May 10 – Guard the Inside (Proverbs 4:20-27)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
(Proverbs 4:23)

IN WORD:
If you’re typical, you think of guarding your heart in terms of keeping things out. Corruption, false ideas, temptations — all are to be held at arm’s length, never to be allowed in the inner depths of your affections. But there’s another side to this vigilance. We are also to keep things in. In fact, if we can master that, the corruption and temptations will often take care of themselves.
Think about it: The things that can assail the heart from the outside are innumerable, far too overwhelming to manage. But the things we are told to keep within — the Spirit of Jesus, the humility and gentleness, the servanthood and sacrifice, the worship and thankfulness — these are one Spirit. While most religions tell us to avoid the bad, God tells us to embrace Him. We are better equipped to focus on His character than on the enemy’s devices. In fact, we are commanded to do so. Paul emphasizes this radically new discipleship: “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify. The desires of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16). Nowhere are we told to live against the sinful nature and hope that the Spirit will show up. We’re told to live by the Spirit and expect the sinful nature to have no power. We often get confused about that.

IN DEED:
Too many Christians guard the way into their hearts to keep things out. That may be appropriate at times, but try a different approach. Guard the way out. Stand at the inside of the gate, and be careful about what may be leaving. Once in a while, we get a life-altering glimpse of true worship. By all means, keep that in! From time to time, we’ll see a picture of true servanthood. Don’t let that picture go! Occasionally, we are touched by a spirit of sacrifice, move by a ministry, or convinced by a powerful word from the Lord. Hold on to these things! Treasuring the wellspring that God has birthed in your heart will leave little room for those corruptions you once obsessed over. And the wellspring is a much more pleasant pre-occupation.

“Let us learn to cast our hearts into God.”

-Bernard of Clairvaux-