The key principle: Not everything that gets your attention deserves your attention. The essential practice: Discernment and discipline.
The scripture: Proverbs 4.20-27.
This passage breaks down focus and attention into four parts:
- Listen carefully to God’s word. Pay attention to what voice you listen to. (4.20-22)
- Guard your heart. Pay attention to what you allow into your heart. (4.23)
- Stay away from corrupt speech. Pay attention to what you say. (4.24)
- Look straight ahead. Pay attention to what you are doing and where you are going. (4.25-27)
Today we will look at #2: Pay attention to what you allow into your heart. “Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4.23).
Because of the critical role the heart plays in our life, this is one of the most important commands in all of the Bible. The core message is that we must be discerning and disciplined about what we allow to take up residence in our heart. Life is lived from the heart, which is why the passage above says “for from it flow the springs of life.”
Another way to say it is the heart is the command center of your life; it is the place where your mind, emotions, and spirit intersect to produce your decisions and actions. A healthy heart—that is, a heart in the grip of God’s truth—sees clearly, thinks effectively, and makes wise decisions.
Therefore, we must guard our heart. We must protect our command center. We must safeguard and defend the decision-making part of our life. We must pay attention and not allow anything to get into our heart that would damage our ability to see clearly, think effectively, and make wise decisions. This means being very careful about what ideas, information, and images you allow into your life. It means protecting yourself against negative thoughts, false beliefs, and corrupting influences.
The Proverbs passage says to guard your heart with all vigilance. To “guard your heart” means to protect it carefully and closely. “All vigilance” means with the highest levels of attention, alertness, and diligence. Be extra careful about what you allow into your life and onto your heart. Be discerning about what you read, what TV and movies you watch, and what music you listen to.
Jesus had much to say about the human heart. In the Sermon on the Mount he said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Jesus’ message is this: Your heart directs your life, and what you treasure directs your heart. Therefore, what you treasure directs your life. Therefore, make sure you treasure the right things.
To “treasure” something is to assign value to it. In order to “guard our heart with all vigilance,” we must assign the right value to the right things. We get in trouble if we treasure the wrong things, or we assign the wrong value to the right things. Again — and I keep repeating it because it is so important — what we need is discernment (which is awareness) and discipline (which is action).
This core message is written all over the book of Proverbs.
Money is a helpful example for guarding your heart. Money is a good thing, but only if you assign the proper value to it. You need money to buy food, clothing, a place to live, a car, fishing gear, etc.. If you have extra money you can use it as a safety net for your family, as well as to help and support the needs of others. That’s assigning the right value to money.
However, if you value money too much — if you assign the wrong value to it — then you begin to focus on it too much. You allow your identity to become attached to how much money you have (or don’t have). You will be tempted to compromise your values in an attempt to acquire more money. You will spend your money on the wrong things. You will begin to value money more than you value other people and their needs.
The central question is this: Is money a tool that you use wisely, or is it a treasure that you pursue selfishly?
The “guard your heart” principle should be applied to everything in your life. Again, what you treasure directs your heart, and your heart directs your life. Therefore, what you treasure directs your life. Guard your heart, and choose your treasure wisely.
