Author: David Wilber
The Bible says, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22). It’s not enough just to know about Torah. Followers of Yeshua must also live Torah. Part of that means keeping your word and not being flaky.
If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. (Numbers 30:2)
God commanded us to keep our promises. This is the duty of every disciple of Yeshua. Indeed, our Messiah taught that we should be such a people of integrity that making an oath would be unnecessary because our simple "yes" or "no" is trusted and sufficient (Matthew 5:34-37). The Torah is an expression of God’s character. He is reliable and therefore instructs His people to be reliable.
A "flake" is someone who makes promises but doesn’t follow through with them. They are unreliable and lazy. They are the people who make plans to be somewhere, but then they don’t show up. If they have the decency to at least put forth some effort to inform you that they’re flaking out on you, they'll usually just send a text message at the last minute. The flaky person cannot commit to anything.
Ultimately flakiness comes down to a lack of love and consideration for others, which breaks the second part of the greatest commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." If people truly loved their neighbor as themselves, they wouldn’t be flaky. That’s because everyone who has dealt with a flaky person knows how frustrating it can be.
When we who claim to follow the God of Israel flake out on others, we profane the name—that is, the reputation—of God. Believers are called to be "imitators of God" (Ephesians 5:1). Is your life a representation of God’s faithfulness, or do you make God out to be an unreliable flake?
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