Day 90: Above all else - Proverbs 4 vs 20 – 27

20-22 My child, pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them, let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. 25-26 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path 27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4:20-27 New Living Translation

People often take strong steps to protect things they value. They pay for professional help to protect their investments and some install strong safes in their homes to protect expensive jewellery and other items. Others are willing to spend a lot to belong to a Gym so as to protect their health. Most people have insurance on cars and homes and, in some countries, even buy firearms to protect their families from intruders. But what does this father tell his child to protect above all other things in life? (vs 23).

What does that verse say about why it’s so important to 'guard our heart'?

The original language of that verse pictures the heart as being like a spring with water flowing out of it. If the spring is allowed to become full of rubbish, then the water that comes out of it will be polluted and foul. The heart is symbolic of our inner thoughts and affections. In other words, what goes on in our hearts will have a big influence on everything else we do – our relationships with others, our careers, our entertainments and so on. The affections of our heart will determine the course of our life.

What does the father say in vs 24 – 26 are some of the ways we can guard and protect our heart?

We see in vs 24 that it is important to keep watch over every conversation we are involved in. Words can be to our hearts what rubbish can be to a spring. That's why in Ephesians the apostle Paul says: “Stop telling lies - let us tell our neighbours the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. Don’t let anger control you. Don’t use foul or abusive language but let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes - these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” We must avoid teaming up with people who do all the things that Paul warns us against.

And the other important thing we must do to protect our heart is to stop our eyes from wandering. That was in vs 25-26. The picture is of someone on a narrow path with obstacles on either side. You have to keep your eyes on what is straight ahead of you. While it’s probably talking about life in general, and keeping God's holiness always in view, it does have practical implications for the world we currently live in. There are so many things we see today that can easily lead to temptation. The glitzy ads, the skimpy clothes, the 'adult' movies, the riches of others – all of these can sidetrack us, as vs 27 warns. If we allow our eyes to linger on these things then our hearts will be filled with them too.

We become Christians through hearing the gospel, repenting of sin, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. God, in grace and mercy, fully forgives us. Our hearts are, as it were, washed of all the guilt and shame that had filled them. But that should lead to a longing on our part for our heart to now be filled with love for our Saviour. And this means keeping our conversations and our eyes only on whatever is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. (Philippians 4:8) May God help us, above all else, to guard our hearts!