A young husband was talking with his crusty old workmate during their work break. The subject of smoke alarms was brought up and questions of best exit strategies were put forth. The old man said, “If that alarm goes off, you’ll wake with a start, reach over to shake your wife, but she’ll be gone.” Somewhat puzzled, the young man asked, “Where will she be?” The old man laughed and said, “She’ll already be on the sidewalk with the kids and all the photo albums.” With an incredulous look, the young man asked, “Are you serious?” The old man looked grimly at him and said, “Well, maybe not ‘all’ the photo albums.”
That rather silly (but true) story illustrates a point: People act according to their priorities. That which the heart deems most important is put above all else in life.
Godly wisdom calls us to constantly test that which we value most—those priorities.
At baptism, the centre of the Christian’s being becomes Jesus. Having been worldly, we begin striving to be transformed into the image of Jesus; to reflect His glory.
Now, being filled with the goodness and grace of Christ, our hearts begin to overflow with goodness and grace. That which fills our hearts fills our lives.
But remember, the devil is ever ready with his own heart-support team. He offers his own personal brand of goodness and grace—at lower cost and easier to maintain. It is no secret; counterfeit is his specialty.
Given the ever-present risk of discovering that the devil has taken charge of setting our spiritual priorities, we would be wise to heed these vital words:
“Above all else, guard your heart,for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23)John Staiger
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