Become like Christ by guarding our heart

Our mission is to become like Christ, that’s the goal of every Christian. In this episode we look at how guarding our heart makes us more like Jesus.

In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said to his first disciples to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that He had commanded them.

Observe is from the Greek word tēréō which means to maintain (preserve); spiritually guard (watch) or keep intact.

How does Jesus teach us to keep His commandments?

Proverbs 4:23 Keep (guard) your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

There are 3 things we can do to guard our hearts and keep His commandments:

1) Look at our roots

Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV

[6] As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, [7] rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

What we choose to hear and choose to believe will affect our heart.

Colossians 2:8-10 NKJV

[8] Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. [9] For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; [10] and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Are we hearing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ or are we hearing and following traditions of men?

2) Admit we need help

We have talked about our hearts being like a garden. No one was born knowing how to take care of a garden, we all needed help to learn how.

How much more do we need help to take care of our hearts?

What are we doing with the state of our heart? To let our roots truly go down deep into Him and continue in the faith as we were taught, we need to let Him be the gardener.

3) Let Jesus love our whole heart

Proverbs 4:23 says to keep our heart with all diligence, but it doesn’t mean to keep it from Him. It means keep it from the hidden things, keep it from those who shouldn’t have it, who can’t be trusted. You know those people are by the fruits of their garden.

God can be trusted by His fruits. By the fact that He loved us all so much that whilst we were still afar off, whilst we were at our worst, He sent His best, His one and only Son to die in our place.

God summed all His commandments up by telling us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves. To do this we need to know just how much He loved all our heart first.

1 John 4:19 says that we love Him because He first loved us.

Have you let Him love your whole heart?

Response 

• How can you be more planted in faith?

• Where do you need to humble yourself and admit your need for help?

• Have you let Jesus love your whole heart?