Guard Your Heart

Above all else, guard your heart,

For it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

The children’s song, O Be Careful, Little Eyes, wisely instructs children of all ages to be careful what their eyes see, what their ears hear, what their hands do, and where their feet go. According to Proverbs 4:23, it’s missing a verse:

Oh be careful little heart what you keep.

Oh be careful little heart what you keep.

There’s a Father up above

And He’s looking down in love

So, be careful little heart what you keep.

What we keep within our heart, to a great extent determines how we live. That’s why Solomon gives the command to guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (Proverbs 4:23, NLT).

In my high school basketball days I was a scrappy guard. I had zero comprehension of what to do on offense, but had an innate understanding that on defense I was to guard the basket at all costs. The context of this verse isn’t a guarding that keeps a basketball from the hoop, or a hockey puck or soccer ball from the net. This verse’s primary focus is not so much to guard our heart by keeping the bad stuff out, but by keeping the good stuff of God’s teachings, commands, and wisdom in!

The verses that precede the instruction to guard our heart reiterate the importance of keeping a vigilant watch over what we keep within. My son (daughter), pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart (Proverbs 4:20-21). Deuteronomy 4:9 says, Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children (and your GEMS!) and to the children after them.

Our heart houses our motives, thoughts, and emotions. What we keep within the control center of our heart will guide the choices we make and the paths that we take. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble (Proverbs 4:18-19).

Wisdom Step: Do a heart check. What is your greatest affection and treasure? Is it God and His Word? Your family? Your agenda? Work? Money? Weekends? Travel? What you treasure will determine the course of your life. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).

God be in my head, and in my understanding;

God be in my eyes, and in my looking;

God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;

God be in my heart, and in my thinking;

God be at my end, and at my departing.

Old Sarum Primer, 1558

July Devotional from the Service Center

If you want to receive these monthly devotionals over email, you can sign up by clicking here and then clicking on "sign up now" under "E-Newsletter." I try to post them every time they come, but sometimes I get behind!

Leadership 101

The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: “When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.

2 Samuel 23:3-4

At the close of King David’s life, he wrote a beautiful song about leadership. The song may have blessed and inspired his son Solomon who was anointed king after David and can continue to challenge each one of us as first year or seasoned leaders within the GEMS ministry today.

1. Leaders must be called and empowered by God. These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs (2 Samuel 23:1).When David was called to be King of Israel he seemed the least likely candidate of Jesse’s eight sons. Samuel thought that surely the LORD must intend to anoint Jesse’s firstborn Eliab, not his youngest David. God directed Samuel to His qualifications for leadership and said, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Maybe you feel as unlikely to lead within the GEMS ministry as Samuel originally thought David was. It’s not a matter of how you look or how qualified you feel, it’s a matter of the heart. God called and empowered David, and if He calls you to GEMS, He will empower you, too!

2. Leaders must be taught God’s Word through His Spirit. David wrote, The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue (2 Samuel 23:2). David experienced first hand the horrors that took place when the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). To understand and then teach God’s Word, we must be women of the Word who have the light of the Spirit of God shining in and through us! Make David’s prayer your own as you prepare to lead girls next season, Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground (Psalm 143:10).

3. Leaders must fear God (2 Samuel 23:3-4). While King Saul and the Israelites cowered in fear of Goliath, David was willing to fight. Because he feared the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, he had no fear of Goliath. When we fear God, we need not fear the leadership He’s called us to within GEMS. Does it make you afraid or anxious? David experienced that, too, and though his knees may have knocked on occasion, he trusted God. Follow David’s example and serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling(Psalm 2:11).

Wisdom Step: Fear God, not the leadership He’s called you to! What can you do today to prepare for the new GEMS season?

So, where He leads me, I can safely go,

And in the blest hereafter I shall know,
Why in His wisdom He hath led me so.

Unknown

Fall Workshop

Don't forget to mail in your Fall Workshop Registrations! If you need another one, you can print it from this blog or you can send me an email.

GEMS Camp 2012!

GEMS Camp 2012 has been set! Mark your calendars for Friday, June 8 (after dinner) - Sunday, June 10 (late morning), 2012 at Lake Retreat Camp & Conference Center in Ravensdale, WA!! We are very excited about this new camp location - it is absolutely beautiful and VERY clean! :) More details will be given at Fall Workshop, but feel free to email me with questions if you have any and I will do my best to answer them!

Fall Workshop Registrations were mailed out to everyone on our mailing list. Please fill them out and send them back as soon as possible so you don't forget! If you need more, go ahead and make copies or you can click on the link from the post on July 6 and print out your own! We are looking forward to seeing MANY of you there!

Blessings on the rest of your summer vacation!

Join with me in praise!

Praise God for an INCREDIBLE conference at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO! We experienced GOD there and we had SO MUCH FUN! We were inspired and encouraged and we are READY to learn about WISDOM this year!

Fall Workshop Registration Form

Registration Forms for the Fall Workshop in September are being mailed this week! If you need an additional form, you can print it online! Please feel free to email or call if you have any questions about Fall Workshop or any trouble printing the registration form.

Fall Workshop Registration Form

Please pray!

Prayer request - over 480 women will be traveling to Fort Collins, CO this week for the annual GEMS leadership conference - please pray for safe travels, good health, blessings and peace for families that are left behind for many moms and for God's Presence and blessings to touch all our lives...we serve a mighty God!!