April 23, 2023 GUARDING OUR HEARTS
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the treasures of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Jeremiah 29;13 “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all of your heart.”
Matthew 15:18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”
Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
God asked King Solomon what would he like to have from God; Solomon asked that he might have wisdom-and God gave him great wisdom. Out of his wisdom, Solomn said it well; “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” ‘Above all else’ are significant words. You could say that our heart is who we are. Our view of life, our responses, our countenance, our temperaments, and our thoughts come from our hearts. (I understand that we have a spirit, a soul, a mind, and a body, and we could spend much time discussing how they work together, etc., but we use the word heart to refer to the core of our being.) We must not let our hearts be on auto-pilot; we must establish and direct our hearts. Certainly what we choose to think on, our view point in life, is a key part of establishing our heart. Some believe that we are who we are because that is just how we were born-we cannot really change. I agree that we are born with certain characteristics, but I also believe that we can experience change. This is why the word of God along with the Holy Spirit working in is is so important when it comes to establishing our hearts and our view of life. As I have often said, God does not refurbish us or make us better-He makes us new. When God’s word is embraced as the source of life; when we work with the Holy Spirit as He works in us; when we obey and put into practice what the scriptures teach; and when we renew our minds to the ways of God, our heart becomes a rich, ever-flowing wellspring of life. We need to decide that we must not live according to our feelings; we are to live by what God says-and we discover what God says in His word. A key truth we must not overlook is that we do not try to do what God’s word says as a way of earning His acceptance; we do the things that are pleasing to Him BECAUSE He loves us and because we love Him. John 14:14 makes it clear: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Let us see our hearts as a treasure chest and see that we can have good treasure and not evil treasure; and that the words we speak, the actions we take, and the thoughts we think flow out of the treasure that is in our hearts. What could be more fulfilling in life than to live with a heart that is full of good treasure-a treasure chest that is never depleted. So let us answer the question “What kind of treasure is in our heart?” If the treasure is good, then praise the Lord; if it’s not good, God can change that if we ask Him and work with Him in the process.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Blessings, Buddy
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the treasures of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Jeremiah 29;13 “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all of your heart.”
Matthew 15:18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”
Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
God asked King Solomon what would he like to have from God; Solomon asked that he might have wisdom-and God gave him great wisdom. Out of his wisdom, Solomn said it well; “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” ‘Above all else’ are significant words. You could say that our heart is who we are. Our view of life, our responses, our countenance, our temperaments, and our thoughts come from our hearts. (I understand that we have a spirit, a soul, a mind, and a body, and we could spend much time discussing how they work together, etc., but we use the word heart to refer to the core of our being.) We must not let our hearts be on auto-pilot; we must establish and direct our hearts. Certainly what we choose to think on, our view point in life, is a key part of establishing our heart. Some believe that we are who we are because that is just how we were born-we cannot really change. I agree that we are born with certain characteristics, but I also believe that we can experience change. This is why the word of God along with the Holy Spirit working in is is so important when it comes to establishing our hearts and our view of life. As I have often said, God does not refurbish us or make us better-He makes us new. When God’s word is embraced as the source of life; when we work with the Holy Spirit as He works in us; when we obey and put into practice what the scriptures teach; and when we renew our minds to the ways of God, our heart becomes a rich, ever-flowing wellspring of life. We need to decide that we must not live according to our feelings; we are to live by what God says-and we discover what God says in His word. A key truth we must not overlook is that we do not try to do what God’s word says as a way of earning His acceptance; we do the things that are pleasing to Him BECAUSE He loves us and because we love Him. John 14:14 makes it clear: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Let us see our hearts as a treasure chest and see that we can have good treasure and not evil treasure; and that the words we speak, the actions we take, and the thoughts we think flow out of the treasure that is in our hearts. What could be more fulfilling in life than to live with a heart that is full of good treasure-a treasure chest that is never depleted. So let us answer the question “What kind of treasure is in our heart?” If the treasure is good, then praise the Lord; if it’s not good, God can change that if we ask Him and work with Him in the process.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Blessings, Buddy
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