Righteous Path, Guarded Heart

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day…Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:18, 23, NIV) [Read Proverbs 4]

Verses are selected for these devotionals from Proverbs because I have had them underlined and noted in my study Bibles for a long time. Either I have heard sermons preached on the verses or I have highlighted them because I was struck by particular truths from those cited. It may not seem that the title, “Righteous Path” and “Guarded Heart” go together very well. Let us see…

Verse 18 speaks strongly about righteousness. A right relationship with God promises a focused way to go in life. God provides light for the Christian’s pathway. I often see the dawn because I am an early riser. How splendid is that first glimpse of dawn, and how beautiful as darkness dissipates and the sunlight chases the shadows of night away. The path of righteousness is like the dawning, giving insight and direction on how to conduct one’s life, how to behave, how to react to others, how to grow closer to God. There is not a relationship that righteousness cannot touch for the better. It helps a life shine brighter and brighter, just like the dawn (daybreak, the sun rising) makes everything more beautiful. We find a righteous path by studying the Word of God, following its precepts, praying, confessing, replacing dark areas of life with God-directed living.

“Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” I became much more aware of my physical heart in 2007 when I had to undergo five bypasses heart surgery to repair damage to an ailing heart. Sometimes we take a vital organ of the body for granted. Since then, I have “guarded my heart” with diligence, and so have my doctors. I am what one might call a survivor. I am grateful to be alive and well, able to function at “guarded” level. But the writer of this Proverb was using “heart” (Hebrew leb) to mean the seat of emotion, desire, thought, decision-making, joy, wisdom. The Greek word, kardia, covers the whole range of activities that go on within one’s inner being. Certainly the sage was wise to say that the heart is the “wellspring” (source of continual supply) of life. Physically, emotionally, socially and physically, the heart is at the center of life—who we are and how we react. Pray to keep on a righteous path with a heart guarded—attuned to and responsive to God’s direction. Then know God’s light and His wellsprings of life!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, July 1, 2010