THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.—Proverbs 4:23   I recently read about a giant oak tree that fell during a thunder storm accompained by high wind. From all outward appearance, the tree seemed to be in perfect health. No passerby would ever suspect that there was a problem and everyone was surprised by its sudden fall, after all it had withstood many storms before. It was not until after the fall that the fault was seen. The tree was diseased within. Deterioration on the inside had weakened the massive tree to the point that it could no longer withstand the storms.   Dear friend we often see the same sad story with people. You can probably think of someone who possessed all the qualities that you admire, someone who seemed to be able to stand-up against anything, someone whose life had been very fruitful, but then they fell. While you are shocked by their demise, if you could have seen what was going on within it would have been no surprise. Let their fall serve as a warning. It happened to them, it could happen to you!   When we neglect the inner life we put ourselves in grave danger. It all starts in the heart, but it doesn’t stay there. Corruption in the heart spreads to every area of life and eventually it weakens us to the point that we fall. Make it a regular habit to examine your heart every day with the search light of God’s Word. Confess every known sin and draw near to God. Doing so will prevent disaster.   The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.