The Mines of King Solomon (part 19)

Today I want to talk to you about your heart. My heart? The last time I went to the preventive medical check-up, it hit me. I can run, play tennis ... No, it's not about the organ in your chest that pumps blood, but about the heart, which appears over 90 times in the Book of Proverbs. Well, if you want to talk about the heart, do it, but I don't think it's that important - there must be more important things in the Christian life that we can discuss. Why not tell me about God's blessings, His laws, obedience, prophecy and ... wait and see! Just as your physical heart is absolutely vital, so is your inner heart too. In fact, it's so important that God commands you to protect it. That is the top priority. Most of all, keep your heart (Proverbs 4,23; New life). So we should take good care of it. Ah, now I see what you are trying to tell me. I am not supposed to lose control of my moods and feelings. I know. I am constantly working on my self-control and well, I scold every now and then - especially in traffic - but otherwise I think I have it under control, unfortunately you haven't understood me yet. When Solomon wrote about our hearts, he was talking about far more important things than swearwords or gutter language. He was concerned with the influence of our hearts. Our hearts are referred to in the Bible as the source of our hatred and anger. Of course, this also applies to me. In fact, a lot more comes from our heart: our desires, our motives, our intentions, our preferences, our dreams, our longings, our hopes, our fears, our greed, our creativity, our desires, our envy - really everything we are , has its origin in our hearts. Just as our physical heart is at the center of our body, our spiritual heart is also the center and core of our entire being. Jesus Christ paid great attention to the heart. He said, Because your heart always determines what you say. A good person speaks good words from a good heart, and an evil person speaks bad words from an evil heart2,34-35; New life). Okay, so you're telling me that my heart is like a source of a river. A river is wide and long and deep, but its source is a spring up in the mountains, isn't it?

Leading the way for life

Right! Our normal heart has a direct impact on every single area of ​​our body, as it pumps blood through the arteries and also through the many kilometers of blood vessels and thereby maintains our vital functions. The inner heart, on the other hand, guides our way of life. Think of all the things you believe in, your deepest beliefs (Rom 10,9-10), of the things that changed your life - they all come from somewhere in the depths of your heart (Proverbs 20,5). In your heart you ask yourself questions like: Why am I alive? What's the meaning of my life? Why do I get up in the morning? Why am I who and what I am? Why am I different from my dog, do you understand what I'm saying? Your heart makes you who you are. Your heart is you. Your heart is decisive for your very deep, true you. Yes, you can hide your heart and put on masks because you don't want others to see what you are really thinking, but that doesn't change who we are at the bottom of our inner selves. Now see why our hearts matter so much is? God tells you, and me and all of us, that it is everyone's responsibility to take care of their hearts. But why on my heart? The second part of Proverbs 4,23 gives the answer: because your heart influences your whole life (New Life). Or as the Message Bible says: Pay attention to your thoughts, because your thoughts determine your life (freely translated). So that's where it all starts? Just as the seed of a tree contains the whole tree and potentially a forest, is my whole life also contained in my heart? Yes it is. Our whole life unfolds from our hearts; who we are in our hearts will sooner or later show in our behavior. How we behave has an invisible origin - usually long before we finally do. Our actions are really the belated announcements of where we have been for so long. Have you ever said: I don't know how this came over me. And yet you did it. The truth is, you've been thinking about this for a long time, and when the opportunity suddenly presented itself, you did it. Today's thoughts are tomorrow's actions and consequences. What is jealousy today becomes a tantrum tomorrow. What is narrow-minded zeal today becomes a hate crime tomorrow. What is anger today is abuse tomorrow. What is desire today is adultery tomorrow. What is greed today is embezzlement tomorrow. What is guilty today is fear tomorrow.

1claims 4,23 teaches us that our behavior comes from within, from a hidden source, our heart. That is the driving force behind all of our actions and words; As he thinks in his heart, so is he3,7, freely translated from the Amplified Bible) What comes from our heart is shown in our interrelationship with everything that affects our environment. It reminds me of an iceberg. Yes, exactly, because our behavior is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, it arises in the invisible part of ourselves. And the huge part of the iceberg that is below the surface of the water includes the sum of all our years - even since we were conceived. One important thing I haven't mentioned yet. Jesus lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3,17). God is constantly working in our hearts to make us take the form of Jesus Christ. But over the years we have harmed our hearts in a variety of ways and every day we are bombarded with thoughts. So it takes a lot of time. It is a slow process to be dressed in the figure of Jesus.

Get involved

So I leave it to God and he will fix everything? It does not work that way again. God is actively at your side and asks you to do your part. And how should I do that? What is my share? How should I pay attention to my heart? Even at the beginning it is necessary to control one's behavior. For example, if you notice how you behave un-christianly toward someone, you should press the pause button and consider who you are in Jesus Christ and claim His grace.

2As a father and grandfather, I learned - and it usually works very well - to calm a crying baby by directing his attention to something else. It almost always works immediately. (It's like buttoning a shirt. Your heart determines which button goes into which buttonhole first. Our behavior then just continues until the end. If the first button is wrong, everything is wrong!) I think the explanation is good ! But it is difficult. As often as I try and clench my teeth to be like Jesus; I do not succeed. It's not about trial and hard work. It is about the real life of Jesus Christ that is revealed through us. The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us control and weed our bad thoughts as they try to get into our hearts. If a wrong thought comes up, keep the door locked so it cannot enter. You are not helplessly at the mercy of the thoughts that are floating around in your head. With these weapons we subdue opposing thoughts and teach them to obey Christ (2. Corinthians 10,5 NL).

Don't leave the door unguarded. You have everything you need to lead a godly life - you have the equipment to enable you to capture the thoughts that do not belong in your heart (2. Petrus 1,3-4). I want to encourage you too, Ephesians 3,16 to make it your personal prayer of life. In him Paul asks that God, from his great abundance, give you the strength to become inwardly strong through his spirit. Grow with the constant assurance and realization of your father's love and care in every area of ​​your life. Take care of your heart. Guard it. Protect it. Watch your thoughts. Are you saying that I'm in charge? You have them and you can take them over too.

by Gordon Green

1Max Lucado. A love worth giving. Page 88.

2Grace is not just about undeserved favor; it is divine empowerment for daily life (2. Corinthians 12,9).

pdfThe Mines of King Solomon (part 19)