I wore a heart monitor for one day this week. It wasn’t the first time I had done that and thankfully it was just another check to make sure everything is working like it should be. I went to the cardiologist’s office and a technician attached an electronic device that wasn’t much bigger than my thumb. She pressed a button to get it started and told me press the button again if I had a cardiac event, like heart palpitations or chest pains. Since I haven’t had a problem, I didn’t expect to need to press that button. She told me to remove the monitor after 24 hours, put it in the small box she gave me, and drop it in the mail.
There was a reason the Doctor wanted to monitor my heart. While being treated by another Doctor, he noticed a problem with my heart rhythm. It may have been due to the stress caused by the long needle he was sticking in my abdomen, but it was enough to get me an appointment with the heart Doctor. The cardiologist wasn’t too concerned about that incident but decided to run some tests to make sure. I am also scheduled for an echocardiogram and a heart stress test later this month. After all, it is important that my heart functions like it should. Heart problems are a leading cause of death and prevention is the best treatment. I wasn’t too worried when they said I needed to have my heart checked, but I treated the recommendation seriously, because it could be as the saying goes, “as serious as a heart attack.”
Maybe that is why the Bible use the heart to describe our thoughts and beliefs? It is also said to be vitally important to our spiritual wellbeing. The Bible says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov 4:23 KJV) and then goes on to give us a to-do list of actions that help you to protect your heart.
Our heart seems to be a storage for our source of thoughts that affect our actions. JESUS said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Mat 12: 34-35 KJV). We can’t hide the content of our hearts from GOD because “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12 KJV) so the Word of GOD is where we need to go to find help!
So how do we keep our heart perfect for GOD? David was called “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22 KJV) but we know he wasn’t perfect. GOD said, “A new heart also will I give you” (Eze 36:26 KJV) so that means GOD will do it, but we must have faith for “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6 KJV). Why would GOD do that for me? Because “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).
Wayne Lance (2022) – That’s Good News to Share!