Guard Our Hearts

https://odb.org/MY/2023/02/21/protect-your-heart

As mentioned in my blog post yesterday, Jesus taught before that it is not what’s outside that defiles a person, but what comes out from within us. So if we didn’t follow the tradition of our elders in washing our hands before we eat, it is not fatal to our spiritual life (although that could lead us to consume bacteria together with our food). What could be detrimental is our evil thoughts and intentions that lie within us. https://ronnielim.com/2023/02/20/traditions-versus-gods-law/

Thus, coming back to the weighing scale judgment system employed by some faiths for salvation, I also mentioned before one problem; it may cause us to be mathematical in our good deeds and evil actions and yet not changing our hearts inside us. Thus, we may continue to do evil even as we do good deeds, as we may atone for our evil later. https://ronnielim.com/2023/02/17/white-as-snow/

A fundamental change that comes with believing in Jesus Christ is the change of our hearts, and that to me is one of the more significant goals of the Gospel. The message of the Gospel brings salvation to our souls, but its overarching aim is to make us to be more like Christ, and that is most importantly, in our hearts. It is only with a genuine change in our heart that we may depart from the natural human tendency to repay evil with evil. We will not be able to be kind and forgive those who hurt us (one meaning to the concept of turning the other cheek and loving your enemies as advocated by Jesus) if our heart is still that of our past and not the new creation in Christ. Our hearts must turn towards God and remain so. The one that is of the world will, however, try his level best to turn us back to our old natural self so we are evil again.

How do we guard our hearts? It practically means to keep watch and be vigilant for anything that may draw us away from God and His righteousness. Proverbs 4: 20-27 teaches us to internalise the Word of God and resist temptations. The Psalmist prayed that God would create in us a pure heart (Psalm 51:10). Paul taught in Philippians 4:8 – whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; anything that is excellent or praiseworthy, think those things. In verse 7, Paul then exhorted us that as we rely on the Spirit, the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus!

Guard our hearts, and pray that God guards our hearts for us by His Holy Spirit. It is the gateway to our soul. It must remain pure, holy, righteous, and true to Him until our last breadth.