We’re going to do something special today, especially with the young people. If you’ll turn over to the back of the handout, you’ll see our topic: the heart.

Since my name is Hartman, I often sign letters to our grandkids with a little drawing of a heart and a stick man beside it—the “Hartsman grandparents.” So naturally, when I saw this topic, I had an invested interest. Tonight we’re looking at what Proverbs says about the heart.

A Lifetime Student

When our kids were in school, we told them often: “Be the very best student you can be—because we want you to be a lifetime Bible student.” Think about that: the habits you form in school will carry into how you study God’s Word for life.

I keep a note taped by my shaving mirror: “A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” Without a plan, a dream remains only a wish. The same is true for our spiritual growth.

The Heart in Scripture

Notice how often Proverbs and other passages speak about the heart:

• Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

• Proverbs 16:9 – “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

• 1 Chronicles 28:9 – “Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.”

God knows us that intimately. Even before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely. People may not see what we think, but God does. The Lord searches the heart.

That truth changes everything.

The Greatest Commandment

Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He replied:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

I often remind parents: if we don’t win our children’s hearts, we don’t have to worry about the rest. The heart comes first.

Every day, I pause to remind myself: “Today, I want to give God my heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

God’s Covenant Written on Our Hearts

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:2–3:

“You yourselves are our letter… written not with ink, nor on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.”

The Old Covenant was written on stone. The New Covenant is written on our hearts when we are raised to walk in newness of life through baptism. That’s why guarding the heart is essential.

Solomon: Wisdom Written but Not Lived

Here’s where the lesson becomes sobering. Solomon wrote incredible words of wisdom, yet his life did not match them.

• God gave Solomon a special name: Jedidiah—“beloved of the Lord.”

• God appeared to him twice—something rare in all of Scripture.

• He built the temple, a dwelling place for God on earth.

But later in life, his heart was led astray by foreign wives and idols. 1 Kings 11:4 says:

“When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

What might have been, if only he had remained faithful?

Erosion, not explosion, often leads to unfaithfulness—small compromises, one after another, until a heart drifts.

Guard Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23 tells us:

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Satan usually works through slow erosion. That’s why God warns: don’t multiply wealth, horses, or wives (Deut. 17). Solomon ignored these, and the results were tragic.

Guarding our physical heart sustains our breath. Guarding our spiritual heart sustains eternal life.

A Challenge for Us

A teacher once said: less than 30% of leaders in the Bible finished well. Think about that. Some were cut off short, some finished poorly, some ended lukewarm. Only a few finished strong.

Can I challenge each of us? Let’s be among the 30%. Let’s resolve to finish faithful.

When our kids left for school, Sheila often told them two things:

1. “Let your light shine.”

2. “Let’s be one of the ten.”

Remember Abraham bargaining for Sodom—if only ten righteous could be found. In today’s world, God still calls us to be that faithful remnant.

Applications for Every Age

• Children and Youth: Promise to give your heart to God. Love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength.

• Teens: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart. Commit to Him, and let that commitment guide your choices.

• Young Adults: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Keep your hearts pure and your relationships godly.

• Older Adults: Guard your heart with all diligence. Don’t let erosion or compromise turn you away late in life.

Trust

I’ll leave you with this. A counselor once told me: when you feel anxious, pause, take a deep breath, and simply say the word “Trust.”

You can’t trust and worry at the same time. So remind yourself: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

That is the essence of this lesson. The condition of your spiritual heart will determine your eternity.

Final Thought

When this physical heart stops, we stop breathing.
But your spiritual heart lives on forever.

So—guard it. Keep it. Trust the Lord with it.