“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26

In this section of Proverbs, Solomon is warning his son against the temptation to indulge the flesh. He advises the young man to keep his eyes to wisdom’s path because, as the following verses clearly state, there will be attractive distractions designed to lure him off that path. However, prior to this advice is the simple request, “my son, give me your heart.”

It does no harm to the text to attribute this proverb to ourselves as if the Lord is making the same request of us. In the Bible, God requires, commands and instructs us to do many things but rarely does he ask us to give him anything. However, this request makes perfect sense because whatever has your heart controls you. Knowing the dangerous allurements along the way, the Lord wants your heart so that he, and not your flesh, is in control.

Giving your heart to the Lord is the only way to overcome the power of the flesh. Our hearts are naturally disposed toward sin. The Bible says the “heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9) And on our own, we are powerless to change our hearts. “Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23)

Christianity is a religion of the heart, and faith is lived from the inside out. In the Bible, the heart refers to one’s true self, one’s personal character, and their inner moral compass. Giving your heart to the Lord means he is your greatest treasure and your deepest desire. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) A supreme love for Him will shape your character and guide you safely through life. It was Augustine who said, “the essence of sin is disordered love.” He went on to say that all our miseries and disappointments result from loving things more than we love God.

Christianity is a religion of the heart, and faith is lived from the inside out.

The Apostle Paul commended the Christians of Macedonia who, in spite of trial and poverty, generously gave of their resources to help others in need. The key to this grace was that “their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.” (2 Corinthians 8:5) Giving your heart to God means you are no longer your own but his to do with you as he pleases--and whatever that might be is always good, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

At Christmas, we celebrate God’s great gift in sending Jesus to be our Savior. If God has a Christmas wish, it’s that you would give him your heart. In light of his “unspeakable gift” (see 2 Corinthians 9:15), let us offer him our hearts daily. Begin every day by wrapping your heart in love for him who first loved you. By loving him above all else can we “observe his ways” and escape the allurements that would lead us astray.