Proverbs 4                                                                    

Good morning son,

There are some days and times that I just want to crawl back into bed, pull up the covers and go to sleep.  Today I didn’t want to wake up and read or write anything.  But out of a sound sleep He awoke me – and since yesterday evening I acted like a kid on Christmas Eve – shaking presents to guess what’s inside – I wanted to see the fullness of what He had in store for me.  See yesterday evening, I peaked, and the words on the page that leaped out at me peaked my curiosity.

Proverbs 4: 23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

I know that words can sound the same, and look the same, but to a particular family mean something completely different.  When the newspaper reads that “The Board of Education met yesterday evening” those reading it think of a public grouping of individuals charged with the education and discipline of their communities children meeting to discuss a particular matter of concern.  However if I am the author, and it is my children reading it, a slightly different but intensely personal understanding is conveyed.  For in our family the "Board of Education" referred to my old fraternity paddle whose letters had long since fallen off due to its “convening” regularly on the buttocks of my children (some of you might have some vivid memories of such educational sessions, lol).  Yes education and discipline was imparted, but in an intensely more personal manner.  The same words for this family had a deeper and more personal connection, one which transformed lives, encouraged proper speech, helped develop focus, repositioned steps, and reinforced rules, regulations and truths we are all called to live by. 

So perhaps, just perhaps what is written before me is more than what I see – “guard your heart.”  Perhaps for God’s children ‘heart” is more than “heart” for the average man.  Why else would he say, “above all else . . . “ (clue for your own future studies – if something is lifted up above other stuff take a moment and consider why, what it REALLY means).  And indeed for the Hebrew “heart” is not just “heart.”

The heart was the internal inner core of the person from which all actions flowed out of.  It included the persons will, the beginning place of their thought.  From this place they spoke.  And for the God fearer believer there was and remains a belief that the heart of man is inescapably related to the infinite, all knowing, all loving creator of his, man’s very being.  Your heart and mine is always in some sort of relationship with him – be it good or bad.  Being the central core of our existence you and I each can see why the writer would tell us to “Above all else, guard your heart.”

But he doesn’t leave us there.  He then proceeds to tell us how.  See verses 24 – 27 instructs us.

1.       Watch your mouth:  vs.24:  “Put away perversity (interesting word – deeper than just cussing or cursing but think – if something is perverse how does it mirror or does not mirror what it is supposed to be communicating?) from your mouth; keep corrupt (do you kind of get the feeling this is not simply an adjective describing the talk but a more properly may be read as “corrupting”?) talk from your lips.

2.      Keep your eye on the prize: in vs. 25 its not saying to ignore what is going on around you, but to do everything you can to keep pressing forward to the goal God has placed before you.  The pilot of a plane crossing the Atlantic to London does not simply plot a course and then do nothing else.  If the winds change direction the calculations may change to keep the plane heading to London.

3.      Stand on His Word: vs 26 I would like to say referred to the solid roads that the Romans built, but such were not in existence at the time of this writing.  What was understood was that no person could reach his destination trying to walk on slippery soil; that best trip occurred on solid ground and level paths.  Think about our interstates – they cut through mountains trying to keep the path as straight and level as possible.  God’s word was understood to do that – think about it – the verse starts out with “Make level paths for your feet . . .” The walking on level paths is an active process.  You participate in it.  His word gives you the rocks which you can stand and walk on.

4.      Do obey God: vs.27 this phrase is used often in the bible to remind His people to remain obedient to Him.  God has a path for you that if you obey the second part of this verse becomes self fulfilling “keep your foot from evil.”

Remember the “Board of Education”  Look back at how it described what its purpose was in our family.  It mirrors how we guard our heart.  So as you think about approaching today think about how you will guard your heart – your relationship with your creator, your God, our God.  What steps are you going to take to do 1-4 above. Like you write down what leaps off the page write down what those steps are going to be.  Now ask God to rise up within you and empower you to fulfill your commitment to Him.  Know that He loved you so much he did not leave you alone.  You are NEVER alone.  I love you, AND God loves you best! 

Love yah, dad

PS:  just because I didn’t write out what leaped off the page to me in Psalm 4 doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.  Doing that will be like it says there in verse 5: “ . . . “ thought I was going to write it for you – LOL – go read it for yourself.  Let Christ’s love flow through His word into you.  Feed and nurish that heart!

PPS: Texting and then pasting it back - too tedious - so writing email directly instead.  Speeds up process but also means I can type faster . . . so a little longer writing, right ?  LOL  Have a great day son!