You’ve all heard people talking about “guarding your heart.”
You’ve probably heard a sermon or ten on the topic.
It’s usually presented as, “Don’t let the enemy influence
your heart in any way.”
A famous Bible teacher said it this way, “The enemy wants to embitter and corrupt you. Guard your heart against contamination by lust and loneliness, bigotry and arrogance, and everything in between.”
A famous Bible teacher said it this way, “The enemy wants to embitter and corrupt you. Guard your heart against contamination by lust and loneliness, bigotry and arrogance, and everything in between.”
Now that’s all well and good, but I saw this in a new light recently. It messed up my thinking, and I think I'm on to something.
I used a revolutionary new Scriptural Interpretation Technique (maybe we can call it SIT?) for this new revelation. Let me share it with you:
I used a revolutionary new Scriptural Interpretation Technique (maybe we can call it SIT?) for this new revelation. Let me share it with you:
• Read the whole freaking verse.
That’s it. Read the whole verse. Pretty complicated, isn’t it? Let’s practice this
together on this topic, shall we?
Turn with me to Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your heart with all diligence,
for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Do you see what it’s saying here? It’s not talking about
guarding your heart so you don’t think bad thoughts. If you’re in love with
Jesus, if your mind is “fixed on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1&2), then there’s no
room for the bad thoughts anyway.
It says, “Guard your heart… for....” “For” is an awfully big
word. In other words: “Here’s the reason you guard your heart: because stuff
springs out of your heart if it’s not guarded well.”
Have you ever spoken before you took a second to think, and
wished you could take those words back? Have you ever discovered that you
related to somebody through a messed-up filter? Have you ever believed a lie,
and had that lie influence how you do life?
The reason you guard your heart, the reason I need to guard
my heart, is not so bad stuff doesn’t get IN. It’s so the issues of my life
don’t get OUT to mess up other people.
Moreover: our job is to guard our heart DILIGENTLY so we
don't let the wrong stuff out. This is a big deal.
We don’t guard our heart to protect ourselves. We guard our
heart to protect the folks around us.
(Wait. How often are we actually commanded to protect
ourselves, and let everybody else fend for themselves? Yeah, like never. So
this is consistent with the “whole counsel of God” too! Nice.)
--
“Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring
the issues of life.”
1 comment:
BAM!!!!!!!!!!!
Post a Comment