|
"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the
issues of life." Proverbs 4:23
We are commanded to keep our hearts with all dilligence. The
word keep has numerous different definitions, but the one
that seemed to fit this
usage was "To preserve from falling or from danger; to
protect; to guard or sustain. The word dilligence means
"Care; heed; heedfulness." It also
means "Steady application in business of any kind; constant
effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or
mind without
unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry;
assiduity." Out of our heart is the issues of life. Issue is
an "act of passing or flowing
out; a moving out of any inclosed place; such as an issue of
water from a pipe, from a spring, or from a river." As the
old saying goes what is in
the well will come out of the bucket, the same is true of
our heart; what is in our heart will come out and be seen by
all. Two reasons that we
should guard and protect our heart is because it is 1.
deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9) and 2. you
cannot trust your heart because
it will fool you (Prov.28:26). It is so important what you
put in your heart; that is why there is so much preaching on
things such as music,
television, books, magazines, games, and so on; because it
does matter what you feed upon, it all goes to your heart.
That is why we are
commanded to think on those things that are true, honest,
pure...(Phil. 4:8); if we would judge everything that we
listen to, view, read, talk
about by these guidelines we would be able to guard our
hearts so much easier. Also, we have to stay in the Word of
God to guard our hearts.
Heb. 4:12 says,"For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Then in Col.
3:16-17 it says, "Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the
Father by him." If we stay in the Word of God, it is a lot
easier to think and talk about the right things. I'll leave
you with these two
verses to ponder (and notice how both verses suggest that
what is in your heart will effect your children).Deuteronomy
4:9 "Only take heed to
thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the
things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from
thy heart all the days of
thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;"
Deuteronomy 5:29 "O that there were such an heart in them,
that they
would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it
might be well with them, and with their children for
ever!"
Until next time, God bless you.
Sis. Tanya |
in the
