“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.”
Proverbs 3:3-4
A familiar bible story is that of the greatest commandments. A Pharisee, attempting to trick Jesus, asks him which commandment is greatest. Jesus replies that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. The second is to love your neighbor. This proverb, though certainly dating from before Jesus’ time, reflects much the same sentiment.
Love and faithfulness are two things that, from creation until now, God has always valued above all else. In Genesis, it says that Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, not his ability to follow the rules or be perfect. In Romans, Paul says that Love is the fulfillment of the law. In everything that we do, if we do it with love and in faithfulness to God, we can’t go wrong.
That’s what this proverb is trying to teach us. If we form our lives around love and faithfulness, we will win favor with both God and man. Love never wrongs a neighbor and faithfulness does no harm. If we can write these things on the tablet of our hearts, if we can etch them into the very core of our existence, everything we do will flow from them. There is no action that flows from love and faith in God that will lead us astray.
Prayer:
Father,
I pray that you will help us to prioritize love and faithfulness over all else. Help us to bind them around our necks and write them on the tablets of our hearts. May we do everything out of faith in you, love for you, and love for your people.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Add Comment