Guard your heart

As I came across this in my Bible study this morning, it caused me to think about my boys.  I immediately went to get a sheet of paper to write on and post on the fridge for their reading pleasure.

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."  Proverbs 4:23

The footnotes in my Bible expand with beautiful eloquence, so I will let them do the talking...  "Our heart - our feelings of love and desire - dictates to a great extent how we live our lives because we always find time to do the things we enjoy.  Make sure your affections lead you in the right direction.  Put boundaries on your desires:  Don't go after everything you see.  Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don't get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin."

Boys, from the moment you threw your first temper tantrum, you've heard us explain that our "rules" are to keep you safe and to mold you into the men God wants you to be.  We are not out to torture you or make life miserable.  Our insistence on honesty, integrity and good manners is not meant to impress people, but to genuinely form your heart so that your love and respect for friends and neighbors shines through.  I love how the Bible footnotes use the word "boundaries".  The Wii is good fun, but if you play it too much...we find that that is where your heart is.  As you get older, the same might be said for friends, sports, popularity, girls, a job, and wealth.  Mom and Dad's teachings, boundaries, and rules are all about guiding you toward godliness.  Guard your hearts, boys.  Place God above all else and chase Him - He is the one truly great and worthwhile thing to chase!  He will provide you with every thing else you could possibly need...and more!

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."  Proverbs 4:23

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. " 

1 John 2:15-17

Daddy and I are crazy in love with you boys and, remarkably, God loves you even more than we do.  (That is hard for this mother to comprehend, but I know it's true!)  The boundaries...limits...rules...whatever you want to call them are not rigid restrictions, but merely God's asking on your life.  He is a mighty God and He has chosen you as his child.  Guard your hearts.