“Above all else…” we’ve been given lots of guidance in the Bible, even commandments - and all for our benefit. We’re told that the greatest commandment is to Love God with all our heart soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself. But this verse from Proverbs is saying that we’re to be guarding our heart against other people and the devil even while we’re loving our neighbor as ourself. This means that you treat them with care, grace and dignity, but if they aren’t safe to be vulnerable with, you can close the gate to your heart. Love them, but with boundaries that protect your heart. @dr.john_townsend and @drhenrycloudofficial defined “heart@ in the best way ever,
“Your heart is the core of who you are, your insides, literally the “inner person.” The word refers to all of the contents that reside in your brain. That includes your values, thoughts, opinions, feelings and decisions. If you have ever experienced “losing heart”, when you become discouraged or demotivated, it is often because you either allowed someone to take your time or energy, or because you allowed someone inside your heart who had no business being there, and the result was that there was hurt and damage.”
So we aren’t being mean or unloving when we protect our hearts in this way - we need to keep them safe and able to love and serve fully, the way God intends us to do. Living the Christian life is not being a doormat or a codependent. #truth #boundaries #guardyourheart #BEthechurch #trustinthelordwithallyourheart #yourjourneytobeingwhole #shalom #dailydevotional