I Will – I Did –

I Will. I Did.

Pastor Calvin Cook

January 12, 2026

A Devotional on Faithfulness, Follow-Through, and Living What We Say

In the words of Jesus : “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” Matthew 5:37 (NIV)

As I begin this morning in my devotional time, I was drawn to my journal and my entry from December 31, 2025, and 10 things in 2026 that I wanted to focus on. These were not basically physical things like: take a cruise around the world, building a mansion, jumping out of an airplane, or climbing Mt. Everest. These 10 things were things that I feel I need to become happy and closer to God and a better person especially as a follower of Christ. This list is almost like virtues that I hope to achieve and will, because they are an intimate reflection of how I feel the Holy Spirit is speaking into my lives.  

It might be because it is already January 12, 2026 and though I have kept centered for the most part, I come to realize that mostly we live in world and live a life of good intentions.  We say things like I will go to church. I will get my life back on track. I will read the Bible through in a year. I will pray more. I will volunteer and serve more. I’m back to the place that I need to be.

 I know you are there with me though these statements are not wrong or spoken in haste, do we follow through? That is where strength and character will be built.

So here is something that recently spoke to me in reading through the early chapters of Genesis.(part of my read through the Bible in a year}. A reminder that God is a covenant keeping God. From the earliest promises to Abraham to the fulfilled promise of Christ, scripture reveals a God who says, “I will” and then the God who faithfully declares “I did.” When we choose to follow Him, we should be sharing in that same pattern of faithfulness.

Think on this with me, there is something deeply forming in the soul, in the promises or covenants if you will that we have made with God that are actually kept. They are simple little disciplines or actions that should bring us to the place of saying “I will” and “I did”

Here are a few examples:

I will pray — I did pray.

I will read Scripture — I did read Scripture.

I will go to church — I did go to church.

I will draw closer to God — I did draw closer to God.

There are so many more that should gather our focus, honestly, we really know where we need to be.

These simple follow-throughs become holy rhythms. They shape our days, soften our hearts, and strengthen our trust in God’s plan even when God’s plan unfolds slower than we expected.

Every promise kept, every covenant honored, every small spiritual discipline practiced is a quiet declaration: God, I trust You enough to follow through.

Faith grows not in grand declarations, but in daily obedience.

So today, speak fewer vows and take one faithful step. Let your “I will” be humble, realistic, and prayer-covered—and then, by God’s grace, let your life testify: “I did.”

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be faithful in what I say and even more faithful in what I do. Strengthen me to follow through on the spiritual commitments You place on my heart. When I grow weary or distracted, remind me that You are a God who finishes what You begin. Shape my life so my words and my walk reflect Your faithfulness. Amen.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” — **Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

What is one simple “I will” God is inviting you to live into today—and how will you make sure you can honestly say, “I did” by the end of the day?