My Devotional today was from Proverbs 3:1-35. Reading from the Amplified Bible, there were several Scriptures that stood out for me. The one I’ll elaborate on is Proverbs 3:3 – “Let not mercy and kindness (shutting out all hatred and selfishness) and truth (shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood) forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart.”
Mercy, kindness, and truth; these three elements are foundational to our walk of faith. Mercy is compassion for another. Our measure of having mercy towards our fellowman can’t even come close the mercy that God has for us. Giving up His only Son so that we could be reconciled to Him when He knew beforehand that we would fall short. However, because of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can allow His Spirit and His Word to guide and direct us. His Word is the standard for us to gauge our daily lives. This walk isn’t easy; but it isn’t impossible either because God provided us with what is needed to live our lives with compassion. His example is Jesus, who even had compassion on those who crucified Him.
Hatred and selfishness; what subjects of heated discussion. My thought here is that as we allow God ‘s Word and Spirit to transform us, these feelings that can seem to control us at times are not more than what God can and will do in us. “Shutting out all hypocrisy and falsehood” denotes action on our part as well. The Scriptures specifically call us to action. You know when you’re being hypocritical and living a lie. And, just to reiterate, you know in your heart of hearts whether you’re being hypocritical. Live the truth.
Daily reading of the Word of God will most definitely make us examine ourselves. Hebrews 4:12 – “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (making it active, operative, energizing, and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” After examination of ourselves, then we make a choice to be obedient.
Sandra R. Vercellono
[King James Version / Amplified Holy Bible, Parallel Bible, Zondervan, © 1995]
