We’re up to Proverbs chapter 4 as we continue to focus on this season’s GEMS theme, Get Wisdom: Go beyond the Gold!
GUARD YOUR HEART
Above all else, guard your heart,
For it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23
The children’s song, O Be Careful, Little Eyes, wisely instructs children of all ages to be careful what their eyes see, what their ears hear, what their hands do, and where their feet go. According to Proverbs 4:23, it’s missing a verse:
Oh be careful little heart what you keep.
Oh be careful little heart what you keep.
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little heart what you keep.
What we keep within our heart, to a great extent determines how we live. That’s why Solomon gives the command to guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (Proverbs 4:23, NLT).
In my high school basketball days I was a scrappy guard. I had zero comprehension of what to do on offense, but had an innate understanding that on defense I was to guard the basket at all costs. The context of this verse isn’t a guarding that keeps a basketball from the hoop, or a hockey puck or soccer ball from the net. This verse’s primary focus is not so much to guard our heart by keeping the bad stuff out, but by keeping the good stuff of God’s teachings, commands, and wisdom in!
The verses that precede the instruction to guard our heart reiterate the importance of keeping a vigilant watch over what we keep within. My son (daughter), pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart (Proverbs 4:20-21). Deuteronomy 4:9 says, Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children (and your GEMS!) and to the children after them.
Our heart houses our motives, thoughts, and emotions. What we keep within the control center of our heart will guide the choices we make and the paths that we take. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble (Proverbs 4:18-19).
Wisdom Step: Do a heart check. What is your greatest affection and treasure? Is it God and His Word? Your family? Your agenda? Work? Money? Weekends? Travel? What you treasure will determine the course of your life. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at my end, and at my departing.
Old Sarum Primer, 1558
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