Thirty-six days…
Proverbs 3:3
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart… (N.K.J.V.)
Today as I was praying, this verse came to mind. I love this scripture because it is a true reminder of what is important. My intention is to always speak truth. I strive to show mercy, because of the great mercy which was shown to me through Christ’s birth and eventual death on the cross. The way I imagine those words written on the tablet of my heart are through His fingerprints. The day I made the decision to live for Christ, He not only came to dwell within my heart but He marked me as His own.
Whenever I think of something bound around the neck, I think of The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne. The character, Hester Prynne, was made to wear an “A” around her neck as a public disgracing and sign of her sin through adultery. There was no way for her or anyone else to forget what she had done, even for a moment. In Proverbs 3:3, binding truth and mercy around our necks is obviously a figurative statement. Though we might not have something physical bound around our necks for people to observe like Hester Prynne’s “A,” the goal is for people to clearly see something different about us. I hope to exemplify enough truth and mercy in my life that people immediately know there is something distinctive that sets me apart.
To share the truth and mercy of Christ brings about change, not only in us, but also in others. I know this to be true because of verse 4…
Proverbs 3:4
And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. (N.K.J.V.)
I pray you bind mercy and truth around your neck, and write them on the tablet of your heart.
