What a wonderful picture of the kind of life I think we all want. We want things to get better, both for ourselves and for others. The picture of an ever-brightening sunlit day is a powerful image. Don’t you just love walking outside, early in the morning as the sun is cutting through the crisp chill in the air! I love just breathing in that sunshine.
Imagine a life that radiates this type of warmth and light. That is the path of the righteous. By contrast, those who choose to disobey the LORD’s will are like a toxic cloud moving into a city, settling into every corner. Evil does not contain itself. Just like someone walking in an unknown place in pitch dark, so the person who chooses evil deeds has no idea what lays ahead.
The obedient person, the person who is seeking God’s wisdom, walks in full daylight, easily spotting stumbling blocks along the path. It is easy for someone accustomed to doing right to continue to do right, even when evil choices present themselves.
I love verse 23 in the middle of another father-son passage. The writer tells his son to guard his heart. We must be careful what we allow into our inner being. The things we expose ourselves to become part of who we are. Just as the food we eat affects our physical health, so the images, messages, commercials, websites, video games, fantasies, fiction, conversations with coworkers, facebook friends, and a million other inputs can affect our spiritual health.
Let me give you just one example. Too much time playing fantasy role games can create a false expectation about real life. In the game we get to control so much. We can exit when we want, and change the direction of the game in an instant. In real life we don’t have this much control. Many others keep you engaged in the real world, often against your will. When the bill collector calls in the real world you can’t just fold up real life and go on to something else. Real life has many more sharp edges.
As verse 23 says, if we guard our hearts, then what comes out will more closely reflect what we believe and what we desire. Actions start in the heart. This is an inside-out view of personal action and accountability. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Watch what you let in your heart today. Guard it!
The Arnold Journey 