If you had a several kids in your car and, because of recurring nausea, you weren’t able to finish driving the curvy, mountainous roads between your destination, would you pull into a restaurant and ask just anybody to get behind the wheel while you rode with eyes closed and stomach in knots?
Of course not. If you had to resort to such a desparate move to get home for the evening, you’d certainly be careful to make sure that the person was a competent driver who took instructions well.
Failure to be careful could lead to tragedy for all.
You see, we have to be careful about how our lives are steered.
If we’re not, bad things can — and sometimes do — happen.
This is particularly true with respect to who is steering our hearts.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Who influences your heart?
Who do you allow to steer your values on issues of morality? Of theology? Of patterns for emotional intimacy?
Who do you turn to for advice on family relationships?
Who is your mentor when it comes to workplace attitudes and behaviors?
Is there a role model for you who is plugged into the Word of God?
You’ve heard the phrase, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
This is absolutely true with respect to the heart.
We’ve all seen it in others’ lives and we’ve unfortunately experienced it periodically in our own.
Let’s be careful to allow only those people surrendered to the Lord to be on the list of those allowed to give us directions for the journey of life.
Test everything.
If it’s something Jesus would allow into His heart, then it’s something that we can allow into ours.
If He wouldn’t accept an idea or behavior because it’s ungodly, then we shouldn’t, either.
How can you know what Jesus would allow into His heart?
Read the gospels.
It will do your heart good.
And the course of your life just might change for the better.
As always, I love you
Martin
