Someone ask me today why would God tell people not to trust your heart?

After explaining it to them I started to realize there might be others who have the same question?

The human heart, while capable of great love and compassion, can also be ‘treacherous and desperate.’ (Jeremiah 17:9) This sad reality is reflected in the world’s changing moral landscape—a trend the Bible foretold. “In the last days,” it said long ago, “people will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited,” as well as “unkind [and] violent.” Also, “they will hate the good” and “love pleasure rather than God.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5, Good News Translation.

Those realities should move us to question our own heart, not blindly trust it! Indeed, the Bible frankly states: “He that is trusting in his own heart is stupid.” (Proverbs 28:26) Like a compass, our heart needs to be calibrated with sound values if it is to serve us well. Where can we find such values? Many look to the Bible itself, appreciating both its wisdom and its candor.

VALUES WE CAN TRUST!

Bible values give evidence that they were tailor-made for humankind. Consider just a few examples—the qualities of love, kindness, generosity, and honesty.

Love for others.

“If you have learned to love, then happiness will surely knock on your door,” says the book Engineering Happiness—A New Approach for Building a Joyful Life. Clearly, as humans, we need love. Without it, we cannot be truly happy.

What the Bible says: “Clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.” (Colossians 3:14) The same Bible writer also said: “If I . . . do not have love, I am nothing.”—1 Corinthians 13:2.

That love is neither sexual nor purely sentimental; it is governed by principle. It is the kind of love that moves us to help a stranger in difficulty, with no thought of a reward. At 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, we read: “Love is long-suffering and kind. [It] is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, . . . endures all things.”

“WALK IN THE WAY OF GOOD PEOPLE”

The moral values found in the Bible reflect our Creator’s deep love for us, for those values enable us to “walk in the way of good people.” (Proverbs 2:20; Isaiah 48:17, 18) When we follow that guidance, we, in turn, show our love for God and reap many rewards. In fact, the Bible makes this promise: “Keep [God’s] way, and he will exalt you to take possession of the earth. When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see it.”—Psalm 37:34.

Yes, what a wonderful future awaits those who adhere to Bible standards—life in a peaceful earth free of wickedness! Surely the values taught in the Bible merit our consideration.