Tag: guarding our hearts

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Colossians Devotionals

Guarding our hearts

Prayer

Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)

As I mentioned in my last blog post, it’s easy for my heart to get stirred up by all the bad news I see on the internet and SNS.

But God was reminding me to stay alert to my own heart. To be aware of what’s going on there. And to constantly bring it to him in prayer.

And just as importantly, to lead my heart towards thanksgiving, choosing to rejoice in Him.

I was also reading Psalm 17 today, and it really confirmed what God was telling me.

You have tested my heart;
you have examined me at night.

You have tried me and found nothing evil;
I have determined that my mouth will not sin…

I will see your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with your presence. (Psalm 17:3, 15)

Categories
Joshua Devotionals

Watch yourselves

Guard your heart

So diligently watch yourselves! Love the Lord your God! (Joshua 23:11)

Those words arrested my attention this morning.

“Watch yourselves.”

And not only, “Watch yourselves.”

“Diligently watch yourselves.”

For what purpose?

That our love for God would show in our every thought, action, and deed.

This morning, my heart was a bit out of sorts and my attitude not right.

Part of it was concern about my daughter catching a cold and being forced to miss her semester exams.

Part of it was just some annoyances at work.

But after reading that verse, I’m trying to refocus and remember what’s important: To love God. And to love those he’s put in my life.

It’s so easy to get put off track by our circumstances and our emotions.

But let’s remember Joshua’s words:

“Diligently watch yourselves.”

“Love the Lord your God.”

Categories
Numbers Devotionals

Guarding our hearts against sin

Guarding our hearts

Let’s be honest. There are things in Numbers that are hard to read. Especially when it comes to God’s judgment.

But according to the apostle Paul, there is a reason God recorded all these things. He wrote this in 1 Corinthians 10.

Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.

Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes.

And don’t grumble as some of them did,, and were killed by the destroyer.

These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages, have come. (1 Corinthians 10:6-11)

The first event Paul mentions happened in Exodus 32. The rest occured in the chapters we’ve been reading in Numbers, including today’s chapter.

Why did God record all these things?

For our instruction.

What can we learn?

1. God takes sin seriously, especially willful, rebellious sin.

We saw this in chapters 15-17, and we see it again here in verse 6.

While the people are weeping over their sin and God’s judgment, a man brashly brings into his tent a Midianite woman to sleep with her, probably as part of a religious ritual.

2. The wages of sin, particularly willful, rebellious, and unrepentant sin is death.

Because of that we dare not take sin lightly in our lives. Rather we are to flee from it.

And so Paul warns us:

So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

We need to constantly be on our guard against sin.

But the good news is that God is with us to help us stand against sin and be victorious over it.

As Paul says,

No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity.

But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

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Luke Devotionals

Guarding our hearts

He began to say to his disciples first, “Be on your guard against the leaven, of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1)

Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions. (15)

As I was reading those words, I was thinking about what hypocrisy or greed may be in my heart. I’m still thinking about that, but another thought came to me.

Jesus is very concerned about our hearts and what’s going on in there. And so he says twice in this chapter, “Guard yourselves; guard your hearts.”

How do we do that, that though?

It strikes me that one way is to watch carefully what kind of “dialogues” we’re holding in our hearts.

In fact, the word translated “thought” in verse 17 is where our word “dialogue” comes from.

The man in Jesus’ parable was thinking in his heart. He was having a dialogue with himself in his heart. And it exposed the greed that was there.

Do you want to know what is going on in your heart? What dialogues are going on in there?

Not only with yourself, but what fictional dialogues do you hold with others in your heart? You know what I’m talking about. How often do you have arguments with others in your heart?

All these dialogues expose what’s there in our hearts. And so Jesus tells us to be on our guard about where those dialogues are going and where they are leading us to.

Father, help me to guard my heart. Against hypocrisy. Against greed. Against anything that would damage my relationship with you and the people around me.