Book Review: Guarding Your Heart

A.W. Pink's Guarding Your Heart is based on Proverbs 4:23:  "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life".  This book is devoted to explaining this verse in detail and providing useful application for everyday life.  As Pink rightly states, "All outward actions are worthless while our hearts be not right with God". Throughout this book, he builds on this truth and seeks to show believers both the importance of having a heart right with God and the diligence it takes on our part to make that happen.  He does not forsake the work of the Holy Spirit in this endeavor, but the focus of this book is on the directive given in Proverbs 4:23.

 

Pink devotes his first chapter to the phrase "keep thy heart".  He offers both definitions and examples before transitioning to the next chapter, "diligent effort".  Here he emphasizes both man's responsibility to keep his heart and his helplessness in and of himself to do so.  My favorite quote in this short book is the prayer that follows:  "Lord, Thou requirest me to keep my heart with all diligence, and I feel utterly incompetent for such a task; such a work lies altogether beyond my poor feeble powers; therefore, I humbly ask Thee in the name of Christ to graciously grant unto me supernatural strength to do as Thou hast bidden me.  Lord, work in me both to will and to do of Thy good pleasure."  

Pink's third chapter focuses on the fact that the Lord looks on the heart.  He exhorts believers to remember this truth when deciding how to spend their time, money, and care.  This chapter concludes with a list of the heart-characteristics Christian ought to have, including Scripture references for further study.

The fourth and fifth chapters focus on practical applications.  Chapter four discusses keeping the heart during different seasons, including prosperity, adversity, public danger, trouble in the church, injuries and abuses, spiritual gloom, and critical illness.  Chapter five addresses "other issues".  Both of these chapters are again full of Scripture and prod the reader to examine his own heart.

In his final chapter, Pink discusses the benefits of keeping the heart.  He offers a conclusion of encouragement to those who faithfully and closely perform this hard work of keeping their heart.  

I chose this book by A.W. Pink for two different reasons.  First, the topic.  Proverbs 4:23 is a verse that confused me during adolescence and young adulthood.  I would hear peers quote "guard your heart" in reference to relationships with the opposite sex.  "Don't give your heart away too soon or to the wrong guy" was what they meant.  While this is wise counsel, I was convinced the verse meant much more than that.  

The second reason I chose this book was because my favorite Bible study author mentioned that A.W. Pink is her favorite theologian. A.W. Pink is new to me, but I can see why my author thinks so highly of him. His writing is easy to follow, but deep with personal application.  This book may only take about an hour to read, but the practical implications need to be mulled over and digested for days, weeks, and months to come.

I look forward to reading more by Pink and intend on coming back to this book for further study in the future.

Rachel's Rating:

★★★★★

Book Review: Final Word

The Bible is under attack.  This truth is the title of the opening chapter of John MacArthur's Final Word: Why We Need the Bible.  Throughout this book, MacArthur unpacks the nuances his title implies. 

He begins by showing how Satan's primary tool is deception.  Since his first appearance in Scripture, Satan has twisted God's word and implied that it should be "questioned, evaluated, and judged".  MacArthur gives examples of modern critics of God's Word, showing how His Word is still under attack today. 

To combat these attacks, believers must be grounded in fundamental doctrine.  MacArthur spends two chapters teaching of the Bible's truth and authority.  The Bible is rational truth, containing actual history about real people.  Believers are meant to understand Scripture through carefully reasoned study.  The Bible is also authoritative, eliminating any need to seek subjective interpretation of Scripture. 

MacArthur uses the book of 1 John to explain spiritual growth and how one matures in Christ.  He teaches how believers progress from cognition of God's Word, to conviction, then to affection.  MacArthur clearly portrays the Bible as the catalyst of spiritual growth.  It is only through careful study of God's Word and the working of the Holy Spirit that this growth is achieved.

MacArthur further explains how the Bible is central to faithful ministry.  He uses Scripture to explain how the job of a pastor is to protect the truth of Scripture, warn people of error, and to teach faithfully.  Finally, he teaches how believers can rekindle a love for God's Word.

MacArthur's words are true and pertinent to Christians today.  MacArthur emphasizes that there are no short-cuts in learning God's Word.  He warns against any who might teach otherwise.  This sufficiency of Scripture is the focus of MacArthur's book, and it is a truth that is fundamental for the growth of all Christians.  As MacArthur writes, "If we want to experience the supernatural work of God in our lives, we must understand that the Holy Spirit makes it happen only through His Word.  There is no other means He has ordained, no momentary emotional or existential experience that can catapult us to some higher level of spiritual maturity.  We cannot set aside our Bibles and expect His sanctifying work to continue uninterrupted.  God saved us through the power of His Word, and its work is not finished.  We need to increase our hunger for His truth, knowing that it is the sole source of our spiritual lives and the only means through which the Spirit conforms us into the image of His Son."

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★

What We Say Matters

I grew up with the erroneous idea that what I said was not important.  I could tease my friends, make fun of other people, berate myself, and this was okay.  After all, I was just Rachel.  Nobody really took anything I said seriously.  I did not have the power to hurt anyone.

How I got to this point is rather a mystery to me, and perhaps one day I will explore that further and try to understand.  The point is, I truly believed that.  This was not a false modesty or an excuse to avoid consequences of my actions.  I honestly believed that what I said did not matter.  Obviously, I was completely wrong, and I had to be shown and told that numerous times before I actually believed it.

Rachel, age 18

I remember one Christmas, we were in the living room as a family, and I was teasing my mom about something.  Now, anyone who knows my mom knows her strength.  Her name means "whole", "entire", or "complete one", and it is absolutely fitting for her character.  She put up with a lot from me as a teenager, and I never thought she was hurt by any of it.  But this day, I was teasing her mercilessly about something.  She looked at me and said in complete frustration, "WHY are you so mean to me?"  I was shocked.  I headed to my room in tears, ashamed and embarrassed.  I had hurt my mom?  How did that happen?  My mother, my rock, the complete one, was hurt by something I had said?  It didn't make sense to me.

I think I remember that scene so vividly, because it was the beginning of a change in thinking for me.  If I could hurt my mom by what I said, maybe my words were important after all.  Maybe the exhortation to, "let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29) applied to me after all.

It seems the sins we struggle with in childhood are often the sins we struggle with in adulthood.  Even after all these years, I sometimes still find myself thinking that it doesn't really matter what I say.  I'm just Rachel.  Nobody really takes me seriously.  But oh, that could not be further from the truth.  I have seen countless times the results of letting my guard down and speaking unwisely and uncaringly to friends.  The words I say have the potential to do such damage.  As the book of James so poetically states, "...the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.  How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.... It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

May the God who made us out of dust, who grants us salvation, who sustains us, also grant us wisdom to watch our words.  May He help us see that what we say matters.  And may He help us speak lovingly, kindly, and humbly to those around us.