, to apply its teachings to Mt 7:24f Ps 119:34 my own life, and help others Dt 11:18 Jn 2:5 Ac 18:16 understand and obey it as much as I Col 1:5-6 Ps 19:14 am able. [I left out the word “read” deliberately: you can do all of the above and be unable to read.] Jn 12:32 I will acknowledge Jesus Mt 10:32-33 Pv 3:6 Christ publicly as my Savior and Mt 5:16 Ps 20:7 Lord, and will actively seek ways Rom 1:14-15-16 to identify myself with my Savior Ps 34:1-3 in order to bless other Christians Ps 119:74 and bring sinners to faith in Him. Pv 11:30 Lk 24:46-49 I believe that my Prime Mt 4:19 16:26 Mission as a believer in Christ on Mt 12:30 Ps 71:15 the earth is to bring sinners to Mt 28:18-20 saving faith in Christ, and then to Mk 5:19-20 16:15-? strengthen and edify believers. My Lk 11:23 twin mottos will be “Seek first the Mt 6:33 Phil 3:10 Kingdom of God” and “To know Jn 1:37,40-42,45 4:35 Christ, and to make Him known as Jn 12:11 Ps 27:8 96:1-3 the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Jn 14:6 Ac 17:17 2 Tim 2:2 I dedicate my body as a living Rom 12:1 Rom 6 sacrifice to God and willingly lay I Jn 3:16 my life down for my brethren and Phil 1:27 2:20 for the gospel. I am willing to Jn 15:13

risk my physical safety if
necessary when the safety of
another is in danger and I am
within range of helping. I will not deny Christ nor fail to 2 Tim 2:12-13 acknowledge Him as my Savior and Rev 2:11 Lord, even at the threat of death. Mt 24:9-13 Pv 29:5 I recognize that my body is a Gen 2:7 3:20 creation of God, and that people 2 Cor 4:7 will be variously affected by my 1 Cor 16:7 appearance. Since I’m a “Creator’s (Eph 2:10) Original”, uniquely designed and Ps 139:13-16 equipped by God for His “mission” II Cor 5:14-15 for me, I will be unmoved by II Cor 5:16-17 hurtful or flattering comments Pv 31:30(!) II_Cor 3:18 about my features, and I will seek Pv 12:18 Jn 1:12 to reflect in my appearance the Ps 34:5 modest confidence of God’s own 2 Cor 5:20 child. Phil 4:13 II Cor 3:4-6 I will always seek to be a Ps 119:63 122:1 part of a Bible-believing local Lk 17:1-4 church where I can be accountable Mt 18:15 Pv 3:11-12 to others and exercise my spiritual Mt 15:6 gifts. I Pet 4:10 Rom 12:6-8 I Cor 12:4-11 I will acknowledge my brothers Mt 10:40-42 Ps 133:1 and sisters in Christ, even across Mt 25:40,45 Gal 3:28 barriers of denomination, I Cor 1:10-13 Col 3:1 nationality, culture or race. John 13:34-35 I will pray for my brothers Eph 1:15-23 3:14-21 and sisters in Christ, that God Col 1:9-? will give them the grace to Jas 4:6-9 recognize and repent of sin, to Col 4:12 seek His face in prayer, to hunger 2 Tim 2:22 Mt 5:6 for His Word, to obey Him even when Eph 6:18 sorely tempted to sin, and that the Jn 15:26-27 Holy Spirit would direct, anoint I Cor 10:13 and inspire their witness to the Acts 8:29 unsaved and their ministry to the Acts 1:8 8:4 11:15

saints, and to be healed and physically Ps 119:130 strengthened in order to complete their Lk 21:34-36 Dt 7:15 works on earth. Ps 107:20 Jas 5:14-16 Eph 2:10 I will pray for the lost, that John 6:44 I Tim 2:1-6 God will convict them of their sin John 16:7-11 and their need for a Savior, and Mt 9:10-13, 37-38 continually send them Spirit-filled Lk 7:34

witnesses who will testify winningly
of the Lord Jesus. I will speak out against sin Pv 24:25 and point to God’s standards of Mt 5:13-14 righteousness, and yet not with a Dt 4:6-21 judgmental attitude of superiority Mt 7:1-5 or self-righteousness, but in Ps 139:23-24 gentleness, recognizing that I, Ps 32:5 too, am a sinner. I will humbly Pv 28:13 repent of any sin that the Word and I Jn 1:7-9 the Spirit show me. I will confess I Cor 1:30 Christ as my only righteousness, II Cor 5:21 and lovingly proclaim to sinners Mk 5:19-20 the forgiveness found in Him. Pv 14:25 Pv 24:24-25 I will speak out for the Pv 31:8 rights of the helpless, and seek to Pv 28:4 deliver those who are being taken Pv 24:11 28:1 away to death, even at the cost of (Ps 56) my own possessions, my reputation, Lk 6:26 or my life. I will seek to lead my Pv 19:23 family into the same committments Eph 6:4,12 so that if we are threatened as a Mt 5:10-11 family, we can stand together as a (Ps 50:14-15) family, and if necessary suffer (Ps 46:1-3) together for the sake of righteous- ness. We shall have together a “no Pv 29:25 hostage” policy concerning threats Mt 10:26,37 to make us compromise our confession Ps 40:13-14 of Christ or our individual commit- Jn 9:22 ments not to participate in sin. II Cor 5:10 Mt 4:12,17 I dedicate my family and (Pv 31:10…? YOU can, Lord!) especially my (present and/or Mk 10:14 Ps 102:28 future) children to the Lord. I Pv 22:6,15 Dt 6:4-9 will seek to disciple them as the Ps 34:11 Lord’s disciples, to teach them to Ps 37:26 Isa 59:21, 54:13 repent of their sins, to trust in (Ps 78) Acts 4:12 Christ Jesus alone for salvation, Rom 3:23,6:23,5:8,10:9-10 to understand His Word for them- Acts 17:11 selves and obey Him faithfully, to Lk 1:40 2:52 walk closely and directly with Him, Ps 32:8 Jer 1:4-9 and to hear His voice. Jn 10:27 Isa 50:4 I recognize that all that I am Ps 61:10 and all I own belongs to God, and I Lk 14:33 16:14 will manage my body and my I Cor 3:16-17 possessions, my relationships, Pv 18:9 27:23 responsibilities and employments as Lk 12:15 His steward. I commit myself to a Lk 19:13 policy of giving to God through His Pv 3:9-10 Dt 8:18 Church the first 10% of my income, Ps 119:37 Mt 23:23 and administrating what remains to Lk 6:38 (Ps 67) His glory. Pv 10:22 I Cor 4:2 I will seek to explore and Lk 19:11-27 develop all the gifts, talents and Col 3:16,23 abilities God has given me, and I Ex 28:2 31:1-6 will try to employ all my Mk 10:43-44 capacities to the glory of the Ex 15:20-21 Triune God. I Chron 25:1,7 Dan 1:17 I will learn as much as I can Jn 2:25 about people and about God’s world, Ps 8 (esp.v.6) with the Scriptures as my primary Pv 21:30 Textbook and the judge of all other Col 2:8 sources, and seek to employ my Ps 119:128 Mt 13:52 knowledge in building the Kingdom. I Cor 9:23 10:31 I Jn 1:8 I recognize that in me, that Rom 7:18 is, in my flesh, there dwelleth no Phlm v.6 good thing, and that it is God who Jn 15:4-5,16 works in me by His Word and His Ps 119:133 Spirit, to make me willing and able Phil 2:13 to be and do whatever He wants. I Jer 18:6 have no right to be proud or Jn 3:30 arrogant about my blessings, Pv 16:18 because ultimately God Himself is I Cor 4:7 the source of all of them. Jn 1:3, Col 1:16-18 Col 2:6-10 Some folks make vows about daily time in prayer or in Bible

reading, or amounts of Scripture to memorize, or efforts to witness for Christ. Single folks make Scripture-generated vows (“standards”) about traits they would require in a person they would date/marry. Some people make specific vows concerning fasting, or giving certain amounts to the Lord, or percentages of income from specific projects. These vows should be thought-&- prayed through in meditation on Eccl 5:1-6 and Numbers 30. Also read the Westminister Confession Chapter 22 “Of Lawful Oaths and Vows”.

Prepared by
Clyde C. Price, Jr. (404)761-2327
P.O.Box 667, Red Oak, GA 30272-0667 USA (reproduction encouraged).