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On Keeping
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The Proverbs of
Solomon are poignant, pensive, potent, and perennial. They are
poignant in that they are profoundly moving; they tend to
pierce to the very heart of the person who will listen to
them. They are pensive, producing deep feelings, possessing
the potential to influence lives, to cause decisions
calculated toward improvement and better management of ones
life. They are potent, filled with moral power, the kind that
often causes drastic moral changes and deliberate course
alterations. And they are perennial. Their effectivity remains
even after they have been applied. That is, you can use them
over and over again and they still remain effective; the power
is not diminished by use.
I would like you to notice some sayings in Proverbs 4 that
have to do with keeping yourself. These are sayings that, when
applied, are very useful in guarding what is particularly
yours–your heart, your words, your eyes, your path, your
direction.
Keep your heart. Proverbs 4:23–“Keep thy heart
with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
The heart is where decisions are made, plans are devised, a
course of pursuit is formulated. As such, it is the vial
consideration in all keepings. The heart must be guarded
meticulously. Our of it are the “issues of life.” In other
words, all of your life’s doings issue from this one source.
Only as you manage your heart carefully can you manage your
life effectively.
Keep your words. Proverbs 4:24–“Put away from you
a froward mouth and perverse lips put far from you.” A
froward mouth is a disobedient mouth. A froward mouth is a
stubborn mouth. A perverse tongue is one that is obstinate,
rebellious. In both cases, the direction is away from what is
righteous and holy. I doubt that there is any part of mankind
that has caused more trouble then the uncontrolled tongue.
“The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison” (James 3:8). Just when you think you have it
under control it rears up and strikes a new blow, spewing its
venom all over the situation. Only when a man gives proper
diligence to keep his heart free from envy, scorn,
maliciousness, can he manage his tongue. Even then, it’s a
constant battle, one that requires a never-ending effort.
Keep your eyes. Proverbs 4:25–“Let thine eyes
look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before
thee.” It’s easy to be bedazzled by the lights of the
world. They are cleverly situated so as to be very attractive.
The moral man must keep a strait view; and he must keep a
straight view. It must be strait in that it has to be
restricted– restricted to the sight of the things that have
substance, things that appertain to purity. That’s an
admittedly narrow view, but one vital to reaching the goal. It
must be a straight view in that it cannot be deterred from its
point of focus so as to be thrown off course. And, again, all
this is related basically to what that man thinks. If he keeps
his heart, his eyes will focus without myopia or defection.
Keep your path. Proverbs 4:26–“Ponder the path of
your feet, and let thy ways be established. I believe it was
Yogi Berra who said, “when you reach a fork in the road,
take it.” Clever, but impossible. “Watch where you’re
going,” is the message here. Every person is going
somewhere. And you can’t go both directions at the same
time. The road is either the broad way–well lighted, without
many curves, with lost attractive views alongside; or it is
the strait and strictured way, one that is arduous and full of
difficult-to-manage turns. The end of the broad way is most
undesirable, while the end of the strait way is eternal life,
making it well worth the difficulties of the trip. Once again,
the trip is planned, the course of pursuit decided in the
heart of the man making the journey. He must decide where
he’s going and how to get there.
Keep on keeping on. Proverbs 4:27–“Turn not to
the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.”
Here is an admonition to continued faithfulness. You can’t
stop and start and start and stop and expect to reach the
goal. The path is delineated, the course determined. There has
to be a steady progress toward the goal, no looking back, no
looking from one side to the other. Dedication is the basic
element in making a straight course to the goal. Notice, all
of this is commenced with “keep thy heart with all
diligence.” Diligence is determination; it’s a wilful
decision to keep at the project, to not be led astray by
distractions or delusion.
It’s so important that we keep our hearts, that we guard
everything that goes into and out of it. The battle is a
constant one, one that won’t end until we have reached the
end of the road. It’s your heart, your words, your eyes,
your path, your direction. In other words, it’s ultimately
your choice where you go.
Dee Bowman
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Copyright (C)
2009
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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