Joel M Bradshaw

23Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
24Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
25Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
26Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
27Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.–Proverbs 4

1. The Old Testament “heart” is the inside person.
2. In this proverb, you are paying attention to wise instruction from the Bible.
3. As your inside is influenced by God, that heart flows to your outside words, deeds, and attitudes.
4. The way of the world is to reverse this, to allow things outside of a person to influence their heart.
5. Now ponder your steps and where you set your gaze.
6. If you are intentional about your thoughts honoring God then they will direct your desires and motivations to stay ahead of you.
7. This means that you are satisfied where God is leading you and don’t desire to wander away.
8. When God expects you to follow him in a straight line, then a step off that path in either direction is selfish and wrong.
9. We guard or keep our insides with vigilance because doing so influences our outsides. The thoughts influence the feelings and motivations. They then affect our speech, actions, and attitudes.
10. I always have work to do regarding vigilance and my heart. How about you?–JMB