Considering Empty Promises

I've been trying to think of the most grievous empty promise that has ever been made to me.

Surely I've spent a great deal of money on things that I thought would bring me happiness, or improve my life, or cause the ladies to swoon, or...

I have a lot of junk in my house because of these empty promises. I should say that the junk that I thought would bring the ladies has been thrown out by my wife. The rest, however, is still kicking around somewhere and is the primary reason I can't park in my garage.

Advertisements are such empty promises.

And they get me almost every time.

I wish that was the sum total of the lies I've bought into, but amazingly there are more.

Pete Wilson, in his book "Empty Promises: the truth about you, your desires, and the lies you're believing" holds out writes this on page 16: "The question we're dealing with in this book  is not 'Do you have idols?' We're already determined that the heart is an idol factory. The real question for any of us is this: Which idol is God's biggest rival in your life?"

From there he launches into an exploration of seven idols that we grant license to compete with God.  The book covers things such as: approval, power, beauty, and money. Some might argue that these are not true idols. To that, the author offers one of the best, in my opinion, definitions of an idol: "idolatry is when I look to something that does not have God's power to give me what only God has the power and authority to give."

With that definition, perhaps the list, and the book, could have been longer.

Pete Wilson's style is easy to read. He's thought provoking and engaging. Empty promises was surprisingly practical. In fact, as I read i kept picturing the material being a teaching series--no doubt it was before it was a book.

The last thing I want to do with this review is to leave you with an empty promise. The book is worth reading. It might change your perspective on life, but it might not. I have a hard time believing that you can't think of at least one person who would benefit from it: and that person will most likely be you.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”