“Above all else, guard your heart,

for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

God loves a pure heart. When King David was chosen (way back in the Old Testament) to be King of Israel it was because God saw his heart. We read, “the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart” (1 Sam 13:14). Even after some terrible mistakes, years later, his prayer to the Lord was still “Create in me a pure heart, O God,” (Ps 51:10). God saw a pure heart at the beginning of his call and David was still depending on God for purity of heart years later.

In Jesus’ day, what’s important to God has not changed: The next beatitude in our Sermon on the Mount series is, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt 5:8).

Let’s think what it might mean to guard your heart, as we read in Proverbs 4: 23.

Our hearts, in terms of who we are, (that is, our emotions, thoughts, feelings, innermost secrets, desires, who we are deep down) are precious. They are made by God, but they are tainted by sin. Having said that, they are also being transformed by faith in Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

But that makes them vulnerable. Look at these verses in the book of Proverbs:

· “Anxiety weighs down the heart,

but a kind word cheers it up” (Prov 12: 25).

· “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Prov 13: 12).

· “Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and rejoicing may end in grief” (Prov 14: 13)

Anxiety. Hopes deferred. Heartache. Grief.

When anxiety gets in, it’s like a heaviness, weighing down, poisoning our joy, stealing our peace. When hopes are dashed or delayed, it can feel like the energy drain of a fever. And what can be worse than being in a room with others who are enjoying life, but have no idea of the pain you are in?

When the stuff of life happens, if we are not careful, we give permission to harmful emotions to enter and take up residence in our hearts – anxiety, disappointment, discouragement, anger, pain… and so on.

The author of Proverbs pleads with us to guard our hearts. The old NIV says, “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life”. I am to guard my heart because it is the wellspring of life. That is, a source of new living water. A source of God’s life. A pure heart, one guarded against negative emotions and sin, can be a source of God’s love and life to those around us.

Jesus promised that those with pure hearts are blessed because they will see God. Perhaps a clean and protected heart will see God moving in ways far beyond our natural abilities to do good. The pure in heart will see God in ways we cannot even imagine.

Psalm 42: 1 – 5, says this:

1 As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember

as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God

under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise

among the festive throng.

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God (Psalms 42:1-5)

When you look at the world, what do you see? When you watch TV or catch a video on your phone; when you scroll through Facebook or Instagram, what kind of things stand out for you?

For some, it might be a hope that others have ‘liked’ something you posted yesterday. For others, the latest trivia might grab your attention. Or a cute photograph. Perhaps a feel-good story.

For those who are compelled to stay in touch with national and international events, it is rarely good news that makes the headlines. Another conflict in another country. Another scandal.

I wonder, do you ever try to look with spiritual eyes? Do you ask yourself “I wonder how God sees all this”? And therefore, “How may I view the world with His heart – with a heart of righteousness”?

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt 5: 6). In other words, blessed are those who want to see things from God’s perspective, Blessed are those who want righteousness to reign.

The writer of Psalm 42 has been living in troubled times, and he remembers better days (v 4). He knows God is the only one who can change things. Like a deer desperate for water on a hot, dry day, the psalmist is thirsty for God’s presence. For God and His righteousness to come.

How might we reflect that desperation today? Perhaps it starts in our prayer life. Pray for salvations to occur; pray for God’s love, help and peace to reach those who need Him. Pray for God intervene in events we see on the news. Pray for God to reign in your workplace, in your street, in your town, in your city, in all the dark places.

Those who hunger and thirst will be filled. What will they be filled with? Some suggest a deeper relationship with God and a transformed heart. But perhaps they will also experience the satisfaction of seeing God turning things around in ways we can’t even imagine.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

This year the focus in our 4-min devotions is the teaching given by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5 – 7.

We are looking at the short “Blessed are…” phrases at the beginning of the sermon, often called the Beatitudes or “beautiful attitudes” as somebody once said.

The word “blessed” can also mean happy, but specifically the person is happy because they have received God’s favour.

The third beatitude is:

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

I wonder if Jesus was thinking of Psalm 37 when he said this. David, who wrote the psalm, encouraged his hearers to resist any impulse they might have to envy those who gain by doing wrong. On the contrary they are to trust in the Lord for all things, to do good, to be patient, to refrain from anger or frustration. He says:

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy peace and prosperity (Psalms 37:10-11).

A person who is meek will have a calm temper, not easily provoked. He or she will be patient and humble. They will want to do good. Matthew Henry said: “Meekness is calm confidence, settled assurance, and rest of the soul. It is the tranquil stillness of a soul that is at rest in Christ. It is the place of peace. Meekness springs from a heart of humility, radiating the fragrance of Christ.”

The Lord wants every one of His children to experience a heart at rest. He wants us to know the peace of trusting in Him.

What might it mean that the meek inherit the earth, or the land, as David stated in his psalm? What is the earth or land in these metaphors?

Some have suggested that inheriting the earth means to find peace with God or peace in human relationships. Or both. The inheritance may refer to other forms of spiritual blessing, either in our present life or in the future. For example, it might manifest as the favour of God upon yours or my life today in terms of answered prayer, or rewards in the new earth after Jesus returns.

Perhaps the important point though is that the new world – the new Kingdom – inaugurated by Jesus, is not one where the strongest or loudest win. The bully and the one driven by pride has no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord lifts the humble.

Jesus modelled meekness for us. He washed his disciples’ feet instead of expecting the service from a household slave. Despite being falsely accused, Jesus responded without any anger or threat. And he submitted himself to His Father’s will to suffer and die for our sins.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. The one who resists the temptation to place ego on the throne, finds his feet on holy ground, blessed by God and placed there by Him.

This year the focus in our 4-min devotions will be the teachings of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5 – 7.

Last time, we examined the opening lines of the sermon:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We said that those who are poor in spirit know their need of God. They are desperate enough to seek his face. In every part of their lives, they are dependent on God’s love, His mercy, His strength and His guidance. The poor in spirit are not ashamed to recognise their weaknesses and look to God for help.

And Jesus describes such a person as blessed because they will know and experience God’s Kingdom.

Next Jesus said this:

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

Like the first phrase describing those that are poor in spirit, the next phrase referring to the act of mourning is not one usually associated with a season of blessing. How can death be a good thing? What is Jesus saying?

In Psalm 51, the author David is very aware of his own sinful actions. He has done wrong, and he is sorry.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalms 51:7-12)

David knows his sins are before God (v 9), and only God can wash them away (v 7). As he examines his heart, he faces the uncomfortable truth that he is not the person he wants to be. He realises only God can change his heart (v 10). He not only admits the things he has done wrong, but he also feels sorrow for those things. John Stott says, “It is one thing to be spiritually poor and acknowledge it, it is another to grieve and mourn over it. Or, in more theological language, confession is one thing, contrition is another”.[1]

In Matthew 5: 4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” In other words, God’s favour is on those who are sorry for their sins, who mourn for them, who want to do better when they mess up. Christ died on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may receive His comfort – his help to change.

The Apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Blessed are those who are truly sorry for their failings before God. The Lord delights in forgiving, comforting and helping us to do better.

[1]From The Sermon on the Mount by John Stott p 41

Today we begin a new season of devotions based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:1−3 tells us that “when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. The first thing He said was:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What a strange way to start a message. Blessed are the poor in spirit. How can poverty be a good condition for anybody? It doesn’t feel like something to aspire to. But Jesus is at the beginning of something important. This sermon, found in Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 is about to shock some, pack many surprise punches, and introduce his hearers to a very new kind of world. He is going to shatter the ideas people have about faith and religion and show them what God is really like.

And he kicks off with this: to have any hope of entering into God’s Kingdom − the Kingdom of Heaven, you have to be poor in spirit. You have to know you need God.

This is not a new idea. Back to the Old Testament we heard the call to:

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Look to the LORD and his strength;

seek his face always. (1 Chronicles 16:8-11, italics mine)

This is Asaph, the chief of musicians leading the singing of praise to God, after King David had defeated the Philistines, and the ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem amid great celebration. Asaph exhorted everyone present to seek God’s face. Always.

What might it mean to seek God’s face?

At another moment in David’s life, he prayed, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek” (Psalms 27:8). David recognised the yearning in his own heart for the presence and wisdom of God. Perhaps the first step in seeking God’s face is to recognise how spiritually poor we are without Him. To listen our own heart’s cry for the living God.

In Psalm 63, David describes his search for God like a man desperate for water in a hot, dry desert:

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water. (Psalms 63:1)

Then, following this description, he moves to worship. He sings from the depths of his heart, and he prays every time he wakes in the night.

What better picture can there be of a person who is poor in spirit? As we have said, those who are poor in spirit are those who know their need of God. They are desperate enough to seek his face. In every part of their lives, they know they are dependent on God’s love, His mercy, His strength and His guidance. The poor in spirit are not ashamed to recognise their weaknesses and look to God for help.

And Jesus describes such a person as blessed because they will know and experience God’s Kingdom.

Here’s Psalm 75 from start to finish:

1 We praise you, God,

we praise you, for your Name is near;

people tell of your wonderful deeds.

2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;

it is I who judge with equity.

3 When the earth and all its people quake,

it is I who hold its pillars firm.

4 To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.

5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;

do not speak so defiantly. ’”

6 No one from the east or the west

or from the desert can exalt themselves.

7 It is God who judges:

He brings one down, he exalts another.

8 In the hand of the LORD is a cup

full of foaming wine mixed with spices;

he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth

drink it down to its very dregs.

9 As for me, I will declare this forever;

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,

10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,

but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

If we were to ask, say, 100 followers of Jesus, “why do we worship God?”, I wonder what replies we might receive. I am sure some will talk about the wonder of His creation – the stars and mountains, the flowers and creatures. Some will no doubt reflect on their own journey so far and express gratitude for what the Lord has done; and some might try to picture him on his heavenly throne ruling as sovereign and king. But perhaps not many will say that they worship the Lord because He is a judge.

And yet, this is the focus of the psalmist, Asaph, in today’s reading. Asaph praises God for His imminence (his name is near in v 1) and for His “wonderful deeds”. But he is not reticent to exalt the Lord as the one who judges. In fact, he knows that worship is the only appropriate response towards one who sees and knows all things. The one who will cut off the horns, that is, strip away the strength of those who defy him. The one who has the power to lift up or cast into eternal death.

A God who judges is an uncomfortable thought for some in our modern world, but it is an essential truth. God will judge the people of the earth, past and present. Arrogance and boasting will melt away before the throne in Heaven. No-one will be able to exalt themselves in His presence.

So, let’s praise Him today, not just for those attributes that are comfortable – his beauty, his love. His greatness. Let’s praise him for his justice, for the good news that he is a God who deals with wrongdoing and evil. For the truth that He is a Judge. And will judge in righteousness and holiness.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy in his first letter to him: “Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:11-16)

Paul was like a father to Timothy. I bet he was a great mentor, cheering him on, encouraging him and speaking positively into his life. There is a hint in this passage that Timothy might have struggled with a lack of courage or confidence, but Paul knew him well enough to say, “don’t let anyone look down on you”.

One line that jumps out to me though is, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Any good pastor or Christian coach will want to say something like that: In other words, “Don’t let temptation overcome you. Walk away from the wrong people. Keep pressing into God. Keep believing. Keep loving those around you.” That’s the “watch your life” bit. Then, “Don’t neglect the reading of Scripture, listen to sound teaching. Let God’s Word challenge and change you.” That is, “Watch your doctrine!”

But Paul gives an unexpected reason: “if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”. And your hearers. Don’t just do these things because they are good for you, Timothy. Your life and doctrine affect those around you too.

It strikes me that this is probably true for you and me as well. Our lives and what we believe are not just personal choices. They profoundly touch the lives of those we live in close proximity to – our choices and beliefs affect our loved ones, they influence our work mates, and they rub off on our friends.

Perhaps this adds a new incentive to watching our lives and watching our doctrine. We are not islands. Like it or not, the cords that bind us to those around us also transport our values and attitudes. What connects us can inspire for good or drag down for evil.

Let’s be careful how we live our lives and preserve sound doctrine, not just because it is the right thing to do, and not primarily because of the health and blessing we are likely to receive as a result. No! let’s do it because we care how our lives affect others. Let’s watch our lives and doctrine closely for the sake of those around us.

“… everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:12-17)

This is Paul writing to his younger friend and fellow minister of the Gospel, Timothy. A few verses later he adds, “Preach the word!”

In other words … You have learned the truth, Timothy. You are convinced of it. You have known the Holy Scriptures since you were young. They led you to salvation, they birthed faith in your heart, they drew you to Jesus. The Scriptures come from the very mouth of God, they are literally God-breathed and are powerful for teaching, refuting error, training, forming righteousness in you and in every hungry soul. They are more than enough to prepare you for service. The Scriptures will equip you. No! More than that, you will be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Scriptures are God’s Word. Preach the Word, Timothy! Memorise it, soak it up, then speak it out. Give it away! Be generous with God’s Word.

The are many ways to preach God’s Word and you don’t need to be a trained professional to do it. The Greek word translated as “preach” simply means to “to proclaim, to tell”, but with an urgency wanting others to accept the message. Proclaiming the Gospel is not the same as suggesting a good idea, rather it challenges the mind, convicts the heart and demands a response.

And it doesn’t need a platform or a gifted orator to do its work. God’s Word can unleash its power one friend to another. It can enter the heart of a stranger on the train, and it can slowly grow and create brand new baby-like faith in that relative you have been praying for since you don’t know when.

Because the Scriptures are God-breathed, they don’t depend on our skills or lack of them to accomplish their purpose. They simply journey and bear their fruit on the back of faith and obedience.

Preach the Word, child of God. First read it, soak it up. Make it part of you; allow it into you, invite it to be part of you. To form you, shape you, equip you. Then give it away. Share His Word like it’s the cure for every disease known to man. Proclaim it with conviction. Urgency. Preach it.

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he goes on to warn that, “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim 4:3-4).

The opportunities to share God’s Word with this or that person may not always be there. So let’s take them as God provides them before they disappear.

Preach the Word!