Tag: heart

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Guarding Our Heart

Deer beneath a grove of trees overlooking Cecil M. Harden Lake in Rockville, Indiana
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)—Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Walking along the gravel road, past houses tucked into the trees, I came upon a fork in the road that did not lead to a house. I picked up my pace, rounding onto the path, and froze. A deer grazed at the edge of the of the path overlooking the lake shimmering in the sunshine.

Gaze set on the deer, I saw movement to the side. Another deer sat in the grass. I stood, mesmerized, not daring to move, knowing the crunch of gravel a dead giveaway to my presence.

Yet another deer stepped from the trees, but this one stared straight at me, neck stiff, ears alert. It stepped a few steps closer, freezing in place for a few seconds then pawing at the ground and bobbing its head. This doe sensed something not quite right in her world, a threat to her safety, to her herd. The moment I stepped backward, her deer instincts told her to run.

Guarding our hearts requires being on the lookout for spiritual threats, for the devil’s prowling (1 Peter 5:8). Satan prepares for us a rutted path with hidden potholes to make us unsteady on our feet. No, the threats of Satan are not always obvious and he will attempt to trip us up.

If we perceive a threat from Satan, like deer perceive a threat from a human presence, how do we protect our spirit? Looking to Scripture and praying for God-given wisdom helps us to assess the threat. Our daily Bible readings and prayers fill our minds with God’s Word, protecting our hearts from the devil’s lies. Our submission to God and his Word causes the devil to flee (James 4:7). The living Word helps us to fight off Satan’s schemes, guiding our attitudes and thoughts (Hebrews 4:12). Yes, the tenets of God’s Word guide us in righteous living and help us resist the devil’s temptations.

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Spotlight of Hope

View of the Grand Canyon with a blanket of clouds and a spotlight of sunshine on the rocks in the distance
Deuteronomy 30:6 (ESV)—And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

On the day I visited the Grand Canyon, clouds softened the rays of the sun, except for one brilliant spotlight of sunshine far in the distance. This spotlight offered the hope of warmth on this breezy thirty-some degree day, where the shadows on the rocks made the canyon look like a painting, the layers of red and beige sandstone in stark contrast to one another and the sheer cliff face dotted with patches of snow and shrubs.

In Deuteronomy 30, Moses reminded the Hebrews of this spotlight of hope. He said that if they’d turn their lives over to God, fully and completely, they’d experience a stark contrast from curses to blessings and they’d no longer be scattered like shrubs throughout the lands. God would turn the spotlight on them, gathering them together and circumcising their hearts.

God’s promise reaches us today. If we turn our lives to him, working toward our eternal reward, he’ll shine his spotlight on us, gathering us in Christian community and circumcising our hearts to restore our spirits.

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Generosity on Vacation: It’s About Attitude and Heart

Read 2 Corinthians 9

If Paul were to write a letter to travelers about generosity and tipping, I think he’d reiterate some of the same points he did to the Corinthians. He’d tell travelers to prepare in advance to give tips. He’d say tipping is an act to be done not out of obligation but with a willing heart. He’d point out that the amount travelers give does not matter as long as it comes from a heart that wants to give. He’d say travelers who give with a willing heart fulfill the material needs of others while fulfilling their own spiritual needs. He’d tell travelers that giving with a generous spirit gives other people a reason to thank God.

Whether we’re giving to the church or giving to someone else, generosity goes beyond giving—it’s about attitude and heart. Our ability to give and our willingness to give both come from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). As such, our travels deserve the same preparation that we give to other areas of our lives.

Generosity begins with spiritual preparation. Prayer brings our focus to God. The same as we ask a blessing before a meal, we need to ask for God’s blessing on our vacation. We can pray for those who will receive the tips and for the impact of the tips and ask God to prepare our hearts to give.

Generosity also requires material preparation. A budget helps us to stay within our God-given blessings. It eliminates the element of surprise, allowing our hearts to gain a spirit of generosity. We can prepare envelopes of tips for housekeeping, room service, and others who deliver services but do not charge us directly. We can also budget extra for those instances we receive exceptional service.

Before your next vacation, read and meditate on 2 Corinthians 9. What does God say to you about generosity? What do you need to do to prepare yourself to give with a willing heart?

Another Generous Act—Beyond a material tip, we have the opportunity to bless others through words. Give a shout-out to a particularly helpful person on a review website, describe the great service on a company’s survey, or tell management of the person’s hard work.