March 13

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.  Proverbs 4:23

This is perhaps the most critical piece of advice from Solomon in the book of Proverbs because it identifies the heart as the “data base” of human life.  “Above all else” means we should do this as our top priority.  Of all the things we do in any given hour, day, week, month, or year - guarding our heart is of most importance.  We spend a lot of time investing in other things in our life: finances, relationships, family, careers, possessions, and physical health.  The cost to this can mean that we leave the gate to our heart and soul wide open.  Solomon is suggesting that if the heart is lost - when guarding it is not the top priority - we are engaging in an exercise of futility.  No matter how much “above all else” we put into things other than our heart, we are neglecting the source from which everything we do flows.  

“Guard your heart.”  Nastar is the Hebrew word for guard.  It means to watch over, protect, or preserve with vigilance - like a guard watching over a city.  The guard is on duty for the reason of protecting and watching/allowing what enters or exits the city.  A guard must be alert at all times responding to any threats of danger or invasion.  A guard must understand what a threat is, where it may come from, what it looks like, and how to keep it from entering the city.  This is done with vigilance - keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.  This is what we’re called to do with our hearts.  We need to be aware of the dangers that lurk nearby and audit what comes into our hearts (through our eyes, ears, and mind) and decide what can stay and what must go.  This kind of guarding is a proactive defense.  It’s knowing there is danger and taking a stand against it.  

Why guard our heart with this type of proactive defense?   Solomon says it is because everything we do flows from it.  Think of your heart as a reservoir.  If a reservoir is dirty and polluted, then what comes from it (flows out of it) will also be dirty and polluted.  Whatever I have in my reservoir (heart) will find its way out.  My words, the way I respond to stress and problems, my actions, my interactions with others, and the things done in private find their way out of my heart.  If I want the outflow of my heart to be wholesome, clean, and pure, then it matters what comes into my heart.  Above all else, guard your heart.  How well are you guarding your heart?  What does the outflow of your heart reveal?  What needs to change?  

Father - You’ve instructed me to guard my heart above all else.  I recognize that everything I say, think, and do begins in the quiet places of my heart.  Give me discernment and wisdom for what I allow to enter the reservoir of my heart.  Help me to surrender those things that pollute the reservoir.  May the outflow of my heart be pleasing and acceptable to You, my Rock and Redeemer.  Help me be a reflection of Your love and grace.  In Your name we pray.  Amen