A Man Is Only as Good as His Word

By Cory Kreikemeier,

You’ve probably heard it said that a man is only as good as his word. I think a better way to say it is that a man is only as good as His Word.

If we want a solid foundation to stand on, it can’t be our own words or anything this world offers. Our promises fail, and so do we (Jeremiah 17:9). God’s Word never does (Isaiah 40:8). The only firm ground is the Word of God, and that Word became flesh in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). When we stand on Him, we’re standing on the rock.

We can never make ourselves good. Jesus said no one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18). That’s exactly why we need Him. Christ took our sin and gave us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), so our attention belongs on Him first.

I’ll be honest. This is hard, and I fail at it more often than I’d like to admit. But we keep fighting the good fight and keeping the faith (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7), especially when it comes to doing what’s right.

The Lord didn’t call us to be right by this world’s standards. He called us to be right by His, and His ways are far higher than anything we see here (Isaiah 55:8-9). That means refusing to be shaped by the world and letting Him renew our minds instead (Romans 12:2).

Lord, please help me stay away from the bad influences of this world. Help me do all You want me to do, to make a difference for Your name, and for Your glory alone.

Every bit of Creation points back to its Maker. This one points to Matthew 7:24:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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