In the early morning while still in my bed, a church friend, who was staying with us during the weekend, woke me up. With my drowsy eyes, the friend said his roommate called him several times already regarding a forceful entry to their apartment. Though I was still in my half-sleeping mode, I agreed to take him back to his apartment to check it out. On the way to his apartment, the church friend was worrying that he may lose something valuable in this incident. I told him that you couldn’t do much now except call the police and report the incident. While I was there waiting for police officers to do a thorough check around the apartment, I had a chance to chat with my friend’s neighbor next door, she stated that she was surprised to learn this occurrence since she didn’t hear anything abnormal. Besides, “This is a nice neighborhood”, she emphasized.  

This kind of incident is just one of the many occurred across the country each day. Even with a nice neighborhood like the one where my friend stays, burglary and theft seem to find its casualty without exception. My friend’s roommate told me that he lost a laptop computer during this incident. Though the computer is not brand new, he still wants to get it back earnestly because it stores valuable pictures and music that he has collected for years. I think this is certainly not an enjoyable experience, especially when considering something valuable to him is stolen.

“Something valuable” sometimes can mean different thing to different people – it could mean significant monetary value or, it has great importance or, it is something being held dearly. In the analogy of “good shepherd” in the Gospel of John, Jesus told Pharisees, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep我是好牧人，好牧人為羊捨命. (John 10:11)”. Jesus indicated how invaluable we are in His eye – He gave His life to us.  The evil one, however, is determined to prevent us from receiving this precious gift. He tries very hard in every possible means to “steal” the most valuable thing – our heart – from us by using his treacherous tools: fame, position, wealth and others. No wonder Jesus said, “All who have come before me are thieves and robbers. 凡在我以先來的，都是賊，是強盜 (John 10:8a)”  In contrast to “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy盜賊來，無非要偷竊，殺害，毀壞”, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 我來了，是要叫羊﹝或作人﹞得生命，並且得的更豐盛”

So, what is the most valuable thing to us?  The author of the Proverbs taught us that “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it你要保守你心，勝過保守一切‧﹝或作你要切切保守你心﹞因為一生的果效，是由心發出” Apparently, it is our heart that is most valuable to us. The author also told us that a prideful heart would result in destruction, while a God-fearing heart would keep us from walking down the sinful path. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, guard your heart from anything that could tempt you away from God. Let us “Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength.”