DECEMBER 14 KEEP YOUR HEART WITH ALL VIGILANCE By H.B. Charles, Jr. Pastor-Teacher at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida
Proverbs 4:23 Many people struggle to experience meaningful life change, because they deal with their problems downstream instead of upstream. They work downstream to get debris out of the water, but the more they remove, the more flows in. True change only happens when you go upstream and address the heart of the matter.
What does it mean to keep your heart with all vigilance?
Keep your heart flowing. A stream will dry up if there is no source of water flowing into it. So will our hearts! The heart cannot survive on its own strength, wisdom, or resources. We need to praise the glory of God in worship. We need to feed on the truth of God in Scripture. We need to trust the help of God through prayer. “Blessed is the heart that thirsts for God, as a deer pants for streams of water” (Psalm 42:1). Keep your heart clean. The tragedy of an oil spill is not the wrecked ship that caused the spill – it’s the contamination of the water and the destruction of life that results. In the same way, if your heart is polluted, your life will be polluted. By the atoning blood of Christ, the sanctifying power of the Spirit, and the renewing work of the Word, keep your heart clean. Pray with David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:1). Keep your heart strong. When a stream flows in many different directions, its strength is dissipated. Life works the same way. You may feel the pressure to chase after many good things in life, but if you do not guard your heart, the good becomes the enemy of the best. A strong heart is not a shared heart. Keep your heart strong by a single-minded devotion to the Lord. Share Paul’s testimony, “This one thing I do…” (Philippians 3:12-14). Keep your heart quiet. As the storms of life rage, the tumult disturbs the unkept heart. The temptation is to flee to a place of peace. But if the storm rages within, relocation will not find a calm refuge. Conversely, the quieted heart stands firm in the tempest. Do not worry about anything. Pray about everything. As you pray your worries away, the peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Keep your heart useful. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea, because waters flow into it from the Jordan River, but nothing flows out. There must be inflow and outflow to sustain life. Guard the flow of your heart in its comings and goings. As the truth, love, and grace of God flow in, obedience, service and generosity should flow out. Be a river, not a reservoir. Pour into the lives of others from the overflow of the Lord’s goodness to you.
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