August 11, 2016

Taking care of our heart is an obvious priority. Our life and vitality depends on a strong heart. It needs care on the inside, which involves diet and exercise, as well as protection on the outside.

The Bible talks about another heart within each of us. We do not see it, but we know it is there. Sometimes called our “innermost being” or the “core of who we are,” this heart determines far more than our physical heart does. In fact, our eternal destiny – either with Creator God or away from Him – is determined by the condition of this heart.

Humans, like animals, have body and breath, but they have an additional aspect that is unique to them – they are eternal beings. We could say that when the human body ceases to function, the eternal “heart” continues to beat. This eternal feature connects with the Spirit of God when we believe that Jesus is God and trust Him as our Savior. His bond with our spirit is permanent and guarantees that we will be with Him forever – in this body and then away from it.

The care of our eternal heart is even more important than the care of our physical heart. This caused the writer of Proverbs 4:23 to declare: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Just as our physical heart needs continual care and protection, our eternal heart must be nourished with truth and guarded from sin.

Creator God has allowed the medical world to develop amazing procedures to mend hurting hearts, giving individuals added years of life. Usually, this is coupled with directions for special diets and a healthy lifestyle. This is all considered common sense for care of the heart.

I hope that followers of Jesus – that includes me – will put appropriate emphasis on the care of our eternal heart, for out of it will come our thoughts, emotions, ambitions and actions every minute of every day. We need to focus on the right diet, exercise and protection of our eternal heart.

Pastor Bill Ehmann