Guard Your Heart

My husband has high blood pressure, and so I gathered a few cookbooks to browse through so that we could make a few changes where needed.  He actually eats healthier than I do (I'll post about that soon!), and even though he loves a bowl of ice cream, he has cut back on how often he has it. Because I love him, it is important to me that I help him to guard his heart so that he will be able to grow old with me and enjoy time together and with our family.

In Proverbs, we read that we must above all else, guard our hearts, for our hearts are the wellspring, the place where we may store up good things, and when we do so, our actions and our words to others will be kind and gentle. What a beautiful word picture comes from the word "wellspring", for it is from our hearts that our emotions, our thoughts, and our actions come from, like a spring bubbling up from the ground. A natural spring provides cool and refreshing water, something desired by those who thirst, just as our hearts thirst for the Word of the Lord.  

But there is another spring called a hot spring. Yellowstone Park is well known for its hot springs that are created from super hot water. These springs do not provide refreshment, but are in fact, very dangerous. There are warning signs posted near each hot spring, warning visitors of the park to stay on the trails and boardwalks, and those who do not heed the signs suffer severe burns and may even lose their lives.

Like the cookbooks we are using to keep our hearts healthy, God has provided His Word to show us the way to live a healthy spiritual life, and His Word is thorough, providing everything we need to have a clean and pure heart, and also "posts warning signs" for us to heed so that we may be safe from sin and harm.

God

knows the desires of our hearts.

heals our broken hearts,

cleanses our hearts,

 hears our hearts cry out,  

lifts up our hearts,

 gives us glad and sincere hearts,

fills our hearts with joy,

purifies our hearts,

has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

searches our hearts,

made his light shine in our hearts,

sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

strengthens, encourages and directs our hearts,

put His laws on our hearts,

is greater than our hearts...

...and the peace of Christ rules  in our hearts!

These are just a few examples of the word "heart" or "hearts" in the Bible! There are literally hundreds of scripture references to the heart, far more than the recipes in these cookbooks! Our hearts are very important to God, so we  do well to guard our hearts in all ways.

Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23