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“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Pretty important organ, that pump in the middle of my chest! God thinks so too, but I’m finding He thinks differently than I do about that most vital internal organ. I think about exercise, and diet, and stress, and other things that have been linked to the condition of my heart. But the word, “heart,” though used more than 800 times in the Bible, never seems to be referring to the physical pump that delivers blood to my body. Strong’s Bible Concordance has as its primary definition of heart, “The soul or the mind as it is the foundation and the seat of the thoughts, passions, desirers, appetites, affections, purposes and endeavors.”

Though care of my physical heart is essential to life, care of my Biblical/spiritual heart appears to be even more important. Matthew reminds me that my words reveal what’s in my heart (12:34), so what I say may be a good indicator of my spiritual heart health. God told Samuel when he was looking for a king, “People look on the outside, but I look at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). I spend time, (maybe not enough!) making sure my outward appearance is at least socially acceptable. But apparently what I look like in the mirror is not as important to God as what I look like in my soul and in my mind.

So my at-this-point, ah-ha from this morning brought me back to Philippians 4:8 as my guide to a healthy spiritual heart. “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable or praiseworthy, think on these things.” As I think on them, I become like them, and what I become like is revealed in what I do and how I live.

David says that he finds great joy in life because God’s law is written in his heart. (Psalm 40:8). It’s not an outward legalistic “look good” thing; it’s a heart thing, deep inside me that drives everything else in my life.

Have a great day looking deeply and focusing on the real heart of the matter,

Pastor Rich

Quote for the day: “It’s better to wrestle with Truth than wallow in turmoil.”

PS Don’t forget, all HeartScan forms need to be turned in to Campus Ministries by Friday!