by J.R. Miller

Excerpt from “The Rewards of Obedience”

"Let mercy and truth never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Proverbs 3:3.

Many people pride themselves on being able to repeat from memory passage after passage of Scripture. They seem to be thoroughly familiar with God’s Word. But when it comes to making practical applications of the words they have learned—they entirely fail. It is a beautiful thing to be very familiar with the Bible—but simply to have its words in our head so that we can glibly repeat them, is not enough. We need to get God’s Word into our heart, which is the fountain of our life. This is what He asks of us: "Let your heart keep My commandment."

One result of having God’s Word in our heart, is that we will not wish to let mercy and truth forsake us. Mercy is love toward the unworthy and undeserving. We are saved through God’s mercy toward us, and God expects us to exercise toward others the same mercy. An unmerciful Christian is a contradiction of terms. Truth means not only avoiding falsehood; it also means sincerity, honesty, justice, and fairness in all our dealings. The practical living out of mercy and truth, insures for us the favor of God and man.