Hearts

"Bless your heart" - we say it quite often, and we mean it in the kindest way.

This week, let's focus on the precious hearts of our grandchildren, taken from Solomon's book of Proverbs.

"...written down so we'll know how to live well and right,to understand what life means and where it's going; A manual for living, for learning what's right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality." (The Message - Pro. 1:2-4)

A father's wise advice is stated in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts." (The Message) or, put another way,"Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." (NewLiving Translation)

Take the time to read this verse in several translations of the Bible. If you don't have several in print, you can go online to www.bible.org or www.OTGateway.com, or your favorite Bible study website. It's the beautyof living in 2007 - we have a world of information at the tips of our fingers...and so do our young people.

With that in mind, the urgency to "guard our hearts" is even greater, since we know that our hearts are affected by our environments.

This week, pray something like this:

"Father, You are the ultimate, Forever, and All-Loving Father. By your power, guard _________'s heart from every evil that surrounds him/her. Teach_________ the importance of following hard after You; teach her/him how to guard her/his own heart when unhappy, or angry, or disappointed...in every situation. Show us how to lead ____________ to turn his/her thoughts to You, forming the mind of Christ in her/his own heart."

And while you're praying for those children -- take a look at yourself: your thoughts, your attitudes, which lead to action. Have you diligently posted a guard over your own heart? We know from experience that "more is caught than taught". Let's commit to be CONTAGIOUS in following hard after Him.