“KEEP YOUR HEART WITH ALL VIGILANCE”
Jonathan Winn
The engine light. Its presence, when lit up on the dashboard of my car, almost instantly causes my stomach to churn and my blood pressure to rise. When that light goes on nine times out of ten it’s a problem, and that problem means time, money, and hassle. I want so badly to ignore it, to pretend it will just go away on its own, but it’s only a matter of time before my wife or children see it and ask, “What are you going to do about it?”
Keeping our vehicles in good shape is a necessity. They are expensive, and they are necessary in our busy lives that require us to travel several miles every day. A broken-down vehicle places us in an interesting dilemma- we may not be able to afford to fix it, but we also can’t afford to live without it!
Proper maintenance of a vehicle requires discernment in recognizing the signs of an internal problem. Generally speaking, there are three ways we know there’s a problem. First, we might see the problem, as in noticing the engine or other dashboard warning light come on. We might see smoke coming from the hood, or a flat tire. Second, we might hear something. It might be a rattling noise when driving, or a squeal when starting the engine. Third, we might feel something. We start feeling more bumps or shaking while driving and wonder about the suspension or shocks.
Being vigilant about the condition of our vehicle is important, but how much more infinitely important is vigilance over the condition of our souls? If the stakes are high for ignoring the warning signs of a problem with a vehicle which will inevitably be replaced, how much infinitely higher are the stakes for ignoring the warning signs of a problem with our souls?
This brings us to the relevance of our theme at Oak Grove for the 22-23 school year: “Keep your Heart with all Vigilance.” This theme comes from Proverbs 4:23, and the full verse provides further clarity: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” The word “heart” here translated from the original Hebrew word לֵב (pronounced like “lave”) refers to the inner man, the soul, the seat of appetites, emotions, passions, the will, the character. Clearly, it is the source, the fountainhead, from which everything about who we are and what we do, flows.
The Lord Jesus Christ expands on this insight when speaking to his audience about discerning who is a true servant of God:
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:33-34, ESV)
Jesus uses the metaphor of the produce from a fruit tree to explain how to recognize the condition of the heart. Like a tree, you can discern the condition and health of a heart by the quality of what it produces.
Circling back to the vehicle metaphor, I believe that in Jesus’ teachings and throughout Scripture we are given clues for discerning the heart (the condition of our souls) from what we see (our actions), what we hear (our words), and what we feel (our emotions).
For the next three articles, we will take some time to carefully consider each of these clues. Certainly, we cannot afford to ignore these indicators for the condition of our hearts. There’s much more at stake than a broken car- there’s an eternal soul.
“WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO "FEAR THE LORD?"”
Jonathan Winn
“Who is God?” “What is God like?” Have you ever been asked this question by your child? How about a friend or acquaintance? How would you answer it? Consider, this is probably the most loaded question anyone could ever ask! Indeed, how you answer this question reveals the foundation for how you would answer (and see) everything else. Pastor and theologian AW Tozer put it this way: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ... the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.”
People will answer the question, “Who is God?” in a variety of ways. For example, some envision God as a vindictive judge, while others see Him as a jolly grandpa or Santa Claus figure. Sadly, many who perceive God in this way are merely grasping at straws, basing their definitions on their subjective ideas, experiences, or the opinions of others. How dangerous it is to be fickle or uncertain in answering this most important question of life! To answer such weighty questions, we must not begin with subjective opinions, but with the most objective and authoritative source possible. In this case, it would be God’s revelation of Himself- in the Bible.
Now, as we ponder our theme: “The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom” we are led to another important question about God- “What does it mean to ‘fear the Lord’?” As with defining who God is, before one just starts asking for opinions on this, we must start with the most authoritative source, the Bible. Therefore, is this concept “the fear of the Lord” defined, or illustrated, in the Bible? Let’s see.
The exact phrase “the fear of the Lord” comes up dozens of times in the Bible, but the concept of fearing God hundreds of times. For the sake of clarity, we will look primarily at where the specific wording can be found and see if we can derive a definition grounded in Scripture.
Hatred of Evil
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” This is a straightforward definition. The person who fears the Lord despises what God despises- evil, pride, arrogance, perverted speech, etc. If you tolerate or handle sin casually, you don’t fear the Lord.
Humility and Softness of Heart
Proverbs 28:14: “Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” Proverbs 22:4 “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” Again, this is very clear and straightforward- the one who fears the Lord has a high view of God and a lower, subservient view of self. Fearing God is contrasted with having a hardened or proud heart. It should be noted that Biblical humility doesn’t mean a debased, inferior view of self in comparison to others, but in comparison to God. We will revisit this critical virtue of humility in a later post.
Expressed by Obedience
Deuteronomy 10:12-13: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” Psalm 112:1: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” One who fears the Lord demonstrates reverence for His word and thus His commands. This person holds God’s words and instructions in high esteem, and their life reflects it in obedient action.
Expressed in Love and Enjoyment of God
Nehemiah 1:11: “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear Your name.” 1 John 4:18: “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because He first loved us.” Those who know the Lord realize that He is good and full of lovingkindness. The practice of reverencing Him leads to delight, for one then beholds the goodness and love of God.
Having said all of this, one may still ask, “Why use the word, ‘fear’? Why not say the ‘love’ of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom?” Many have contemplated this, and I would venture to say that the ‘fear,’ not ‘love,’ of God is the necessary starting point for grasping more completely who He is. To understand the enormity of God’s love and goodness, we first need to see those qualities in light of His holiness, and our sin. Paul put it this way in Romans 5:8: “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s love is most manifested, and thus celebrated, in light of His sacrifice for undeserving sinners.
In conclusion and to further illustrate this point, I invite you to contemplate this helpful illustration from Pastor John Piper:
“I picture myself climbing in the mountains, say the Himalayas. And I’m on these massive rock faces, and I see a storm coming. It is going to be a massive storm, and I feel unbelievably vulnerable on these mountain precipices. And so, I am desperately looking for a little covert in the rock where I won’t be blown off the side of the cliff to destruction. And I find a hole in the side of the mountain, and I spin quickly, and suddenly the holiness, and justice, and power, and wrath, and judgment of God breaks over me like a hurricane, but I know I am totally safe, which means all that horrible danger is transposed into the music of majesty, and I can enjoy it rather than fearing it. And I think that is what the cross is. Jesus died for us to provide a place where we could enjoy the majesty of God with a kind of fear and trembling and reverence and awe, but not a cowering fear.”
In summary, the ‘fear of the Lord’ is cultivated in one’s life to the degree that they behold the awesome splendor of God’s holiness and power, followed by the magnitude of His love and grace, revealed most clearly in the saving work of Jesus Christ.
In the next article, we will see how this understanding of God lays the foundation for all learning and wisdom.
Archived Posts
BE CAREFUL HOW YOU BUILD: THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
June 05, 2023
BE CAREFUL HOW YOU BUILD: THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
Jonathan Winn
SEP 04, 2020
Some of us are dreamers, some of us are planners; others find themselves perhaps somewhere in the middle. The dreamers love to talk about the future- where they will go, what they will do, who they will see, etc. The planners will say, “That’s great, so how can we make that happen? What are the steps to bring this to reality?”
In the last article, I introduced our theme for the 2020-21 school year: “Be Careful How You Build.” As mentioned previously, all of us are in the midst of building or developing something, or someone, whether we are fully aware and intentional about it or not. Additionally, I shared that every building or development project of significance or substance includes several components for success. Last time we talked about the importance of vision. Now, we will look more closely into the next phase: Thoughtful Planning.
Thoughtful Planning
In Scripture, King David had a vision of building a great temple of worship to God Most High. This was a vision that God placed in him and also came from a heart overflowing with passion and zeal for God to be exalted in the hearts and minds of all the peoples on earth. David did not stop with just the dream or vision though, he then took care to record the detailed steps and plans, which the Holy Spirit had also given him, and share them with his son, Solomon, who would bring the vision to reality (cf. 1 Chronicles 28:11-19).
The vision for our Oak Grove students and community is a beautiful and noble one: “Learn for Life, Live for Christ.” However, without an intentional, thoughtful, and well laid out plan, these are just words. So then, how do we make this vision a reality? What is the plan for carrying this out?
An overview of the plan is captured in our Mission statement: “We strive to partner with parents in providing a Christ-centered, classical education utilizing a University Model. We seek to inspire our students to love learning, to face life’s challenges with courage and character, and to apply God’s truth in their spheres of influence.”
For the remainder of this article, I want to focus on just one phrase in the statement: “Christ-centered.”
Delivering an education and raising a family that is “Christ-centered” is a no small charge, and I want to make an immediate disclaimer that entire volumes have been written on the subject!
Let me share 3 simple analogies that I find helpful in thinking of developing or building a school and home that are Christ-centered. First, a target. This is a goal-orientation approach. The goal is similar to what Paul writes in Romans 11:36: “For from Him {Christ] and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” The purpose and goal in all we do and plan is that God is glorified, exalted, worshipped, esteemed. Regardless of one’s performance, reputation, experiences, suffering- if God gets the glory, then we have fulfilled our purpose.
The second metaphor is that of our solar system. This is a priority-oriented approach. All of the planets in our solar system are in orbit, and in order around the sun in the center. The sun is the fixed reference point, as well as the primary source of light and energy for the planets in the solar system. If the sun were to be removed, the planets would lose their harmony, balance, and life would cease to exist. In the same way, Paul writes to the Colossians: “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17). All that we have, and all that we are, and all that we strive to be is contingent upon Christ. Our very life, and breath, and everything else. We must train ourselves and our children, by example, that it is only when we place Christ as first importance in our lives, followed directly by our love and care for people in relationship, then everything else falls into its proper place. When we place personal ambition, possessions, power or comfort above God and relationships, our lives will begin to unravel.
Finally, a Christ-centered school and home is built like the process of putting together a great puzzle. This is an integrated approach. We recognize that each and every piece has individual significance, but only in relation to the whole. Every piece of knowledge, every concept, word, formula, algorithm, premise, historical moment, color, shape, sound, smell, emotion etc. finds its significance ultimately in what it relates and points back to. When putting a puzzle together, one must keep in mind the big picture in order to understand how each smaller picture fits. Like solving a puzzle, Paul writes about how Christ is the one who brings the mysteries of life to light. Like us educators and parents, he struggled “so that that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-4).
My prayer for our school is that we will continue, in God’s strength, to partner with one another to be a people who are Christ-centered in each of these ways so that we may have life, life to the full (John 10:10).