Guard Your Heart

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23

What does guarding my heart mean? Personally, I think that it means that I must keep it pure. I must always meditate on God’s goodness, His thoughts about me which are all good, because it is He who created me. I must also meditate on His Word in keeping with His commandment.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the prophet Moses said, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul said, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

I know that while I am here on earth it is hard to guard my heart. I am surrounded by many things that distract me from focusing on God. It is easy to love and enjoy His blessings – to love the gifts more than the Giver. But then again and again, whenever I find myself doing this, I have to come back to my senses and tell myself that all those things are from God, and I must love Him more than His gifts.

Yes, when we have tasted God’s blessings, we tend to love the gifts more than the Giver. That is why my prayer to Him is always – Dear God, help me to love you more – because I know that by myself that is difficult. I must love God more than anybody else or anything else for that matter, for that is His commandment.

All that I am and all that I have are from God. Without Him, I am nothing.