Proverbs 17:22 - A Cheerful Heart Is Like Medicine.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) A cheerful heart is
good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the
bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NLT) A cheerful heart is
good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a
persons strength.
INTRODUCTION
The face glows with joy when the heart is
full of light and peace. But the spirit is broken
by continued sorrow of heart. When anxiety is
permitted to reign, resilience is steadily weakened,
until at last the resistance of the mind may be
broken. The mental trouble is reflected in the
physical condition of the body. [SDA Bible
Commentary]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Emotional Health Leads to Healthy
Relationships
When you need to be physically recharged,
your body gives you various signs. If your
stomach growls, its time to eat. If your eyelids
get heavy, its time to sleep.
We tend to notice those signs, but we
often overlook the other signs that say we need
emotional recharging, such as a sense of being
overwhelmed, a short fuse, an impatient outburst, or
avoiding people. You also have no desire to love
people when your emotional tank is running low.
To keep on loving well and doing the
things Gods called you to do, keep your
emotional tank full. How do you do that?
First, get some time alone. Even Jesus
withdrew from crowds when he needed to recharge
himself emotionally. Mark 6:31 says, Then Jesus
suggested, Lets get away from the crowds for a
while and rest. For so many people were coming
and going that they scarcely had time to eat
(TLB). People who are available all the time
arent really fully available unless they set aside
time to rest.
Then figure out what activities recreate
energy in your life and recharge you. Each one of
us has different things that recharge us
because were all made differently. It may be
hobbies, a sport, a craft, or games for you. Find out
what recharges you emotionally, and then make
time for it.
Jesus was the most intensive,
ministry-oriented person who ever lived, yet the Bible says,
The Son of Man came, enjoying life (Matthew
11:19 Phillips). You werent made to be
exhausted all the time. You were made to be more like
Jesus.
Finally, develop the habit of laughter.
The Bible says, Being cheerful keeps you
healthy (Proverbs 17:22 GNT). Laughter increases the
number of T-cells in your body, which raises your
immunity and releases endorphins in your brain.
Laughter is good for your health! Its Gods gift
to you that doesnt just make you enjoy life
more; it also helps you love others well. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
A Cheerful Heart
Earthquakes! Prison riots! Economic
pressures! Divorce! No jobs! Drugs! Disease! Death!
Pretty serious scene, isn't it? Yet that is the
emotional environment in which we live. No wonder
someone has dubbed this the "aspirin age." Small
wonder more of us are not throwing in the towel.
In spite of these bleak surroundings - or
perhaps because of - I firmly believe we need a good
dose of Solomon's counsel. Listen to David's
wisest son: "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken
All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a
cheerful heart has a continual feast A joyful
heart is good medicine [the Hebrew says, 'causes
good healing'], but a broken spirit dries up the
bones" (Prov. 15:13, 15; 17:22).
Have you begun to shrivel into a bitter,
impatient, critical Christian? The Lord tells us that
the solution is simple: "A joyful heart" is what
we need and if ever we needed it, it is
now.
By a sense of humor I mean that necessary
ingredient of wit: those humorous, enjoyable, and
delightful expressions or thoughts that lift our
spirits and lighten our day. When we lose our
ability to laugh - I mean really laugh - life's
oppressive assaults confine us to the dark dungeon of
defeat.
Personally, I think a healthy sense of
humor is determined by at least four abilities:
The ability to laugh at our own mistakes.
The ability to accept justified criticism
- and get over it!
The ability to interject (or at least
enjoy) wholesome humor when surrounded by a tense,
heated situation.
The ability to control those statements
that would be unfit - even though they may be
funny.
James M. Gray and William Houghton were
two great, godly men of the Word. Dr. Houghton
writes of an occasion when he and Dr. Gray were
praying together. Dr. Gray, though getting up in
years, was still interested in being an effective
witness and expositor. He concluded his prayer by
saying: "And, Lord, keep me cheerful. Keep me from
becoming a cranky, old man!"
Let's ask our understanding Father to
remind us frequently of the necessity of a cheerful
spirit and to give us an appreciation for
laughter.
I think a healthy sense of humor is
determined partly by the ability to laugh at our own
mistakes. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
CLOSING THOUGHT
A little girl was eating her breakfast one
morning when a ray of sunlight suddenly appeared
through the clouds and reflected off the spoon in
her cereal bowl. She immediately put it into her
mouth. With a big smile she exclaimed to her
mother, "I just swallowed a spoonful of sunshine!"
[God's Little Devotional Bible]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 17:22a - A Merry, Joyful, Happy,
Cheerful Heart Is Like Medicine.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160331-1405.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2003/20030801-1035.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
