In our conversation today we’re continuing our heart series and how important it is to guard our hearts. While I’m at it, I’m incorporating my absolute favorite movie, The Princess Bride, at the same time. Why? Well let’s just find out – Here we go!
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Transcription:
Inconceivable you might say, when I tell you that the first passage you and I are going to study today on the Bible for Busy People makes me think of one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. And if you haven’t seen it, you should totally see it. When somebody in my house says, Hey, you want to watch the Princess Bride? I always say, as you wish, one of the best lines in the movie. Okay, the reason why it reminds me of Proverbs chapter four is because there’s a whole lot of fencing in this movie, but let’s dive in together. What do you say, as we continue our study on the human heart? Last time we met you and I learned that the heart is deceitful and beyond cure, right? I mean, that might’ve been news to you, and that’s okay. We’re learning this week not to follow our hearts. We’re learning to follow the Spirit of God. So fencing, Proverbs four verse 20. Here we go. This is the heart of a father speaking. I hope you can hear it in these words.
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. 21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, 22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
I want to read that for you again before I draw the reference to the Princess Bride.
Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.
Okay. In the movie, there is a whole lot of fencing. You had Amigo Montoya, the Spaniard who was trying to avenge the death of his father. You had Wesley who is masquerading as the Dread Pirate Roberts, and then there is the giant, and the Sicilian. Who could forget the Sicilian? I’m Italian, and they’re always fighting and dueling and what do you say when you’re getting ready to dual with someone? On guard! I mean, if you’re playing fair, and these guys didn’t always play fair. But what does that mean when you say that phrase, on guard? It means you are on duty to protect or defend something or someone, right? Also, it means being prepared for any contingency. To be vigilant. Okay. Now, God is telling us in the book of Proverbs, also known as the Book of Wisdom, to guard our hearts above all else. He’s telling us that our heart determines the course of our lives. It’s like a compass, and if we point it in the wrong direction, we’re going to be in trouble. And that’s why what’s coming to me, as you and I are having this time together, is our hearts need to be aligned with the spirit of God.
Think about other things that we guard in life. We often guard people if we’re parents, we guard our children, we keep them safe from danger. If you’re a pirate, you might guard treasure, right? So, let’s talk about treasure. Jesus has something to say about the heart that’s very enlightening. So join me now in Matthew chapter six, beginning in verse 19. Jesus says,
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Okay. Let’s let those words sink in this morning, right? The treasures we hold in life are right there with our heart. They’re to be guarded. When we’re little, treasure might look different. It might look like a pack of m and m’s or a favorite toy, and as we get older, sometimes treasure can still be things. But often I think it becomes more sentimental. A piece of jewelry handed down through the generations, or a person. Someone who you’re married to for years and years and years, or a child you have, or a niece or a nephew. These become our treasures as we get older. But sometimes we can get off track. We can get materialistic. I’ve had symptoms of this in my own life in the last few months. Oh man, I’d like to have a new car. I want that new car smell. I really want one of those farmhouse dining room tables. Our hearts are so easily led off track when it comes to material things, when it comes to going our own way. What are we chasing after? What treasure that maybe isn’t tangible, are you and I chasing after? What ambitions are not godly? Sometimes crazy as it is, you and I have to guard our own hearts from our own selves. From our selfish ambitions and selfish desires. You know what King David writes in Psalm 37, beginning in verse three,
Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Wow. I want what the Lord wants in my life. You want to know why? Because he knows best. I do not. There was a TV show decades ago that was called Father Knows Best, and our Father in heaven knows what is best for us. We’re given further instruction. I want to land the plane here today in Proverbs chapter three, beginning in verse five,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Remember, at the beginning of today’s episode, we found out that we need to guard our hearts? Our hearts need guarding because our hearts determine the course of our lives. If we’re following our own selfish ambitions, if we’re chasing after our own selfish desires, we’re going to walk down a path that’s going to lead to destruction. But if you and I trust the Lord with all of our hearts, if we delight in him, he is going to give us his desires. He’s going to show us the path that he wants us to take. Now, how do you and I do that? How do you and I keep our hearts on track? By doing what we’re doing right now. By staying close to Jesus, the Good Shepherd who’s going to lead us. By opening up his word, by aligning your heart with His Holy Spirit. Alright, more next time. Until then, you are really loved. On guard, right?!
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