Source of Life

Thursday, October 10, 2024  

Source of Life - Proverbs 4:23 by Kay Crumley

 

What is your source of life? Do you consider the physical/biological source and think of the bodily systems that sustain life? Or perhaps it’s those things that stir passion emotionally. Maybe you have a hobby or even a job that just makes you happy and you lose your sense of time when engaged in that activity.  You become so consumed by that activity that you forget to eat. Just FYI, there are very few things I find that will cause me to forget to eat!  Another way to consider the source of life is through the spiritual lens. What is holding you together or giving you purpose spiritually? Recently Proverbs 4:23 was the verse of the day. It caused me to question my own definition for the source of life. 

 

Solomon wrote this chapter to his sons. Since it is included in God’s Holy Word, it is written to all of God’s sons and daughters, that means you and me. These are words we need to take seriously. The first part of this chapter instructs us to seek wisdom and understanding. Christian parents are to teach their children God’s wisdom, guide them to understanding, and repeat the message constantly as the children mature. In verse 4 he gives us the reason for his instruction, ‘Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.’ We cannot live as God intended without keeping His words in our heart and following His commands. That seems like an obvious guideline to live by to live.  

 

As Solomon brings his teaching to a close, he warns us to pay attention, hear and take to heart his words so that we can have life and health. Then we find verse 23,  

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. CSV 

I have included two versions of the same verse. One tells us to guard our heart. How do we do that? Be careful of what we take to heart, trust, or rely on for guidance. Those who follow the earthly advice or latest fad will be led away from the wisdom of His Word. We must filter those ideas and compare them to His teachings before we allow them to become part of our lifestyle. In both versions we find that we are to put that first, protect our hearts from influences that don’t adhere to God’s truth. Why is that important? Because it is the source of life according to the CSV. Our life actions and behaviors come from what is in our heart. We do what our belief system leads us to do.   

 

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. NIV 

The NIV explains the reason just slightly differently but perhaps a little easier to understand. Everything you do flows from your heart. In the heat of an argument, we sometimes blurt something out that we regret. That is often not because we don’t think that way but because we don’t want others to know our innermost thoughts or feelings about the matter. Our actions and reactions are determined by what is in our heart, our innermost thoughts and feelings.  

 

Luke put it this way The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Luke 6:45. What is in our hearts is what comes out of our mouths. Perhaps we can hide those feelings for a time, but it will eventually come out in our words or actions. We are all guilty of putting on a façade to present to the world. That can become burdensome as we attempt to ‘look good’ without truly being good.  

 

Physical life is truly dependent on our heart to keep our essential bodily functions working. But the Bible refers to the heart of man as his natural inclinations. We are sinful by nature. Without God our heart will lead us to sin, it is deceitful according to Jeremiah 17:9. We must have His wisdom embedded in our heart and be on constant guard to keep His wisdom prominent in our innermost being so that life in Christ will flow out to the world to bring honor to Him. 

A Grown-Up Faith

 Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me… Isaiah 46:9

…rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, Romans 12:12

A Grown-Up Faith

There is no way out of tribulation in this life, and without hope there would be no persevering in tribulation. Without hope, we quit. We lay down. We give up. We can easily become discouraged when it takes longer than we hoped for these situations to resolve. But because of the faith we have in God, we have hope. Hope comes from faith and our faith is fueled by victories – or the promises God has fulfilled. 

There is a reason we are told to remember the things He has done, for us and for others – all the way back to Adam and Eve. This world can make us forget things quickly, but even the weight of tribulation bearing down cannot squash hope that is grounded in faith and fueled by God’s proven faithfulness. (victories) 

Because we know that God is true to His promises, and He has delivered us and proven Himself to be faithful over and over again, we can have hope, persevere, and pray all the way to victory. These uncomfortable places require us to have patience with God and His sovereignty. He has a plan and a reason for the waiting. 

For us, victory can be the catch. We must be willing to accept God’s victory in our lives. It may not be the victory we hoped for, but we can believe and trust that He will give us the absolutely best victory for our lives. He knows better than we do what is best for us and what we need. We often cannot see what we really need, but sometimes we choose to ignore what we really need over what we really want. Choosing what we want over what we need will get us in trouble every time. Choosing something we need over a want is a grown-up decision, much like choosing a side salad over French fries. (no judgement- preaching to myself) In Romans 12, Paul is telling us how to live in “grown-up” faith. The Christians he was talking to were still taking baby steps, but they were learning and growing in their faith. Paul had given them so much information in these twelve chapters and they were soaking it all up. 

Some days we are still taking baby steps, and that is okay, as long as we don’t park there. We need to be exercising our “grown-up” faith to grow up in Him. The older I get, the more important making good choices are, and the less I want to make unwise choices. I have learned the wisdom in accepting what God offers over what I think I want. His victories in the lives of His children are the very best victories. These are the victories that spur faith, which gives us hope, giving us the patience to persevere and pray all the way through tribulation to victory!