“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Every new years eve, some of us stay up to watch the crystal ball in times square

descend on the final few moments of the past year. And with coming of a new year

there is a natural, almost, instinctual moment of reflection that transcends age and race

and culture. It’s a moment where all of humanity (even if just for a moment) asks some

big questions. Questions like…

“What kind of year did we have?” "What did we accomplish?” “How are we doing

physically, financially, relationally, spiritually?” “What should I start this year?” “What

should I stop this year?” “What should I keep in my life and what should I toss?” Now of

all these questions, the last one is the one that I wrestle with the most… “What should I

keep and what should I toss?” Because I am a recovering “Clutter-Holic.” At first it was

just the one drawer kitchen, then I tried to organize everything from the drawer into a

large bin. But that didn’t last long, and before long an entire bedroom was dedicated to

the clutter! At some point I had to recognize I had a problem. I needed to get serious

about what to keep and what to toss.

Interestingly, Scripture is filled with commands where God calls us to keep certain things

and toss others. Wisdom is the process of knowing what to keep in our lives and what to

eliminate. David kept his sling but tossed Saul’s armor. Mary tossed Martha’s chores but

kept something better. Peter tossed the boat but walked on water. Matthew tossed his

business but became an apostle. James and John tossed their nets but kept their

Savior. Yet, of all the things Scripture implores us to keep, there is one thing that stands

above everything else. One thing we can’t afford to lose. One thing that King Solomon

qualifies with the phrase “all vigilance,” which simply means “above everything else.”

We can lose our health, we can lose our financial security, we can lose certain

relationships, we can lose our home, but Solomon pleads with us to protect one thing

above all else… “our heart!” And he doesn’t leave us guessing as to why the heart is so

important. He writes, “for from it flow the springs of life.” This week we will look at ways

we can “keep our heart” and the things in life that threaten to take our hearts from us.

Q: What tends to cause you to “lose heart?”

Q: Have you ever considered what it means to “keep your heart?” If so, what are ways

you have intentionally sought to protect, guard or keep your heart?

By Jimmy Carter

Your Daily Missions Moment:

Reaching people in Lexington.  Did you know that our public elementary schools have as many as 55 nationalities represented in just one school. God literally has brought the nations to us. You can help us begin to reach some of them by just volunteering one hour per week in one of our elementary schools. Contact Jeff Story if you are interested: jeffs@ibclex.com or 859-685-3215.