Proverbs 06: The Heart
Today we cover the issue of our hearts because our hearts lead us into trouble. If we fail to understand our hearts we will continue follow them and not produce a God honoring culture. The word for heart and its derivatives are used over 900 different times in the Bible. Our hearts shape us and consequently we shape culture then culture completes the circle by shaping our hearts. We have to take responsibility because we are the ones who are helping create the culture in which we live.
In Proverbs the heart is the seat of understanding (2:2), learning (2:10), memory (3:1-3), faith (3:5), obedience (4:4, 10:8), rebellion (5:12), planning (6:14,16:1), imagination (6:18), lust (6:25), will (7:25), perversity (11:20:17:20), deceit (12:20, 26:24), folly (12:23), anxiety (12:25), hope (13:12), joy (13:25, 15:30), hurt (14:10), grief (14:13), peace (14:30), wisdom (14:33, 23:15), happiness (15:13), discernment (15:14, 16:21, 18:15), cheerfulness (15:15, 17:22), contemplation (15:28), pride (16:5, 18:12, 21:4), speech (16:23), rage (19:3), motives (21:2), purity (22:11), folly (22:15), friendship (23:7), gladness (23:15), envy (23:17), violence (24:2), reasoning (24:32), sadness (25:20), evil (26:23), sins (26:25), joy (27:9), and hardness toward God (28:14)…
The scriptures teach that we are transformed by Jesus. One of the ways that happens is the renewal of our hearts and minds. The Bible (and Proverbs) says the root problem is our hearts. Proverbs will draw a line between the CONDITION of the human heart, to the LIVING of human life, to the FORMING of human culture. The heart is a poetic way of saying who we are; it is our essence, our nature. We are not just mind, body or spirit; we are our hearts. What we must do as a people is open our hearts to Jesus. When we open our hearts, the Holy Spirit comes in gives a new heart that is continually cleansed of its calloused condition. We begin to live a life of joy as our heart beats in rhythm with the heart of God who has created us for life and joy in Him.
