08-13-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 13, 2020
Scripture: Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Thought for the Day: Yesterday, the Men of Cypress Creek had their weekly prayer gathering on Zoom. Jesse Holster offered a wonderful study on Proverbs, and his words got me to thinking about this verse of scripture that was on a plaque I had (I lost it at some point along the way). This is not the same translation, but it reminded me of how necessary it is to keep watch over our hearts, and to do so with vigilance. Why? Do our hearts wander off? Well actually, they sort of do. Whether intentionally or accidentally, they can meander down a path that does not necessarily represent our highest ideals. We need to be vigilant when it comes to understanding the difference between our heart’s genuine needs vs our heart’s superficial wants. We our often distracted by selfishness clothed in religious language. We are too easily shaped by our fears and not by our hopes. Richard Rohr writes about the two halves of life, and though our lives our not evenly split chronologically between these two parts, it is a movement from a life lived for self to a life lived for a greater purpose. Some folks make the transition early in life, and others never do. Rohr writes, “In the second half of life we discover that it is no longer sufficient to find meaning in being successful or healthy. We need a deeper source of purpose.” There is a vigilance that is required for both those who are making the transition and those who have made the transition. Yet the author of the Proverb suggests that from the heart of those who are vigilant shall flow the springs of life.

Prayer: I want to be a part of something so much greater than a life build around me. I want to bring you, Merciful God, more fully into my life. And as I do, I know your Spirit will shape and fill my heart with the love of Jesus – in the true work of serving others. Amen.

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