Proverbs 3 & 4

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So interestingly, Proverbs 3 begins off with all these instructions:  

3:1 "do not forget my teaching but keep my commands in your heart"
3:3 "let love and faithfulness never leave you; [...] write them on the tablet of your heart"
3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart"

In the first five verses, "heart" was mentioned THREE times. And then again in Proverbs 4:
4:20-21 "listen closely to my words [...] keep them within your heart"
4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life"
Verse 23 gives a good depiction of what the heart is -- it's the source, it's what everything flows out. Everything encompasses what I do, what I say, what I think, what I choose, what I care/love/despise, what I want, what I fear. And here, King Solomon, the wisest man to walk Earth, is telling me to guard my heart. I think he is urging me to guard it from wickedness, foolishness, addictions, sin and strive to keep a pure heart, loving God with all my heart. As much as I hate my sins (sometimes), I often feel like I can't overcome my foolish, self-centered, self-pity, control-freak, 'unsurrendering', prideful, impatient, unloving, attention-seeking heart. No wonder King Solomon writes in  Proverbs 20:9, "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin'?" Answer: No one.

Then, I was reminded of this passage:
Ezekiel 36:26-28: "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you walk in my states and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God."

And then, it led me to this verse:

 II Corinthians 4:16-18: "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day [...] as we look not to the things that are seen but to things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal"

There's hope. Through Jesus Christ, God has has given me a new heart, and though I may not realize it, my heart is being renewed, refined, sanctified everyday. And as much as it temporarily hurts sometimes to do the right thing, to guard my heart, to trust, obey and fear God, it's worth it. Worth loving God, because he first loved me. Sigh, God is good. Thank You, Father for this reminder that You give hope for change.

DTran