Prov 4:23, Guard your heart above all else, for it
determines the course of your life.
This was one of the favourite scriptures of one of my previous
pastors and it was a common scripture in many of his sermons.
I think I might know one of the reasons that guarding your heart is
so important.
I was reading the Gospel of John and thinking about the
Pharisees and the Israelites reaction to Jesus. Everyone knew
the Messiah was coming, they even know the town that he was going
to be born in and the approximate time that he was to be born, but
still they did not recognize him. They were looking for a
king who would rescue them from the Romans and live and rule
forever (John 12:34). There focus was on their natural
desires and passions and it was through these desires that they
interpreted the scriptures. So that when the Messiah actually
came as the Lamb of God and not the Conquering King they missed
entirely the fact that God walked among them.
And we still do the same thing today, I know I do. That is
why it is so important to guard our heart and ensure that every
desire is submitted to God, so that it doesn't lead us astray and
bring us to an interpretation of scripture that is based on earthly
passions and desires. And it is even more important when you
consider that the Israelites desire for an earthly king and
deliverance from the Romans was not in and of itself sinful.
But the important thing was that it was not God's desire, His
desire was for the Lamb of God to die on a cross to restore and
redeem the entire human race, tearing the veil that had separated
us from his presence ever since Adam first sinned in the Garden of
Eden.