THE HEART MATTERS

“KEEP YOUR HEART with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of LIFE” – Proverbs 4:23

Forging ahead into February in our Year of Hearts, Hands and the Blessed Life, we shall focus on the truth that HEART MATTERS: “KEEP YOUR HEART with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of LIFE” (Pro.4:23). The physical heart matters vitally to the health and effective functioning of the human body. The human heart pumps at a rate of 70-75 beats per minute. Though weighing only 11 ounces on average, a healthy heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels each day! Every day, the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles. In a lifetime, that is equivalent to driving to the moon and back. A healthy heart can accomplish amazing feats. Conversely, a malfunctioning heart will shut the entire body down!

Much more is true of our “spiritual heart”: the heart matters a great deal to all that will ever happen to and through the human spirit. In Scripture, the “heart” represents the “command centre” of our lives; the centre of our emotions, thinking, reasoning, and will. The heart matters a great deal to the outcomes of our lives. In many of life’s circumstances, the heart is often the heart of the matter.  God’s Heart matters to the definition, discovery, development, and fulfilment of our destinies. Our individual hearts and how they connect to God’s Heart matter to what we know and understand, and how we apply these to fulfilling destiny. Also, the hearts of other personalities – human or otherwise – that we relate to or connect with will substantially influence what we make out of life!

What we are able to receive from God’s Heart into ours, matters immensely to how we live and walk. How our hearts commune with God’s Heart will to largely determine our fruitfulness, fulfilment, and upliftment in life. We must continually seek to know and walk in the light of what’s in God’s Heart for us at any moment or season of life. God’s Word is the primary revelation of His Heart to Man. The Word is however complemented by the Holy Spirit to release specific details and timings of God’s Will, Plans, and Purposes.

The Word admonishes us as individuals, to “above all else,” keep – defend, guard, protect – our heart with all diligence, “everything we do flows from it” (NIV); “It determines the course of your life” (NLT); and “from it flow the springs of life” (ESV). The heart matters! Through neglect of this injunction, many people have inadvertently succumbed to spiritual heart attack! It takes more than the power of the flesh to obey this wise admonition. Life will always make demands upon our time and energy that cry for immediate attention. But through the supply of God’s Grace we can take time to hear, study, and meditate in His Word, and do what it says.

There are many reasons to take heed to diligently keep and guard our hearts. We shlla consider many of these in the coming days. For now, three reasons may suffice: (1) the heart is extremely valuable, hence worthy to be guarded; (2) the heart is the source of everything that we do – overflowing into our thoughts, words and actions; (3) the heart is under constant attack. Praise God, He has given us His Word and accompanying Grace. We must not neglect the Word, but use it to align our hearts with His Heart every day.