Regulus, a Roman general, was taken prisoner by the armies of Carthage. The leaders of the Carthaginians asked him to go back to Rome and tell his people that Carthage was ready to grant terms of peace. They made him promise by oath that he would return if conditions of peace were not accepted.
Regulus went to Rome and advised his friends to keep on fighting. He told them that Carthage was weakened by war and that Rome could finally win if she refused to give up.
Then he bade farewell to his wife and children and started back to the death which he knew the enraged Carthaginians would inflict upon him. Many of the Romans urged and pleaded with him not to go back. Some thought it was foolish.
Regulus would not even consider it. It was reported that he said, "I am a Roman, and a Roman must keep his word."
Not only was Regulus killed but he was brutally tortured to death. Some accounts say that they cut his eyelids off and tied him to a pole with his face directly looking at the sun until his eyes burned up. Then they had him slowly trampled to death by an elephant!
How amazing is this account? He knew he would endure a horrible death and could easily have avoided it, yet his word was more valuable to him than his own life.
As followers of Christ, we ought to have as much integrity as Regulus, a pagan, did. Can we not say: "I am a Christian and a Christian must keep his word"?
COMMENTARY
This is truly amazing story and one of the most extreme examples I have ever read about regarding one keeping their word at all costs. Almost any man would not have done what he did knowing what would happen. A greater illustration than this is our Lord keeping His word and fulfilling his mission on the cross.
I have always been an avid reader of history from ancient times to the not too distant past. I must say that it saddens me to see how untrusting we have become as a society compared to the past. In certain periods even the worst of enemies valued trust and a man's word exceedingly greater than we do today. In some of those periods and in various culture's a person's word and a handshake was even more binding and revered than many legal contracts today. The thought of either side not keeping their word would not even cross their minds whereas today that is often the first thought.
One does not have to go back too many years or to cultures far away to find the times when a man's word was his bond. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Richard DeVos, owner and founder of Amway, in person a couple of years ago. He was kind enough to give me his newest book and sign it for me. Mr. DeVos is one of the few billionaires in our world. In his book he has a chapter dedicated to the phrase, "I trust you." In this chapter he writes, "I've built all of my relationships on trust. All the buildings at Amway, from the earliest and smallest manufacturing plant to all the other structures in our mile long complex, we built with just a handshake; we had no contract."
Can you imagine doing that today? Difficult isn't it?
We are told in the Bible to let our yes mean yes and our no mean no. It is black or white. There are not to be gray areas when it comes to giving your word. We are instructed as Christians to be people of honor and integrity. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches," the proverbs tell us. A great example of this proverb in action comes from General Robert E. Lee. He was a poor man after the Civil War. In that time of financial distress he was offered a $50,000 annual salary by an insurance company to become its president. All the company wanted was to use his name. Lee refused the offer, saying that if his name was so valuable, he must guard its integrity. I wonder to myself, "Where have these kind of men gone?"
"One of the greatest ways to show you honor God's word is to honor yours."
APPLICATION
We should always do our best to keep our word. Be careful not to make promises you may not be able to keep. Think before you give your word regarding anything, small or large. If you want the opportunity to be faithful over much, then start being faithful over the little things. If you make a commitment, stick to it and follow it through.
If you have made it a habit of breaking promises and you are not currently known as person of your word then start changing that today. It may take time to rebuild the trust where you have lost it but don't give up. If you have to say no, just say no. An honest no is far greater than a dishonest yes anyday. Start keeping your word and you will be amazed at how much you will be trusted with.
Do not over commit yourself either. Napoleon once said, "The best way to keep one's word is not to give it." There is, at times, some truth in that quote.
It is rare in the modern world of today for a man or woman to have the integrity and absolute adherence to their word as General Regulus or many others did in times past. And though it almost seems like the integrity and value of keeping ones word has diminished to only a few here and there out of so many, what is stopping you from being one of the few?
Many say it is part of the business world today to try to get something over the other guy, or to say whatever you have to say to get your share. Disregard that kind of thinking. Sophocles wisely said, "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." "We are here to please God and not to succeed at any cost. True success is living rightly and honestly, and whether you are rich or poor it doesn't matter. "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse." ~ Proverbs 19:1
Lastly, I should also include that it is not necessary to honor your word when it was given for a bad cause. Some feel that they have to commit to something they said they would do even though it is bad and wrong. For example, King Herod, while intoxicated, made a promise to give the daughter of Herodias anything she requested. When she asked for the head of John the Baptist, he really didn't want to do it but he was more worried about how it would affect his reputation if he didn't keep his word. To keep your word when it comes to something that is obviously wrong is a poor choice of judgment. It would have been better for Herod to break his evil promise. "Nobody can aquire honor by doing what is wrong" ~ Thomas Jefferson
I was going to close this with the phrase that "a man's word is as good as his bond" but when I went to research it I found I was missing one crucial word. The proper quote is: "An honest man's word is as good as his bond." ~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Let's be honest and keep our word.
Regulus went to Rome and advised his friends to keep on fighting. He told them that Carthage was weakened by war and that Rome could finally win if she refused to give up.
Then he bade farewell to his wife and children and started back to the death which he knew the enraged Carthaginians would inflict upon him. Many of the Romans urged and pleaded with him not to go back. Some thought it was foolish.
Regulus would not even consider it. It was reported that he said, "I am a Roman, and a Roman must keep his word."
Not only was Regulus killed but he was brutally tortured to death. Some accounts say that they cut his eyelids off and tied him to a pole with his face directly looking at the sun until his eyes burned up. Then they had him slowly trampled to death by an elephant!
How amazing is this account? He knew he would endure a horrible death and could easily have avoided it, yet his word was more valuable to him than his own life.
As followers of Christ, we ought to have as much integrity as Regulus, a pagan, did. Can we not say: "I am a Christian and a Christian must keep his word"?
COMMENTARY
This is truly amazing story and one of the most extreme examples I have ever read about regarding one keeping their word at all costs. Almost any man would not have done what he did knowing what would happen. A greater illustration than this is our Lord keeping His word and fulfilling his mission on the cross.
I have always been an avid reader of history from ancient times to the not too distant past. I must say that it saddens me to see how untrusting we have become as a society compared to the past. In certain periods even the worst of enemies valued trust and a man's word exceedingly greater than we do today. In some of those periods and in various culture's a person's word and a handshake was even more binding and revered than many legal contracts today. The thought of either side not keeping their word would not even cross their minds whereas today that is often the first thought.
One does not have to go back too many years or to cultures far away to find the times when a man's word was his bond. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Richard DeVos, owner and founder of Amway, in person a couple of years ago. He was kind enough to give me his newest book and sign it for me. Mr. DeVos is one of the few billionaires in our world. In his book he has a chapter dedicated to the phrase, "I trust you." In this chapter he writes, "I've built all of my relationships on trust. All the buildings at Amway, from the earliest and smallest manufacturing plant to all the other structures in our mile long complex, we built with just a handshake; we had no contract."
Can you imagine doing that today? Difficult isn't it?
We are told in the Bible to let our yes mean yes and our no mean no. It is black or white. There are not to be gray areas when it comes to giving your word. We are instructed as Christians to be people of honor and integrity. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches," the proverbs tell us. A great example of this proverb in action comes from General Robert E. Lee. He was a poor man after the Civil War. In that time of financial distress he was offered a $50,000 annual salary by an insurance company to become its president. All the company wanted was to use his name. Lee refused the offer, saying that if his name was so valuable, he must guard its integrity. I wonder to myself, "Where have these kind of men gone?"
"One of the greatest ways to show you honor God's word is to honor yours."
APPLICATION
We should always do our best to keep our word. Be careful not to make promises you may not be able to keep. Think before you give your word regarding anything, small or large. If you want the opportunity to be faithful over much, then start being faithful over the little things. If you make a commitment, stick to it and follow it through.
If you have made it a habit of breaking promises and you are not currently known as person of your word then start changing that today. It may take time to rebuild the trust where you have lost it but don't give up. If you have to say no, just say no. An honest no is far greater than a dishonest yes anyday. Start keeping your word and you will be amazed at how much you will be trusted with.
Do not over commit yourself either. Napoleon once said, "The best way to keep one's word is not to give it." There is, at times, some truth in that quote.
It is rare in the modern world of today for a man or woman to have the integrity and absolute adherence to their word as General Regulus or many others did in times past. And though it almost seems like the integrity and value of keeping ones word has diminished to only a few here and there out of so many, what is stopping you from being one of the few?
Many say it is part of the business world today to try to get something over the other guy, or to say whatever you have to say to get your share. Disregard that kind of thinking. Sophocles wisely said, "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." "We are here to please God and not to succeed at any cost. True success is living rightly and honestly, and whether you are rich or poor it doesn't matter. "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse." ~ Proverbs 19:1
Lastly, I should also include that it is not necessary to honor your word when it was given for a bad cause. Some feel that they have to commit to something they said they would do even though it is bad and wrong. For example, King Herod, while intoxicated, made a promise to give the daughter of Herodias anything she requested. When she asked for the head of John the Baptist, he really didn't want to do it but he was more worried about how it would affect his reputation if he didn't keep his word. To keep your word when it comes to something that is obviously wrong is a poor choice of judgment. It would have been better for Herod to break his evil promise. "Nobody can aquire honor by doing what is wrong" ~ Thomas Jefferson
I was going to close this with the phrase that "a man's word is as good as his bond" but when I went to research it I found I was missing one crucial word. The proper quote is: "An honest man's word is as good as his bond." ~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Let's be honest and keep our word.
John Finley
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