“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23
Our heart, our core is the center of who we are and we are instructed in Proverbs to guard it, ABOVE ALL ELSE! Why is there such a stern warning to cultivate our heart? The word for guard here in the Hebrew means to protect, maintain, observe and watch over. We’re called to show that level of vigilance over our heart because from it spring the issues or source of life.
I’ve personally been shocked at how quickly my heart can get hardened by hurt, circumstances, disappointments and anger. It seems that if I let a hurt or disappointment set in for more than 24 hours my once tender heart can get become hard and calloused. As my heart hardens towards the Lord and others, it becomes difficult for it to be an efficient channel for which life to flow.
You’ve heard it said that “Time heals all wounds”. Well, that is a lie. Time causes some wounds to fester and a once small, seemingly insignificant hurt can, over time, become a life threatening mortal wound! I recently spoke on this; how hurt and disappointments become anger and ultimately bitterness.
It’s not only hurt and disappointments that we have to be on guard against, but all moral and spiritual filth. Jesus said,
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45
What we put in there WILL come out, one way or the other. Fill our heart with anger and anger comes out, fill it with perversion and perversion will come out. Likewise, if fill our hearts with the Word of God and the Spirit of God and life will come pouring out as it is needed!
LIFE LESSON?
VIGILANTLY guard your heart; it’s the only one you got!
Our heart, our core is the center of who we are and we are instructed in Proverbs to guard it, ABOVE ALL ELSE! Why is there such a stern warning to cultivate our heart? The word for guard here in the Hebrew means to protect, maintain, observe and watch over. We’re called to show that level of vigilance over our heart because from it spring the issues or source of life.
I’ve personally been shocked at how quickly my heart can get hardened by hurt, circumstances, disappointments and anger. It seems that if I let a hurt or disappointment set in for more than 24 hours my once tender heart can get become hard and calloused. As my heart hardens towards the Lord and others, it becomes difficult for it to be an efficient channel for which life to flow.
You’ve heard it said that “Time heals all wounds”. Well, that is a lie. Time causes some wounds to fester and a once small, seemingly insignificant hurt can, over time, become a life threatening mortal wound! I recently spoke on this; how hurt and disappointments become anger and ultimately bitterness.
It’s not only hurt and disappointments that we have to be on guard against, but all moral and spiritual filth. Jesus said,
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45
What we put in there WILL come out, one way or the other. Fill our heart with anger and anger comes out, fill it with perversion and perversion will come out. Likewise, if fill our hearts with the Word of God and the Spirit of God and life will come pouring out as it is needed!
LIFE LESSON?
VIGILANTLY guard your heart; it’s the only one you got!
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