Guard Your HeartSample

Guarding your heart

“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

In many cultures, the heart has a special symbolic meaning. It is, for example, seen as the source of our emotions (think of love!). The Bible also considers the heart as the center of our thinking, feeling, and decision-making. All of our words, actions, and choices have their roots in our hearts: “The good person out of the good treasure 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” (Luke 6:45).

God knows what is in our hearts: “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Of course, our outward deeds are important. We should act righteously and lovingly, but God looks further than that. He is interested in our hearts.

Our hearts are most precious. We should keep them “with all vigilance.” How can we do that? For the coming days, let’s see what the Bible has to teach us about this subject.