The Heart

Biblically speaking, the heart is the hub of our physical, mental, and spiritual life. Our heart defines and directs us. It is what steers our motivation and where we reveal our true nature. Our heart is center of all we are.

As evidenced by the fall, the human heart does not gravitate towards what is good, right, and holy. We see this explained in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable – who can understand it?”. And again in Matthew 15:19, “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.”

Our heart is where we “feel all the feels”. In Psalm 4:7, David notes the Lord, “put joy in” his heart. The disciples’ hearts were “filled with sorrow” upon hearing Jesus was “going away to him who sent me” (John 16:5-6). Our heart is where we are to “love the Lord our God” (Mark 12:30).

Our heart is the headquarters of our intelligence. We “understand” with our hearts (Matt 13:15). Our heart is where we “remember” (Isa 46:8). We think with our hearts, “but Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them” (Luke 2:19).

What is in our heart drives our behavior. It is where our desires live (Rom 1:24). Our heart is where we make our decisions (2 Cor 9:7). For better or worse, it is where we make our plans (Acts 5:4). Our heart is also where we obey God (Rom 6:17). We reveal the status of heart through our behavior (Matt 15:18).

Just like Adam & Eve, we cannot hide from God. He knows “the secrets of the heart” (Ps 44:21). And while “all a person’s ways seem right” to us, “the Lord weighs hearts” (Prov 21:2).

Fortunately, God does not leave us to ourselves. He is a restorative God and makes all things new, including our hearts (Ps 51:10). Even more unbelievable, as his children “He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor 1:22).

Your heart is the fundamental core of who you are. Therefore, "guard your heart above all else. For it is the source of life" (Prov 4:23).

Proverbs 4:23