Proverbs 4:23 says "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". A commentary I found says this about that...the core of Christian existence is the heart. A heart right with both God and other people sets the stage for both a correct understanding of doctrine and a correct expression of one's faith in daily living. Without a healthy spiritual heart you are spiritually dead, no matter how well you understand theology or how much of the Bible you have committed to memory. It is the pure in heart who shall see God. Lord, help me today to get my priorities right. Help me today to surrender my heart to You. Help me today to start seeing You better. [Walking With Jesus By Knight]
Pretty powerful stuff. I have been often advised to 'guard my heart' by those close to me in the matters of relationships and I am wondering now if I maybe misunderstood what that meant. Can I guard my heart? Really guard it from heartache? Where does faith come into play here? I really don't know the answers, but I am praying about this today because I had an interesting conversation about this very thing last night and it's gotten me thinking. Taking a faithful step could definitely end in a broken heart when dealing in relationships with friends and dating relationships. But by taking a risk, stepping out in faith, including with that faithful prayer, won't that make the reward that much sweeter? It could, I certainly think so...not sure if I really thought about it like that before. Another commentary I found by a pastor online says this...Proverbs 4 is filled with instruction on how to gain wisdom and have lives that are full and complete. Then near the end of the chapter the writer says, "above all else, guard your heart". Why is this so important? Because our hearts guide and direct all that we do. Every word that comes out of our mouth starts in the heart. All of our actions and choices are driven by the desires of the heart. We often spend large sums of money to guard our earthly possessions. The government spends untold fortunes to guard our nation. But God tells us that it is even more important to guard our hearts. If we don't it can lead to spiritual ruin! Who we are in Christ is being formed in our hearts. If we let them be filled with perverse or unrighteous things we live at odds to God's purposes. Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor
Hmmm, I really am interested in understanding this verse. The more research I do on this verse, the more I want to wrap my head around my conversation last night. How do I feel about taking a risk with my heart, trusting God to protect me, and leaving the rest to Him? I'm not sure the answer to that. The more I read about it and think about it, I wonder if maybe I'm hiding behind 'guard my heart' to try and avoid heartache, but I'm not sure I can do that, or even if I want to. I'm beginning to reevaluate Proverbs 4:23 in the context that it really applies to guarding my heart against sinful nature and actions, but does it also apply to emotional intimacy in a relationship? I do feel that sincere emotional intimacy only has a place in a committed relationship and as someone who loves to share, communicate and work things out, almost to a fault, perhaps that's the way I should look at the verse and it's application to my life right now.
Either way, I'm going to pray on this some more. If you read my blog and have a comment or suggestion to better help my understanding of this passage, please don't hesitate to leave it. I truly desire to grow and serve those around me by learning and digging deep into issues like this.
Blessings to you all,
S
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