Proverbs 4:23


“Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.”
Proverbs 4:23
There is a term I heard so much growing up that was used synonymously with salvation. It was this: “Give your heart to the Lord.” And the recent church has got up in arms about how this is bad theology and I think they are right. Our salvation is not based on our giving God anything. From what I can tell it is based on our belief in Jesus as our Savior. So I understand why people don’t use it as much anymore. I understand the teaching correcting it.

But if I’m honest . . . I really like it.
Not as a theological statement on salvation, but as a love story.

For me there was this moment when the beauty of God’s love became as clear as I've seen it on this side. His love became so much deeper than all the longings that the world has to offer. His promises were so much richer than anything I’ve ever seen.

Career, money, power, notoriety, toys, houses, relationships: they all make offers toward our hearts. Good offers. Career says love me and you will succeed. Money says love me and you will not want. Power says love me and you will rule. And sometimes . . . they tell the truth, but sometimes they don’t. And really, all those feelings are not what our heart has longed for. What we really longed for is somewhere who really knows us and still loves us.
No one here on earth knows us completely. I don’t get home and give my wife a running commentary on everything I said, did, and thought during the day (she already thinks I’m crazy). She knows all the major events in my life, but I’ve even forgot half of the mistakes I’ve made in my life. But God knows them all.
He knew who we would be from the beginning. He looked at our life and loved us. Not all the mistakes and all the wrong things, but the us deep inside that he created. He loved our soul, our hearts. And he proved it when he sent his Son Jesus to pay for all those secret things we had done and those mistakes and those times we turned to all the other lovers vying for our heart. He saw who we hurt for career and what we sacrificed for money. He saw our horrid relationship decisions and our pursuit of stuff. He saw our lies and our cheating. Our cuss words under our breath. Our pounding the pillow in exhaustion and disbelief. Our pain. Our screaming at him in exasperation. And our turning away.

He watched us give our hearts away time and time again. Then, he gave us his. He gave us Jesus to pay for it all. He loved us.

Guard your heart, because Jesus is the only one who deserves it. The only one that will ever fulfill it. And the only one who can ever truly know it and love it.
It will affect everything. When we give our heart to God daily we live for him fully.
I’m struggling with you,

Q

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