Here's A Nice Necklace!

"Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man."
(Proverbs 3:3,4)

Mercy and Truth.

What comes to mind when you think of mercy and truth? I think of grace and Jesus - grace extended and Jesus revealed.

Mercy, hesed (heh-said) means lovingkindness, to be gracious, compassionate. Micah 7:18 tells us that God delights in mercy. We know that He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).

AND...He lives within us!
Freely you have received, freely give.

And what about truth? The Hebrew word used for truth in this verse is 'emet (eh-met) meaning certainty, rightness, trustworthiness, dependable. It is something upon which a person may CONFIDENTLY stake His life.

I like that.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). He is the embodiment of Truth - of who God is. He reveals that Truth to us.

AND...He lives within us!
Freely you have received, freely give.

This is an interesting little tidbit: "'emet (truth) is spelled with the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Many rabbis have concluded that TRUTH upholds the first and last of God's creation and everything in between" (commentary, The Spirit Filled Life Bible).

Isn't that awesome? Imagine. We are to walk in truth, representing the power of God and His Son, Jesus AND walk in mercy or grace, representing God's love.

That's a tall order.

We are also instructed to bind them around our neck and write them on our heart. Think about that. Mercy and truth are to be seen in action, like an adornment on our physical body. But they are also to be meshed with our deepest thoughts, our inner self, our heartfelt yearnings. Mercy and truth are to govern our behaviors both seen and unseen.

What is the take-away here?
The word, Let.

Mercy and Truth are within us because of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We don't have to manufacture them - we only need to LET them.

LET mercy and truth govern our actions.
LET mercy and truth be visible in our lives.
LET mercy and truth, in us, lead others to Christ.

LET God have His way in us. Make Him Lord.

Freely you have received, freely give.

Father, WHEW!! That one was tough. But, you know what, it doesn't have to be, does it? YOU have placed mercy and truth within us. We need only to recognize that and then submit to your authority as You lead us. Open our eyes that we might see. Awaken our hearts to love You more. Praise You, Father.