Daily Devotion Thursday Thoughts | January 8, 2026
It’s Thursday, and time for your daily devotion. Solomon is resolute when it comes to the heart. He knows that unless your heart is fully engaged, you won’t give it your all. In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon says your heart is your responsibility: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” In your daily devotion, determine to guard your heart diligently.
Keep Thy Heart
There are many things in life that you keep, such as your belongings and goods. But the implication here is that your heart is of greatest importance. Your heart is your spirit with which God guides you. Proverbs 20:27 says that the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. And Romans 8:27 confirms God leads you by your spirit. Therefore, keeping your heart is of utmost importance.
The Living Bible translates keeping your heart as “guarding your affections.” A popular song by prolific songwriter Richard Smallwood is entitled, “Jesus, You’re the Center of My Joy.” It captures where your heart should be. In today’s daily devotion, know that when Jesus is the center of your affection and joy, your desire for other things takes a back seat.
With All Diligence
You can tell how important something is by how well it’s guarded. In the Parable of the Lost Coin, a woman has ten silver coins, loses one, and sweeps the house thoroughly until she finds it. Afterwards, she celebrates with her friends and neighbors.
You’ve probably experienced the joy of finding something valuable that was lost. You may have vowed never to lose it again. Your heart is so essential to your spirituality and relationship with God that you should protect it diligently. That means staying off the evil path or avoiding things that you know are wrong. In this daily devotion, say this with conviction: “I will keep my heart diligently for it guides every detail of my existence.”
For Out of It
Your heart isn’t just for inflow; it’s for outflow as well. You speak from the abundance of your heart, so when your heart is filled with good things, that’s what flows out. If a heart is filled with evil, those things come out. How can you ensure that your heart is filled with good things?
In Joshua 1:8, God instructed Joshua on what a heart for God or success in life looks like: speak God’s word, meditate on it, and walk in obedience to it. Rejoice in your daily devotion that when you keep God’s word in your heart, it flows out with an abundance of life and peace.
Issues of Life
The issues of life have been interpreted as the “secret of life and health.” How you guard your heart determines if God’s life-sustaining power flows from it. Your thoughts ultimately control your attitude and behavior. Therefore, the mind has to be renewed to the things of God.
Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As God told Joshua, you must take steps to meditate on God’s word and keep it before you. In today’s daily devotion, proclaim that with a renewed mind, you’ll know what’s acceptable and pleasing to God.
Always Be Diligent
In Thursday’s daily devotion, recognize that diligence shows you value the things of God and pursue them. Knowing it’s your responsibility to keep your heart makes you even more persistent. As the songwriter implies, making Jesus the center of your joy is placing your affections in the right place so that the outflow of your heart is God’s life-giving power.
