Proverbs 3:3-4
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.
The promise in Proverbs 3:4 is heart-warming. It says that we can win the approval of God and man at the same time if we let love and faithfulness be the guardian of our hearts.
“The Bible prominently uses the term “love” or “mercy” (checed) to summarize and characterize a life of sanctification within, and in response to, the covenant” (Extracted from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words). It is a life lived with pure motives and clear conscience in obeying the truth of God’s word. We obey God’s laws not out of a sense of legal duty but out of our intimate love for Him. This quality of steadfast love for God can only come when our hearts are solely fixed on Him for our reward and approval. Not primarily because we want something from Him but because we find Him as our ultimate treasure.
The term “faithfulness” or “truth” carries the basic root idea of firmness or certainty. In the Hebrew language, it expresses the basic concept of support and is used in the sense of the strong arms of the parent supporting the helpless infant. It is one that expresses the image of continuing to believe or trust (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). The imagery of a helpless infant depending on their parents for survival signifies the person depending on God totally for every single task in hand. The person is not independent in making his own decisions but relies totally on God for the plans. It also carries the meaning of depending on God’s faithfulness to carry us through all sorts of dark and bleak situations.
Prayer: Lord, help me love you with the steadfast love and trust you in every single details of my life here on earth, amen.
