We all have things that we hold close to our hearts, but are they always the right things? What we treasure and meditate on says a lot about who we are and how we act…
“I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
I don’t have the best memory, but there are some things that I seem to have retained. Information on 90s movies, plot lines from almost all the West Wing episodes, and the layout of all my local libraries being chief among them.
But while this can make for interesting conversations and speedy dashes through the stacks, these things aren’t necessarily what I treasure in my heart. My head yes, but not my heart.
That’s because the heart is where we treasure the things that really matter. The things that guide our thoughts and our actions. What make us uniquely us. And uniquely God’s.
The Bible says that “as someone thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). Where our thoughts go, so do we. But often our thoughts aren’t the starting point, but rather take their cues from our hearts.
Emotions, heart-hurts, and love are stored in our hearts and this is where are thoughts begin, leading to words and actions. What we treasure in our hearts and spend our time meditating on, ultimately direct the things we do and the kind of person we become.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” How true that is.
Meditating on the Word
I think we all instinctively know when we are filling our hearts with good things, and when we’re filling them with bad. A sense of wrongness when petty arguments and anger and envy are held too tightly. A sense of peace and happiness when we revisit the births of our children, kind words, and the things we know to be lovely.
And the Word.
When we fill our hearts with God’s word and we meditate on that instead of other, less worthy things, it’s reflected in our thoughts and actions.
It acts as a guide, a comfort, and a correction. It helps us make good choices, helps us through struggles, and redirects us when we’re heading in the wrong direction.
I’ll be honest, memorizing scripture is not my strong suit. But I continue to read my Bible, noting verses that touch my heart. You never know when that verse might be needed, by you or someone else.
Today, I hope we will all choose to guard our hearts from the unworthy, fill them with the lovely, and meditate on God’s Word. And our thoughts and actions will follow.
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration? Try these posts:
Inspirational Monday: Let Gratitude Fill Your Heart
Leave a Reply