You may never be the military’s Commander-in-Chief or the corporation’s Chief Executive Officer. You may never be left in charge of your employer’s passwords or the safety deposit box keys. The secret recipe that makes the restaurant where you work so famous may never be shared with you.
But get this: you have a responsibility far outweighing any of the above! You’re in charge of your heart. You can’t delegate this task – it’s yours for life! You either do a good job of it or a bad one. No one else is responsible for the condition of your heart. Guard your heart like a fortress.
Mary was very conscious of this responsibility. When the shepherds located the infant Christ and spoke of the visit from the angel, what did Mary do?
But Mary treasured up all these things in her heart, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2:19
Mary kept every little tidbit in her heart – treasuring every insight, every new development related to Jesus. The thought is that she was keeping these things in her heart due to a deliberate guarding. She would then mull them over in her mind, pondering, comparing all the pieces of information and connecting the dots.
When Jesus was twelve, Mary and Joseph got the scare of their life. They lost Jesus. After an extensive search, they found Him. He told them it was only fitting that He must be in His Father’s house attending to His affairs. And then He returned to Nazareth and was submissive to his earthly parents.
Did Mary dismiss the above incident and the words of Jesus? No! Doctor Luke records:
His mother treasured up all these things in her heart. Luke 2:51
Once again, she kept thoroughly all these events and sayings in her heart.
God has given us the capacity to keep things and store things up in our hearts. We can keep things, or we can let them go. If the matter’s of great interest to us, we’ll keep the information, but if it’s not, we’ll let it go.
Some fill their hearts with politics and can talk for hours about politics. Others treasure in their hearts the hockey scores of all the players. Why? Because they love hockey. People ask: ‘How can you possibly keep all that information inside?‘ Get this: if you love it – you’ll have no difficulty storing it.
Just think about this: some who are brain-dead and remember nothing important in the world of sports or politics – somehow have the capacity to remember every detail about the shortcomings of a Christian assembly or the faults of other believers. They would love for you to say: “Tell me more.” They can talk ad nauseam about this subject – yes, for hours. Their recall is excellent regarding the sordid, nitty-gritty details of the problem. Why’s that? Because they’re keeping it in their heart.
Others treasure in their heart sexual images they have seen online or somewhere else. In secret, they can recall them. Some treasure aspirations to be rich. They follow the stocks and are forever learning more and more about successful investment strategies.
Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 JND
Throughout this little life of mine, I must remember to blame no one else for the condition of my heart and what I have stored in it. I’m in charge. Each day I am responsible for what I store in my heart. If I’ve been hurt or wronged, I can keep that information in my heart, grow bitter and resentful, or I can choose to let it go and fill my heart instead with Christ and His Word.
Be sure to make daily deposits in the Bank of your Heart from the Word of God and from your meditations on Christ. Who’s in charge of my heart? I am. No one but me.
Don’t hesitate to share a thought from your personal experience in the comment section below.
