Day 7: The Guarded Heart

The word "heart" in the Old Testament is much broader than our modern, poetic usage, which is limited to the organ of love or emotions. In the Bible, the "heart" is the vital center of the personal self. The Book of Proverbs says that the questions of life come from the heart, intellectual, and emotional issues. Jesus gives an even more serious explanation, saying that:

"Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander." Matthew 15:19

The psalmist says: "I have hidden Your word within my heart." He says, "I have buried It deep amid my being, and I have placed It at the very roots of myself, and there I have incorporated It with the very substance of myself." Because he loves God so much, he doesn't want to sin against Him.

And this love for God requires knowing Him completely.

The angel told John to take the Word and eat It, which would be sweet as honey in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. Knowing the whole counsel of God is keeping what we accept and want and also the facets of God that we do not understand. We keep the Word because we love Him and do not want to offend Him.

Every space in our mind, our heart, that is not filled with the Word of God runs the risk of being filled with what is contrary to God. At worst, it becomes sinful; at the very least, reckless.

The person who does not have this internal conversation with the Word is a superficial Christian. A true Christian cannot stay away from the Word of God. It's their only real food. His life suffers and withers when he is denied or neglects the daily intake of the Word.

We read, meditate, sing, and internalize the Word of God to know God and how to proclaim the Truth. But much more than that, it is to be close to Him. And His Words have more Power to bubble within us more life than the heart pumps blood into our body.

Today, we have many other books to read, but no literature will ever replace the Scriptures.

We want to please Who we love. And the more we know Him, and He is part of us, the more we become like Him, Jesus.

My Prayer:

Father God, sanctify Your Name in me. Forgive me for having more appetites for others than for Your Word. Entertainment, distractions, anxieties, and things that waste my time have consumed my heart. I want to hunger and thirst for Your Word. It is the real food. May the treasure of my heart be the constant meditation and conversation with the Words from Your Mouth. May my faith grow, listening to Your Voice within my heart through Your Word. Because I love You, Lord, I do not want to offend You by sinning against You, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.