At the heart of relational excellence is promise-making and promise keeping. Our marriages, families, friendships, businesses, churches, and nations are all built on promises. We like to pledge our sacred honor, but sometimes we toss it aside for the sake of convenience or to avoid pain. God, however, has raised the standards for covenant making. He has pledged to us a sacred vow and is unswervingly faithful, even though we continually violate our end of the bargain. We must challenge ourselves to pursue God's excellent standards of covenant keeping by honoring our commitments and by keeping our word.