Above All Else...

I recently ran across a clip from Nancy Beach of the Willow Creek Association. She was talking specific to leaders, but her wisdom speaks to all of us.

Proverbs 2:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

It is a relatively short verse, but it is packed with a wealth of wisdom. These words have been walking with me for the past few weeks and I am so thankful. Of all the relationships we value in life, our relationship with God is by far the most significant. It is so easy for us to allow the busyness of our everyday lives to pack our hearts and our minds tight with worldly junk.

I loved what Nancy Beach brought out in this verse. Do the people in your family and those that you work closely with see more of Jesus in you or do they see less of Him? The closer an individual gets to you are they recognizing more of the qualities of Jesus or do they see less qualities of Him than when they didn't know you as well? That is a powerful question.

It's really easy to put up a facade when we keep people at a distance. When people spend time with you they learn the true condition of your heart. Do people see Jesus in us... or not? When we wrestle with questions like this the Holy Spirit is able to bring those qualities in our lives that do not reflect the character of Jesus to our attention. That's when we are faced with the choice to die to those human desires and embrace the Word that transforms us, or ignore the obvious character flaw and carry on as usual.

Over the past few weeks, I have grown to a new level of appreciation and devotion for my Bible. It seems to be giving me the very things I need right now in my life. (...as if I didn't know that it would all along!?!?!) The Word has been powerful and direct. It has revealed qualities in my personal character that need to change. I've been faced with the choice to submit or ignore those revelations. It sounds like a simple decision, but it's not always easy. I fight the struggle with what I know is the right thing to do and what I do without thinking. The foolishness of my first response continues to get me in trouble. That's why I like the first three words of that verse... "Above all else".

There is nothing more important than my ruthless pursuit to guard my heart and my mind. It's a dangerous world we live in and I can't chance any opportunity to let my guard down. The hope I have is that I know I have God in me (His Holy Spirit) that empowers me to choose the right thing. It's a strength above myself. Wow! What a true blessing IT is!