“Lay it to your heart…” (Deuteronomy 4:39, ESV)
Golf, like any other beloved endeavor, can be a heart thing. That is, you feel it. It’s more than a passing affection.
There are dangers in this, for sure, not the least of which are idolatry and identity.
In the first, idolatry, we put great stock in the object of our love itself, elevating it above things that must be a greater priority. Those who worship God should readily recognize this misplaced exultation, but you don’t have to be religious to be sucked in by idols. Many people have forsaken their marriages, their households, and their jobs in chasing after fleeting promises.
In the second, identity, we attach the love to our own person, hoping others will laud us for what we do in this arena. Hence, people become “golfers” and they adhere to the label with clothing and club membership and a level of play. You don’t have to be particularly accomplished at the game to make “golfer” your chosen identity. You just have to let others know how happy you are to be known this way.
That’s a lot of warning for something that can otherwise give us avenue for outdoor activity and friendly camaraderie, for disciplined skill-building and a rest from our toils. You see, golf, like so many other activities we might choose, can run in either of two directions. But as followers of Jesus, the direction we want always is the direction that points our heart toward him.
In Moses’ instructions to the people of God in Deuteronomy, the prophet-leader told them to lay something to their heart. Here it is:
“Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”
This is the full text of verse 39 and it establishes the proper order of living: God first.
But this is not meant to be only a matter of head knowledge. It is to be “laid to our hearts.” The Hebrew phrasing here is hard to pin down. The New International Version renders it “take to heart,” while the King James Version went with “consider it in thine heart.”
When we hunt down the Hebrew itself, we find a word that means “turning,” and it can point to a turning in the wrong direction (apostasy) as much as it can mean turning with repentance and restoration. What is decided is that there is something quite active about this “laying to.” It is done intentionally.
Maybe this doesn’t fit your common understanding of how the heart works. For instance, “falling in love” seems uncontrollable or inevitable. Not so here. When it comes to giving your heart to Jesus, you do so with purpose. You add will to the feeling and you wind up in a place where the condition of your heart is as it was meant to be.
—
Jeff Hopper
May 2, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.