Who would have guessed
that investing in a company that makes personal protective masks would be the investment of the decade? Just a year ago, who among us would have believed that wearing a mask would become such a massive part of our lives? And yet, here we are.
Personal protective equipment currently holds an important place in our culture, and regardless of your view and position on masks (that’s a topic for another day), protecting yourself and others from disease is something we should all pay attention to.
But today I want you to consider another type of personal protection. The protection of your heart. Not the physical organ pumping inside of your chest, but the spiritual part of your life where you think, feel and choose.
The part of you that literally impacts everything you have ever said, thought and done, and that you ever will say, think or do.
This simply can’t be overstated: protecting your heart is a difference maker.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
This is why the Lord tells us to be especially diligent in the protection of our heart. Protecting your heart can be the difference between faithful love for Jesus or cold-hearted religion. Years of faithful, fulfilling marriage or the regret of adultery. It’s the difference between a pure conscience and living with secret sin.
The Bible teaches us that the path to the heart is through the senses. What we see, hear, smell, taste and touch can all have a massive impact on our heart. We see this demonstrated when David looks upon a bathing Bathsheba with his eyes, when Eve gives in to the desire to taste the fruit of the tree in the garden, and when Aaron hears the voice of the people to make an idol. Over and over again, we see this pattern in scripture.
Protecting your senses protects your heart. You see, our senses were not given to us for the sensual fulfillment of fleshly pleasure, but to know and love God and those around us. To appreciate the purity and beauty of God’s creation.
So the next time you mask up, remember that there is an even greater layer of protection you need. It’s the protection that guards your heart!
Pastor Kevin