Resolve to Guard

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

In 1933 President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102, making it illegal for private U.S. citizens to possess gold coins, bullion, or certificates. Between 1933 and 1937, so much gold was purchased from citizens that a secure storage place was needed. The United States Bullion Depository--traditionally called "Fort Knox"--was built and began receiving gold shipments in 1937. It is one of the most secure buildings in the world.

We guard that which we value most. In spiritual terms, then, the "heart" of man should be guarded. The heart--the mind, emotions, and will--is the seat of man's volitional commitment to God. It is no wonder the father in Proverbs exhorted his son to "keep your heart with all diligence." Why? "For out of it spring the issues of life." The heart is pictured like a spring, out of which flows that which gives life. If we are to live a righteous, godly life, the spring of the heart must be guarded with all diligence.

For 2021 resolve to make your heart even more secure than Fort Knox. Since your spiritual treasure is more valuable than gold, your heart should be all the more secure.

When anger was in Cain's heart, murder was not far off. Philip Henry