Today's Lectionary TextProverbs 4:23Above all else, guard your heart, Matthew 12:33-37“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Today's Devotional
Throughout the bible, the Heart is mentioned countless times, but one thing that stays consistent is the posture of your Heart, showing the relationship you have with the Lord. From the Pharaoh’s Heart being unyielding and hardened (Exodus 9:7-12) to the Pharisees speaking the evil that was in their Heart (Matthew 12:33-37), it showed their relationship or lack thereof with God. In Acts 13:22, we see God building up David to be a leader of his people because of his Heart. In Hebrew the heart can be translated as the brain or the way you think, the processing center for everything.
God cares so much about the posture of your heart, and what you allow to go into it that he writes in Proverbs above everything else you must guard it. I once heard a pastor say, “what you tolerate in your walk will replicate and suffocate your walk with Jesus,” and that’s stuck with me ever since. I think we can also apply that to our Heart, because what we allow in permeates through the rest of our life and our relationship with God. We can see this with Solomon as he turns from the Lord. 1 Kings 11:4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not entirely devoted to the Lord his God, as the Heart of David his father had been. Solomon allowed other things into his life that impacted his heart and then his direct relationship with the Lord. There are three big things we can guard our hearts against in this world. From things we listen to Things we see Places you go There are stories, movies, gossip, podcast, music, and places that will seep into your heart negatively, and you’ll find yourself changing because of them. If EVERYTHING is to flow out of your heart, what you put in is critical. You guard Heart with God’s presence. I recently challenged myself to read the bible before I go to bed, and before I start my day and the days that I stick to it, I find my actions and mindset changed. Spending time with the Lord is prepping your Heart to be more like his. I challenge you to do the same and track your progress whether that’s writing your attitude after his word in a journal or sharing it with a friend. This tracking will allow you to check in with yourself "If my life was to have a single, all-satisfying, unifying passion, it would have to be God’s passion." John Piper -Liz Unruh UMC Faithlab Emporia State Campus Ministry Prayer for ReflectionFather I come to you today to pray for those who are reading this. I pray for their hearts that they are not only open to you lord but focused on you. That they are guarding their hearts for you. I also want to thank you Lord for doing what only you can do and changing the lives and hearts of those who are seeking you. I wanted to pray for peace and comfort in this time, that instead of anxiety people will turn to you and seek your presence. I also want to thank you for these people for the light they are bringing and giving to those around them. It’s amazing to me that you love us so much that you would send your son, and all in pursuit of our hearts glorifying you. We give you endless praise. Amen.
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