"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." - Proverbs 4:23
The heart referred to here is, of course, not the organ that pumps blood; it is the center of our being, from
which comes our will and our emotions. The point here is that what we put in there matters.
"From it (the heart/mind) flow the springs of life" - this statement echoes something that Jesus said in
Matthew 15:18-20, no?
which comes our will and our emotions. The point here is that what we put in there matters.
"From it (the heart/mind) flow the springs of life" - this statement echoes something that Jesus said in
Matthew 15:18-20, no?
"But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
All through the gospels, we can see that where the religious leaders of the day emphasized the external,
Jesus taught that sin begins in the heart/mind. Even under the old covenant, we can plainly see that God's
ultimate concern was the heart/mind of His children: see Deut. 6:5, 1Sm. 16:7, 1 Chron. 28:9, Ps. 7:10; 51:17;
Ps. 66:18, Is. 26:3, Jer. 31:33. In the new testament, there are many references to the heart/mind: see Mt. 5:8,
Rom. 2:29; 8:7, Phil. 4:7, Col. 3:2, Heb. 4:12; 8:10; 10:22.
As pertains to the fight against sin, we must guard our heart/mind, and "take every thought captive to obey
Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). Otherwise, we will continue to fail. Make no mistake: what is on the inside will reveal itself.
Of course, this statement, while intended as a warning, should give us encouragement, because we know that
if we guard our heart/mind according to God's word, it will not be half as hard to obey Him on the outside.
No comments:
Post a Comment