Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:37-38
Since our hearts are an important part of our worship, then it stands to reason that the heart needs to be guarded in order to be useful for God. If our hearts are contaminated, then we will use our strength for wrong reasons such as trying to prove ourselves, arguing with others, pleasing others, fearing criticism, or rebelling against the established system.
Are we protective of our hearts?
We do a better job protecting ourselves physically rather than spiritually. When we drive a car, we put on our seat belts to protect us in the possibility of an accident. We put on a helmet when riding a motorcycle or a bicycle to keep our head protected. We put on shoes whenever we leave our house to protect our feet from harm or injuries. We protect our homes by keeping our windows and doors locked to ensure no intruder can come in. Some of us even have sophisticated theft alarm system to notify us of any unexpected intrusion. Companies spend millions of dollars on a yearly basis to protect us from identity theft. Yet, we don’t put as much attention in guarding our hearts spiritually.
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23
The above scripture clearly gives us the command to protect our hearts and to do it diligently. We cannot be passive or casual about those things that try to infiltrate our hearts. Anything that is not true or pure, can affect our hearts deeply and negatively. We need to remain sober and vigilant not to allow disappointments, hurts, or fears to shape our hearts. Everything that is about to enter in needs to be examined in the light of the fruit it will produce.
The best test of the condition of our hearts is to listen to our words and pay attention to our attitude when we speak to those who are closest to us. The scripture tells us that the issues of life spring out of our hearts. Our words and attitudes are a good indicator of what is going on in our hearts.
If we have made the commitment to love God with all of our hearts, then our hearts belong to God. There is no room for the world or the enemy to try to take territory in our hearts. If they do, then we cannot fully love God with all our hearts!
Lord, we desire our hearts to be fully surrendered to you. Just as David prayed: “Create in me a pure heart O God” (Psalm 51:10a).
