To Expound on a WordCan you keep your word?

On my words page and post it note page I have indicated that a word or post it note may turn into an article.

This may not constitute an article but I would like to share a bit more on the word ‘keep’.

I have been using http://www.etymonline.com/ as my go to resource after my 1970’s Merriam – Webster dictionary of course.

I like seeing the history of the word.

Proverbs 4:4

Then he taught me and said,

“Take hold of my words with all your heart;

keep my commands,

and you will live.”

Online Etymology

‘Keep’ / verb = action.

It is used to translate both Latin ‘conservare’ to “preserve, keep safe” and ‘tenere’ “to keep, retain”.

So…..

(mine) As a child of God concerning His word we ,

• preserve it
• keep it
• retain it
• learn it
• share it
• carry it
• keep it safe, mainly from myself.

Etymology Old English, “to seize, hold; seek after, desire; to observe or carry out in practice; look out for; regard; pay attention to;

‘Keep’ comes up suddenly in literary use c. 1000 to render Latin ‘observare’ related to Old English ‘capian’ “to look”.

Note: Many senses of or uses of ‘keep’.

Here are some I came up with:

• It will keep
• keep it the same
• keep em’ there
• keep safe
• keep still
• keep going
• keep on keeping on
• keep on the straight and narrow
• keep back
• keep to the right or left
• keep out
• keep busy
• keep quiet
• keep a secret
• the castle keep, and on and on and on.

Keep your word / promise.

Both imply that a word was given from somebody to somebody and the originator of the word given will follow through at a later date.

“Give me your word?” “Scouts honor?”

“Honest injun, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.”

To keep one’s own word seems almost impossible if you think about it closely enough. We are told by God to take hold of his words and keep them also.

God is the only one who can actually, with out fail keep his word.

He is the only one who states facts instead of declaring like we do, “I promise, I promise.”

God states facts because there is nothing that can deter him from His appointed rounds.

I deal at best with maybe’s. I can say, “I will be over tomorrow to help you out”, but there are a plethora of things that could happen to keep me from showing up and helping you that I absolutely do not have any control over, you know, like, ” I wouldn’t leave ya baby, you know I love ya, but an old friend came in from out of town, I had a flat tire, my tux was lost at the cleaners, I ran out of gas, there was a fire, a flood, I swear to God it wasn’t my fault!”

I know I can’t hurt or deter the word of God, but I may do something that turns you off to it.

Here is my take on it.

The word of God is powerful, sharper than any two edged sword, or similar to a loaded twelve gauge shot gun. Either can be used for and do a lot of good or either could be used and by accident cause a lot of damage and heart ache.

I would never have handed over a loaded shot gun to one of my kids when they were eight years old so why do you think God would just hand you all that power through his word all at one time, he doesn’t.

God provides the increase based on his timeline, not ours. We grow as he causes us to grow.

Now, I have found we have more of it than we believe we do, but we never have so much as to be dangerous with it.

So keep at it!