July 9 | Guard

Perhaps Solomon imagined a watchman when telling his son to “guard” his heart. A watchman is tasked to protect something and to vigilantly look out for anything that might cause damage or destruction. He is to be alert as he continually looks for danger from every direction. Because the heart is most valuable and the source of everything, Solomon tells his son to act as a watchman over his heart. He was to protect it at all costs.

We’re familiar with protection. We lock our doors at night, buckle up in our cars and wear helmets when riding bikes. Sports stars and celebrities hire bodyguards, and we protect our technology with passwords. But while we “guard” things all the time, many of us leave the most crucial thing unguarded—our hearts. We do this most frequently with our eyes, ears and mind (thoughts).

Our eyes can be occupied with what we don’t have and what others do. They watch shows and movies with values much different than the teachings of Jesus. Or they secretly view pornography. Our ears might listen to angry, cynical voices on the radio or in podcasts. Or we habitually listen to music with hateful, violent and impure lyrics. Our thoughts might automatically believe the worst about someone or secretly hope that someone will fail. Our heart is unguarded in all these ways and more.