Lessons in a Lesson- Guard your heart #1
Journal post- 11.24.2020
Last week, I sat for hours studying Proverbs 23. I read commentary notes, the different author perspectives, and even made my own observations. The text was clear, be careful who you receive from and don't consider ”what someone does for you,” but instead observe the heart and ”why they are doing it.”
When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you;
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies,
For they are deceptive food.
6 Do not eat the bread of a[b] miser,
Nor desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.
8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up,
And waste your pleasant words. Proverbs 23:1-3; 6-8 NLT
It's so easy to believe people's intentions are good when they are giving, but the Bible says to be careful. Noting that a person may say here, eat and drink, but their heart is not with you. Not only are they counting what they give you, but also, they will throw it back in your face causing you to want to vomit, meaning give back all that they gave.
I had no idea; this would turn right around and confront me. You see, I always believe the best about everyone. I forgive and forgive, and though I set boundaries in my heart, sometimes I let them down and began to confuse what someone is doing with that person's character. The Bible is clear when it says to guard your heart above all else (Proverbs 4:23)
It's never easy healing after you are unexpectedly offended, but sometimes we open ourselves up for deception. God has to change an individual heart. Good deeds do not equal a good heart. It matters not how many times that person comes through for you; if they are coming through for their own selfish reasons, that plan will always backfire on you. I am learning daily to trust God at His word and stop putting myself in situations that I will later regret. I encourage you to do the same.
Though I have prayed, forgiven the person, and even asked God to forgive me for anything I could have done differently. Still, this principle should have led my decision upon accepting what seemed like a genuine deed ”consider diligently what's before you. I will not dwell on regret; instead, I will continue to pray for a pure heart that is forgiving and trust God with everything else.
