It is amazing how the Lord has simplified our task for us. Everything that we do, everything that we say, it all comes from within. There is no secret knowledge or special skills that we need. Jesus tells us that all evil actions, all sinful behaviors come from within us (Matt. 15:18-19). The inverse of that is true as well. Whatever righteousness acts we perform also comes from the heart. This is what he means by the “springs of life” flowing from the heart.

The simplicity of it is that each of us have the ability to guard our heart. It does not matter whether or not you are rich or poor. Your ability, or lack thereof, to perform amazing athletic feats or to be a great fighter has no impact. The level of intelligence a person has is not important. How attractive we are has no effect. It does not even matter whether or not you are known by millions or by a few. The only thing that counts is your heart. Each and every one of us has one of those, and so each and every one of us can accomplish what God desires for us.

That is why it requires “all diligence”. It is the most important factor. People may put all diligence into all sorts of pursuits, but they don’t bring us closer to God. We must constantly be watching and evaluating our heart. Is it a righteous heart, a holy heart? Or have we allowed the seeds of sinfulness creep in? One of the best ways to test this is to start paying attention to our words and actions. If we notice that those things do not line up with God’s will, we should first check our heart. After all, that is where everything starts. Our actions are just a reflection of our heart. And once we notice sin in our heart, we must take every effort to root it out.