Mercy and Truth: Two Vital Elements

Proverbs 3:3, 4 – Let not mercy and truth forsake you, bind them about your neck; write them upon the tablet of your heart. So shall you find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

God’s Word consistently brings us back to our responsibility. The pendulum, that swings between those who stress the sovereignty of God and those who stress the free will of man, is always brought back to the middle. Of course, God is sovereign in that He is in ultimate control but, obviously, He is not in control of all my daily choices. A quick inventory of the food I ate, and the words I spoke this week, may be an enlightening example.

Mercy and truth are to be closely united in our lives. Most of us identify with one or the other, but a delicate balance between them is to be maintained. Those who are motivated by mercy simply desire to bring relief from suffering and hardship wherever they see it; their first thoughts are compassion and concern. Quite often they are misunderstood as being too soft and may be told that they need to practice a more tough kind of love. Those who are motivated by truth, however, tend to be on the other end of that spectrum. They see reasons and causes for the difficulties people find themselves in. They rush to correct and fix the problem and then insist that people change. These people, likewise, may be misunderstood, in that they may appear judgmental and uncaring, and they are often encouraged to be a little more sensitive to others.

The reality is we need the balance of mercy and truth. All of life, whether in the home, the workplace, the school, or the church, necessitates the balanced application of both. Our experience of parenting has taught us that fact. There are times when your children simply need mercy; they need to be drawn into your arms and consoled no matter what has happened or whose fault it is. Conversely, there are times when your children need the application of truth and to be confronted and challenged to change their bad attitude. It is all based on the needs of the child and what is best for him.

Our verse tells us to not let mercy or truth forsake us, strongly implying that both can get away from us. We are to bind them closely to us and fix them upon our lives. Most Christians do not like the word bind because it sounds like bondage and restriction. However, there is a positive type of binding that fastens these critical elements to us so they can become an essential part of our lives.

After we have bound them to our life, we are to write them upon the tablet of our hearts. The picture here is of a stone tablet that must be inscribed upon by using a chisel. Our English word character comes from a Greek word which means; that which is engraved. The only way to ensure that mercy and truth do not get away from us is to have them inscribed on our inner man, chiselled into the rock inside, thus making them an integral aspect of our character.

When mercy and truth are activated in our lives it opens the door for God’s favour to be shown. His favour is His pleasure, expressed in acts of kindness. As a parent, you know how great you feel when your children act respectfully and carry themselves well. It pleases you, and when Dad is pleased, he opens his wallet. Our Heavenly Father loves to express His pleasure in giving extraordinary gifts to His children.

Someone has once said that if they had favour, wisdom and courage, they could accomplish almost anything. God’s favour isn’t just with Him, but also with other people. Having favour doesn’t mean that everyone will necessarily love you, but that they will do things for you even if they don’t like you, or understand why they are doing it. If you have favour with the right people, all kinds of doors will open wide for you to go through. As you continue to develop the qualities of mercy and truth, you should also go ahead and start expecting God to open doors of favour and blessing. Thank God for His mercy and truth!

Ever-Increasing Wisdom

Ever-Increasing Wisdom

Proverbs 9:9 – Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man and he will increase in learning.

    Wisdom is always associated with humility and humility is connected to gratitude. If you are a thankful person, you are travelling on a wise path, rightly acknowledging how much you have been given, and how much more room there is to improve and mature. There are so many people that think they know everything. If you bring up a subject, they seem to want to prove how much more they know than you, whether you asked for their opinion or not. That attitude springs from a place of insecurity and hasn’t that been the blight of us all. A wise person is different; they realize that they naturally have insecurities, but are, simultaneously, secure in who they are and have no need of proving anything to others. What a great place to be in life.

    Security is what everyone longs for and endeavours to attain, and yet, it is a moving target and is extremely elusive. Wisdom does not strive for earthly security because it springs from a place of confidence and that is why a wise person can accept corrective instruction and has a willingness to learn. If a young person is loved and secure in that knowledge, then he can also be corrected and not be shaken by it. He knows that correction and improvement are normal to everyone’s life. Contrary to that, if a young person is not loved and does not know the support of family and friends, then, when he is corrected, it is a blow to his identity and his life feels like it is rapidly unravelling.

    A wise person is on the road of ever-increasing improvement and excellence. Wisdom knows that no matter how much one has developed and succeeded, there will always be a need for more knowledge, better ways of doing things and deeper character growth. By accepting correction and receiving instruction, he becomes yet wiser. That attitude of humility and teachableness makes room in his heart for more of God’s wisdom. A proud and stubborn person, however, shuts themselves off from receiving correction, thus, further limiting and hindering their personal growth.

    Have you ever tried to give a gift to someone who refused to receive it? It is impossible. Wise people are those who understand the need to receive and because of that, they have the potential for increase. The same is true if you attempt to teach something to another who thinks they already know all there is to know on that subject. Again, it is impossible.

    Years ago, my wife had many potted plants beautifying our house and she learned a lot about what it takes to keep a plant healthy. One term that she used, to describe a plant that had ceased to flourish was, root-bound. That meant that the pot was too small for the plant and it restricted the roots from expanding; it had become bound and was suffocating from its small confines. Many of us might be like that plant; if we smugly decide that we cannot learn anything else, or develop anymore, we have become root-bound and can go no further. Wisdom says, Go ahead and re-pot me. Put me in a larger place so I can expand to my created potential. Whenever a person is given instruction, or correction, or a warning, that same person is also given an opportunity. We can reject the correction and remain in the same limited boundaries, with our roots being smothered and constricted, or, we can receive the correction, thereby, enlarging the borders of our life and allowing our roots to reach deeper into the soil of wisdom, drawing up the answers and the solutions needed for the difficulties of life.