Proverbs 4:23

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

Dictionary.com describes 'wellspring' as "the source of anything . . . "  So this verse is saying that one's heart is the source of our life -  physically, emotionally and spiritually.   That's pretty heavy stuff when you come right down to it.  I don't believe there are too many of us who take the time to specifically think about our hearts, what we put into them, and consequently what is manifested in our lives as a result.  That can be a bit unnerving, at the very least.

Remember the song we sang as children:  "Be careful little eyes what you see . . . . Be careful little ears what you hear . . . . Be careful little tongue what you say . . . "  As children, we didn't dwell on the specifics or tried to understand the deep impications, we just sang.  But this little ditty is telling us that what we injest through our eyes and ears will reproduce itself in our lives, spilling out of our mouths for all the world to know what we've been feeding on.

Our hearts dictate how we live.  In our hearts are stored all the things we love:  the things we view; the things we listen to; the things we desire.  Think about it for a moment.  The music you listen to; the tv and movies you watch; the books and magazines you read; your hobbies; your friends; your goals and ambitions; your recreation; your attitudes;  your faith.  All these things that enter your heart shape your life, the person you are right now.  You live out in word and deed what is stored up in your heart.

Are all of the thoughts, desires, and attitudes in our hearts God-pleasing?  We need to put boundries on these things, channel them in the proper direction.  We need to take an inventory and see if they are in keeping with the Word of God.  If they are not, we need to get rid of them.  The apostle Paul said "everything is permissible, but not everyhing is profitable."  We must be very discerning, we must be very jealous about what we allow to take up residence in our hearts.

Guard your heart.....set up boundries to protect it.  Don't let anything harmful into it.  Protect your heart as you would protect your loved ones.  How would you react if someone or something attacked your spouce or child or grandchild?  Wouldn't you defend them with your life?  Is your heart worth any less?  After all it IS the source of your life.

Lord God Almighty, set a shield and a guard about my heart.  Keep it ever pure and holy, being filled with only those things that are profitable for my life in you.  Help me, Jesus, to filter everything that would enter into it, that my WHOLE life may glorify you.  Amen.