"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GUARDING YOUR HEART"
1st Kings 12:33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
The above verse is speaking of Jeroboam who became the leader of the 10 northern tribes known as Israel after the kingdom fully divided. It's interesting to note what he did once he came into power. And, may I mention the portion of the verse that deals with his heart. "which he had devised in his own heart."
He was a man who was led by his own heart, rather than guarding his heart, and allowing the Lord to lead him. We don't have the time here, but if you read the earlier part of the chapter, you will see that the actions of Jereboam were not at all in keeping with what God had ordained for His people. In fact, they were directly in opposition to what God had called them to do. But, this man, was "devising" things out of his own heart, rather than letting God guide him.
1. We can and ought to trust God, rather than to "devise" out of our own hearts.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. NLT Version.
We do not need to trust in our own hearts, for we can trust God. And, this is what God wants us to do. Trust Him with all of our hearts. We do not need to depend on our own understanding, because, we can seek and receive His understanding. And, we are given the promise here, that if we will seek His will in all that we do, that He will direct our paths, or make the road easier to travel on. Such was not the case with Jereboam.
2. We will experience the blessings of God if we allow God to lead and guide us.
Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
Or, oh how happy is the man who trusts in the Lord, and who is actively hoping in the LORD. We reap what we sow, and if we trust God, we are certain to reap a harvest of blessings.
3. We have good instruction about the importance of guarding our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Here's how it reads in the NLT
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
The heart is the center of our being, and what we do with it, or don't do with it, will indeed affect everything we do, for good, or for evil.
4. We also have promises from God about His guiding the heart that is being guarded.
Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way.
Psalms 69:32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help live in joy.
Psalms 138:6 Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Psalms 147:6 The LORD supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.
5. Pride and fear can take us down paths that we could have never imagined.
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
If you read the story of Jereboam, in 1st Kings 12, you will see that he was motivated by fear and pride.
He was afraid if the people were to go and worship in Jerusalem as God had ordained that they would want to come back under the leadership of his rival Rehoboam.
And, thus in order to keep them from doing that, he devised a method of worship that was forbidden by God. He wanted to continue as the leader of the 10 tribes, rather than obey God. These two sins, fear and pride led him to do all kinds of ill fated actions, that led to more and more trouble. Eventually, the 10 tribes were taken into captivity by Assyria.
Some questions:
1. How would you describe yourself today?
2. Are you letting the Lord lead you, or are you leading yourself?
3. Have you in the past experienced the blessings of trusting the Lord with all your heart?
4. What happened in your life, when You let the Lord lead and guide you?
5. If you are leading yourself today, instead of the Lord, will you acknowledge that to Him right now?
6. Do you know how much God wants to give you peace and joy, and lead you as His dear child.?
A prayer:
Father, what a joy it is to read Your Word, and to be instructed, warned, corrected and built up by it. These wonderful stories are not fiction, but real life and death truths. We can identify with these men and women we read about. We want to honor You, and not go our own way, but follow Jesus with all of our hearts.
Please take control of our lives this day as we yield ourselves to You, in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier.
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
