A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Spiritual Self-Condemnation
 
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets." (Matthew 23:29-30)
 
This final "woe" in Matthew 23 is the most awful of all eight of them. Although this builds from verse 25, the conclusion demonstrates the result of such duplicitous behavior--ultimate and eternal separation from the Creator God and His holiness. "Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:31-33).
 
Here is the principle: "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:37). This is no small issue. Our speech is a direct reflection of what is important to us. So much so that we will be held accountable for "every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matthew 12:36).
 
Those passages ought to give all of us pause. Just what is it that consumes our conversation throughout the day? Is it sports, movies, shopping, gossip, slander, or sowing "discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:19)? Or is it "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report" (Philippians 4:8).
 
Our mouths are connected to our hearts (Matthew 15:18). What we talk about most of the time is a definite indicator of where our hearts are. Perhaps we should listen to ourselves. That is a pretty good marker of what we love most: "Stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:8). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Know and Walk in Truth

"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." (1 Timothy 1:5)

Much of modern, self-oriented Christian preaching and writing has tended to downgrade biblical "doctrine" in favor of an emphasis on "love" and "fulfillment," the "pursuit of happiness," "sharing and caring," and other such sentiments. Some popular religious leaders major on "confident living," "self-improvement," "personal success," and the like.

Doctrine is thus downgraded in favor of practice, and "works" are considered more important than the Word. But this type of emphasis places the cart before the horse and can never succeed for very long. "Doctrine" is simply "teaching," and true teaching must come from God’s infallible Word, whether that teaching relates to great divine truths (creation, atonement, sanctification, etc.) or to the daily Christian walk.

As the apostle Paul reminds us, "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33). "Profane and vain babblings . . . increase unto more ungodliness" (2 Timothy 2:16). We cannot escape being taught doctrine somewhere. If we will not receive true doctrine from God’s Word, we will inevitably become indoctrinated with the world’s humanistic deceptions, for these impinge upon our thinking continually, from classroom and journal, from television and (unfortunately) sometimes even from the pulpit.

If we are really concerned about love and happiness and such things, we must acquire them from the right source, the doctrinal truths of the Word of God. It is knowing and obeying the commandment, as our text says, that generates pure love, a faithful heart, and a daily life that supports a clear conscience.

When we "know the truth" (John 8:32), then and then only can we "walk in truth" (3 John 4). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Philosophy and Vain Deceit
 
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
 
It is bound to be significant that, in the only place where the Scriptures even mention philosophy, we are warned to beware of it! Likewise, the only philosophers mentioned were evolutionary humanists who called the apostle Paul a "babbler . . . because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18).
 
The word "philosophy" literally means "love of wisdom," and every philosophy--ancient or modern--is essentially a humanistic devotion to man's wisdom for its own sake.
 
But such wisdom is false wisdom. It derives in type from "the tree of knowledge," through the "vain deceit" of Satan, who tries to persuade us that partaking of it would "make one wise" and that "your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 2:17; 3:5-6). It has "indeed a shew of wisdom" (Colossians 2:23), but "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Corinthians 3:19), and eventually all "the wisdom of this world, . . . |and| of the princes of this world, . . . |will| come to nought" (1 Corinthians 2:6).
 
Genuine wisdom, on the other hand, is as our text reminds us, "after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:8-10). For in Him "are hid |literally 'stored up'| all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).
 
The Lord Jesus Christ is "the truth" (John 14:6), and is both "the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). This true wisdom is freely available to all who desire it. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). Therefore, we need never waste our God-given time on human philosophy. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Heart Is Deceitful
 
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
 
Just as in modern languages, ancient Hebrew used the term "heart" to mean the inward motivations which control a person’s words and deeds. According to the prophet Jeremiah, the spiritual heart is so innately wicked and deceptive that one cannot even understand his own heart--but God does!
 
One urgently needs a new heart, and God promises just that. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). "This is the covenant that I will make with them . . . saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts" (Hebrews 10:16).
 
The problem, of course, is heart attitude. In the third chapter of Hebrews, this is illustrated in terms of the attitudes of the children of Israel in the wilderness. First, their hearts had become hard hearts through their lack of gratitude, and three times the author warns us to "harden not your hearts" (Hebrews 3:8, 15; 4:7). As a result, they soon acquired erring hearts. "They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways" (Hebrews 3:10). Finally, their hearts were evil hearts, and God would warn us through them. "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12).
 
An evil heart is defined here, in effect, as an unbelieving heart. A heart which refuses to receive and believe the Word of God is a wicked heart, inevitably generating wicked ways and evil doings. But Christ will create a new heart for all who will believe on Him and confess Him as God and Savior. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans 10:9-10). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Knowledge of the Truth
 
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
 
The phrase "the truth," referring to a certain vital body of doctrine, is found often in the New Testament, and the text quoted above is one of the most important, indicating as it does that fully understanding "the truth" is equivalent to being saved.
 
The theme of "the truth" is especially emphasized in Paul's two letters to Timothy, the first reference being in our text. He next points out that, in his capacity as an apostle, he must "speak the truth in Christ," teaching "in faith and verity" (same word as "truth"--1 Timothy 2:7).
 
The church is called "the pillar and ground of the truth" (3:15). An attitude of thanksgiving is proper for those who "believe and know the truth" (4:3). On the other hand, those false teachers who teach with selfish motives are "destitute of the truth" (6:5).
 
In the second epistle, Paul urges believers to be diligent in studying the Scriptures, because they constitute "the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Then he warns of teachers "who concerning the truth have erred," teaching false doctrine and destroying the faith of some (v. 18). Those who are faithful teachers, however, are exhorted to help the unsaved come to "repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (v. 25).
 
Then, in his prophetic description of the humanist teachers of the last days, Paul says they will be "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (3:7). This is because they "resist the truth" and "turn away their ears from the truth" (3:8; 4:4). Thus, "the truth" always emphasizes its vital importance in salvation and the Christian life. Most of all, the Lord Jesus said: "I am . . . the truth" (John 14:6). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Second Coming
 
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
 
It has been observed that this first-written of Paul's epistles contains more direct references to the second coming of Christ than any of his other writings. Each of its chapters comes to a close with a reference to Christ's return in relation to some aspect of His great salvation, as applied to our personal lives.
 
In the first chapter, he speaks of the second coming in relation to service. ". . . how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven" (1:9-10).
 
Then, in the second chapter, Paul speaks of soul-winning. "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? (2:19).
 
Next, there is an emphasis on stability. "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (3:13).
 
The fourth chapter concludes with perhaps the greatest passage on the second coming in any of the epistles, verses 13-17. All of this is said by Paul to be the basis of our Christian strength. "Wherefore comfort |literally 'strengthen'| one another with these words" (4:18).
 
Finally, the last chapter concludes with the words of our text, speaking of our eternal sanctification as a result of this blessed hope of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
The second coming is thus all-important. It is a practical incentive and enablement for the Christian life, encouraging service, soul-winning, stability, strength, and sanctification; culminating in full and everlasting salvation. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Response to Prayer
 
"In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedest me with strength in my soul." (Psalm 138:3)
 
God's response to our prayers are delivered into two ways: practically, in the circumstances the direction, and spiritually, in the "inner man" (Ephesians 3:16).
 
We are often so focused on the physical or external event for which we are insistently praying that when the answer comes we fail to receive the full blessing--even if we read the practical answer correctly. Our heavenly Father is committed to providing our needs on earth (Philippians 4:19; Luke 12:30), but such supply is of minimal significance in the scope of eternity. The good thoughts (Jeremiah 29:11) and the good gifts of God (Luke 11:13) are toward the expected end, the ultimate conformity "to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29).
 
While God responds to our physical needs, His heart and His purpose is to fill us "with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). He blesses us "with all spiritual blessings" (Ephesians 1:3) and has chosen us to be "holy and without blame" (Ephesians 1:4). God's Word is designed to allow us to participate in the "divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). God's desire in responding to our prayers is this: "that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfullness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:9-12).
 
But please be on notice! This internal and spiritual worship and praise cannot be kept private. The "internal" blessings of God will overflow in godly behavior and visible joy (James 3:13; 1 Peter 1:. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Designed Creation
 
"Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?" (Psalm 94:8-9)
 
The concept of evolution, according to this verse, is nothing but brute-like foolishness. If an automobile presupposes an automaker, and a clock implies a clockmaker, surely the infinitely more intricate and complex eyes and ears of living creatures require an eye-maker and an ear-maker! "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them" (Proverbs 20:12).
 
The most basic of all scientific laws--the law of cause and effect (no effect greater than its cause)--becomes utmost nonsense if the cosmos is the product of chaos and the universe evolved by chance. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).
 
Every creature, from the single-celled amoebae to the amazing human body, bears the impress of intricate planning and construction. The notion that such complex structures could evolve by random mutations and natural selection is simply a measure of the audacity of human rebellion and the absurdity of humanistic reasoning. Such things never happen in the real world, and there is no real scientific evidence whatever for "vertical" evolution from one kind to a higher kind. The only genuine evidence for evolution is the fact that the leaders of intellectualism believe it, and the only reason they believe it is their frantic desire to escape God. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22).
 
The ear did not "evolve"; it was planted. The eye did not "happen by chance"; it was formed. Every wise man and woman will say with the psalmist, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Psalm 139:14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Water from the Rock
 
"Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel." (Exodus 17:6)
 
This amazing provision of drinking water for the Israelites in the midst of a barren wilderness is surely one of the most remarkable miracles of creation recorded in Scripture. Furthermore, it was not a one-time event, but somehow continued to provide water for them during the entire 40 years they spent in the desert. God provided daily water just as He provided their daily bread. "Our fathers . . . did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:1, 3-4).
 
The provision was an act of pure grace on God's part, for even after God created the manna for them, the people were about to stone Moses (Exodus 17:4). But their complaint was really against God, so God "stood before" Moses as he smote the rock at Horeb, and a great spring of water burst forth.
 
This is the first mention of the word "rock" in Scripture, and it is surely significant that the apostle Paul calls this rock a type of Christ. Just as Moses smote the rock with the same rod of judgment which he had used to smite the river in Egypt (Exodus 7:20; 17:5), so Christ had to be "smitten of God" (Isaiah 53:4) because of our sins, before He could fulfill His promise: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).
 
But once our Rock was smitten, the water of everlasting life was made available freely to all who will drink. The very last invitation of the Bible is: "And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). Then, "whosoever drinketh . . . shall never thirst" (John 4:14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Gracious Strength
 
"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 2:1)
 
As with so many other character attributes, a Christian cannot measure strength as the world does. True strength is not military might or athletic skill or purchasing power. "For . . . not many mighty . . . are called: But God hath chosen . . . the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).
 
A Christian is strong when he or she is a person of gracious character, strong in the grace manifested by Christ in word and deed. "My strength is made perfect in weakness," the Lord told the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9), who then prayed that we would also be "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11).
 
But how does one acquire such strength in grace? First of all, it is by the working of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer’s life--"strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Ephesians 3:16).
 
Then, it is by spending times of quietness before the Lord in prayer and study. "Their strength is to sit still. . . . in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:7, 15). Frantic efforts to acquire, by human methods, the power one needs to accomplish a task or to reach a goal will be futile in the end, "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31).
 
After the people had spent a day before the Lord and His written Word, Nehemiah could assure them that "the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee," the psalmist could say (Psalm 84:5). When we acquire our strength from Him, we can confidently claim the ancient promise: "and as thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Why It Was a 'Good' Friday
 
"And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council." (Luke 22:66)
 
The origin of "Good Friday" ceremonies are somewhat muddled in history. Some suggest that the earlier roots go back as far as 100 A.D., but others insist that it was well into the fourth century before anything like the "passion week" observances became established.
 
Beyond that, there is a good bit of controversy about the title itself. Everyone now agrees that the focus of the dedication is on the crucifixion of our Lord. So why "Good" Friday? Why not "Sad" Friday, or "Awful" Friday? Although historians and theologians tend to focus on the etymology of the term and debate the circumstances by which the ceremony became identified, the truth may well lie in the sovereignty of God Himself.
 
On that day in history, the sins of the world were paid for! This was the day that "it pleased the Lord to . . . make his soul an offering for sin" (Isaiah 53:10). That day, "the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
 
Yes, there was great sorrow and travail that day. During the awful physical darkness from noon to 3:00 p.m. (Matthew 27:45), Jesus had cried out in utter anguish: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). The earth itself shook and rumbled as the creation was torn asunder in reaction to the horrific judgment of the Creator for sin (Matthew 27:51).
 
But then came the victory cry, "It is finished" (John 19:30), and, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). His suffering ended, the payment completed, eternal propitiation accomplished, Jesus laid down His human life to await the great resurrection that God might give "assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Dreadful Day of the Lord
 
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD." (Malachi 4:5)
 
This is the next-to-last verse of the Old Testament and so marks the final mention in the Old Testament of the fearsome theme of the Day of the Lord. As the text says, it will be a "great and dreadful day."
 
This phrase occurs frequently in the Bible, reminding us over and over again that although God is merciful and longsuffering, He will not remain silent forever. Man's "day" will end someday, and the day of the Lord will come.
 
Note some of the other prophecies: "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! . . . the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light" (Amos 5:18). "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:31). "The great day of the LORD . . . is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness" (Zephaniah 1:14-15). "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger" (Isaiah 13:9).
 
The phrase also is repeated in the New Testament, most awesomely of all in 2 Peter 3:10: "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (see also 1 Thessalonians 5:2, etc.).
 
Without trying to sort out the precise sequences and events associated with all such prophecies, it is obvious that the Day of the Lord is a coming time of terrible judgment on all who have rejected or ignored the God who created them. But God's faithful believers can take great comfort, for then "the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD" (Zechariah 14:9). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Resurrection Demanded
 
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18)
 
Humanity must be resurrected. This is not an incidental "religious" issue: "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen" (1 Corinthians 15:13).
 
Resurrection is required for the believer to enter into eternity (1 Corinthians 15:50) and the non-believer to know punishment in hell.
 
There are different kinds of "flesh" and other "living" creatures that do not take part in the resurrection, all of which are specifically separated from the "celestial" creation like stars and angels (1 Corinthians 15:39-40).
 
The earthy image of flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). God requires a change from the physical to the spiritual; from the temporal to the eternal. Physical death is an intrusion into the perfect order of the original creation (Genesis 3:19) and a great enemy that will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).
 
Resurrection is necessary to correct this awful distortion of the "very good" that God created and is the absolute opposite of physical death. Corruption must become goodness. Dishonor must become glory. Weakness must become power. And the natural must become spiritual.
 
Jesus Christ made that change possible, proven by His resurrection from the grave (Acts 17:31). The gospel insists on the birth from above (John 3:3) that makes a transfer from death to life (John 5:24)--the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) that will ultimately consummate in "all things" being made new (Revelation 21:5).
 
We await the fulfillment of that promise when we will be freed from the curse of death. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Crucified with Christ
 
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:24)
 
Death by crucifixion was surely one of the cruelest and most painful forms of execution ever devised. Yet the Lord Jesus "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2); He "hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18).
 
But just as He sacrificed Himself for us, we are now privileged to offer our "bodies a living sacrifice" to Him (Romans 12:1). This spiritual sacrifice is actually compared to crucifixion. "Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Romans 6:6).
 
Crucifixion is not an instantaneous death, but a very slow and painful death. Just so, the death of a Christian believer to sin does not take place in a moment of special blessing, but--as in physical crucifixion--is painful and slow. Nevertheless, it is basic in the truly effective Christian life.
 
In the Book of Galatians, we are told three times by the apostle Paul that the Christian believer should be following Christ in His crucifixion--in crucifixion to self, to the flesh, and to the world. First we are to be crucified to the love of self. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Secondly, we are to be crucified to the flesh, for "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (today's text).
 
Finally, we should be crucified to the lure of this world. "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

To God Be the Glory
 
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake." (Psalm 115:1)
 
One of the great words of the Bible is the word "glory," and it should be evident that glory belongs to God, not man. Indeed, the very "heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1). Not only do the heavens declare His glory, but "his glory |is| above the heavens" (113:4), and "the glory of the LORD shall endure for ever" (104:31). In heaven the mighty hosts of angels "give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name" (29:2).
 
It is thus singularly inappropriate for God's servants on earth to seek glory for themselves. "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
 
This Old Testament exhortation is echoed in the New. "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; . . . That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:27, 29-31).
 
As our text reminds us, God manifests His glory to us today in both mercy and truth, mercifully saving us in Christ, who is Himself God's truth (John 14:6). Thus, in Christ, "mercy and truth are met together" (Psalm 85:10), and we shall "praise thy name for thy lovingkindness |same word as 'mercy'| and for thy truth" (Psalm 138:2). HMM