Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 8, 2016
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
“How’s your heart?”, this is the question he asked me almost every time we talked, which was often. But I will not hear these words from him anymore in this life. Yesterday, after a two and half year battle with cancer, Scott—my friend and Wisdom Hunter board member went to be with Jesus. I miss him and selfishly I need to hear his loving question, “Boyd, how is your heart?” Scott was a spiritual doctor to me, who cared about my heart’s condition. He knew the quality of my life depends on the health of my heart. He reminded me of my need for the Great Physician.
This teaching in Proverbs says everything in our life flows from our heart. Our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our anxieties, our anger, our forgiveness, our humility, our peace, our greed, our generosity, our love: yes everything, who we are is what’s in our heart. So, above all else our heart needs a guard—God is our guard. When the Holy Spirit fills our heart by faith—He flushes out sin and leaves room only for the fruit of the Spirit. Only a heart guarded by God can bear up under the influence of ungodliness. A heart submitted to Christ in prayer is protected by Christ with peace.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Unhealthy heart conditions include: faintheartedness, loss of heart, a broken heart, a foolish and a hard heart. The remedy for these spiritual ailments is a whole heart for Jesus. You may feel fainthearted—weary in your faith and work—if so slow down, rest and allow the Spirit to restore your heart to wholeness. A loss of heart is a reflection of hope deferred, which creates a sickly soul condition, but hope in Christ gives your heart peace and reassurance. Perhaps your heart is broken by past hurt or present rejection. Seek your heavenly Father to be forgiven and to forgive.
Be on guard, for a foolish heart forgets God or even stops believing God. Excessive worry can be a form of atheism. When we are paralyzed by fear and anxiety we act like God does not exist. So, we guard against a foolish heart by gaining a heart of wisdom. The wise seek the Lord to learn who to be and what to do. Most disturbing is a hard heart—someone jaded by injustice and/or the lack of integrity in others. Fortunately, by faith in Jesus our hard heart can be replaced by a heart born from above. A heart from the Lord gives us a heart for the Lord. So, how’s your heart?
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me Your heart of love, grace and forgiveness.
Application: To what spiritual ailment in my heart do I need to apply God’s remedies?
Related Readings: Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 6:25-34; John 14:27; Ephesians 3:19, 6:18
Additional resources for how to grow in your faith: Click Here.
Post/Tweet this today: A heart submitted to Christ in prayer is protected by Christ with peace. #WisdomHunters #howisyourheart?
Worship Video: 5 minutes – Gaither’s: Hallelujah, Praise the Lamb
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Boyd, I pray God comforts your heart during this time of separation from your friend Scott, I pray HOPE rises up in you, undergirded by your future in Christ together. May Jesus be your enough as you grieve and may He be your praise knowing that because He died your death, you and Scott will live His forever life. God bless you Much.
PS. Thank you so much for Wisdom Hunters, this ministry adds value to so many of us every single day.
So sorry to hear about your friend Scott. Praise the Lord he is with His Abba in heaven and you will one day be reunited with him
Condolences and prayers …
Thanks Boyd. After attending the Johnny Hunt Men’s Conference thus weekend I was deeply moved to renew scripture memorization in my life. God led me to Proverbs 4:23 as a simple but profound beginning point. I was blessed and encouraged when I read today’s Wisdom Hunter, “How’s Your Heart?”… What a great confirmation of God’s leading.
Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for your kind words of comfort for Boyd and his family after the loss of their friend, Scott. Please know that Boyd has received them and I know is comforted by them. We are always so blessed to hear from you and appreciate your faith-filled wisdom.
Thank you also, Kimberly, for you encouraging words about the ministry. We give ALL THE GLORY TO GOD!!!! We love to hear from our Wisdom Hunter’s family. Please keep in touch.
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“I thank God every time I remember you. In all of my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:3-6
Dear Brittany,
Thank you so much for your kind and comforting words for Boyd and his family in the loss of their dear friend, Scott. Please know that I will pass along your message to Boyd and I know he will be blessed by it.
Brittany, you so wisely and graciously stated the absolute truth that is cause to rejoice: “Praise the Lord he is with His Abba in heaven and you will one day be reunited with him”. Amen and Amen!
Grateful for you, Brittany.
Blessings,
Gwynne
“I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalm 18:1-2
Dear Dick,
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. We are so thankful that you were blessed by the devotional, “How’s Your Heart?”. Please know that I have passed your words along to Boyd.
Don’t you love it when God puts the words in front of us at the exact time we need to see them to let us know He hears us and is walking right beside us? I thank Him for His NEVER ENDING Faithfulness!
I hope that your weekend at The Johnny Hunt Men’s Conference was everything God intended it to be for you. What a wonderful event to “recharge your batteries” for serving the Lord!
We are grateful for you, Dick, and look forward to hearing from you again.
Blessings,
Gwynne
“I praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be forsaken.”
Psalm 16:7-8