Sunday, August 18, 2013

THE KEY TO A HEALTHY HEART



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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

Proverbs 4:20-25

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Most people go to great extremes to stay in good health. Spend enough time watching television talk shows or reading articles on the internet and you’ll discover plenty of discussion about ways to live a long life. Exercise the right way, eat a proper diet, and/or make appropriate lifestyle choices and you will be doing what the world believes leads to longevity and physical wellbeing.

But what does God’s word say about health? Does it offer any additional guidance as to how we can take care of ourselves and ensure we are in good shape and postured for living well through all the days the Lord grants?

As we will see in our passage today, it most certainly does and as we have seen as the common theme in Proverbs, wisdom is right at the center of things. Let’s look at the scriptures again:

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

We have seen over and over again through the first four chapters of Proverbs how valuable divine wisdom is to us and that wisdom is found in the word of the Lord, the One who created it as He created all things.

Indeed, the Lord is always seeking to speak to His people through the scriptures and through the still small voice of the Holy Spirit which he uses to instruct and guide us in the practical application of His word. When we read His word and accept the practical application given by His Spirit, then we will find ourselves living in accordance with His will and way, walking the straight path of righteousness He wants us to follow. When we’re on that path, the path of righteousness, we are taking steps toward life as the Lord intends for us, both now and forever, and that life brings us, as Solomon promises, health to the body.

Central to a healthy body is having a healthy heart. Anyone with who has any knowledge of bodily function knows that. The blood that courses through our veins and arteries is life sustaining and the heart is what keeps it moving, pumping over and over and over again to that end. Yes, blood flows from our heart from a physical perspective and sustains us but there is another aspect of the heart that we need to address if we’re going to take a holistic approach to our health. This is because there is a spiritual aspect to our hearts that we choose to ignore but if we do, we do it to our peril. No amount of physical attention to the heart, whether from exercise or nutrition or both, will result in long life solely on its own merit. For the spiritual state of the heart is just as important for it controls our actions, our thoughts, our words, and our choices.

This is why Solomon placed such an emphasis on the heart and implores us to guard it for everything we do originates from it. There’s little wonder why the Lord was interested in writing His words on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:33). He knew that if they had their hearts focused on His will and way then their thoughts, spoken words, and actions would be righteous and glorify Him.

Jesus also had something to say on this matter. He said that we would find our hearts wherever our treasure was at. In other words, our hearts would reside at the place of what we valued most. Maybe that would be money. Maybe that would be sex. Maybe that would be a family member. Jesus knew that in our humanity we had a tendency to place our value in any number of places outside of Him and, in doing so, we were placing our health at risk. For our hearts focused on anything else except for Him, would be prone to being misled.

What Jesus was getting at is that the only way we will possibly have a healthy heart is by making Him our sole treasure, valuing Him more than anything else in life. As Christians, this is our only proper response for what he has done for us as He was willing to place everything aside out of His love for each and every one of us. We should do the same for Him.

And when we make Jesus our treasure, then our hearts will be in and of Him with our thought, words, and actions being His. All we do will be perfectly in step with the word of the Lord because Jesus is the perfect personification and manifestation of that word. Bar none.

Check out this passage, one of my favorite in the Bible regarding dealing with life’s difficulties:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Want to experience peace in life, peace that helps us remain healthy? Then place your full trust in the One who can handle anything you’re going through. The God who was, is, and will always be in control. When you do, when you experience the peace in knowing all is good because the Lord is with you, then and only then will you find your hearts guarded in Christ Jesus.

These scriptures intersect in a way and wisdom that only the Lord can make happen. Make Jesus your treasure and all that we do will be of Him, including having a perfect faith in the God the Father, the Maker and Creator of all things, the God who is our Redeemer and our Friend. That perfect faith brings us to a perfect peace that this world does not know, a peace that transcends understanding and who shouldn’t yearn for that in a world full of so much trial, tribulation, and uncertainty.

Friends, when we give close attention to the state of our heart and opt for a health that only Jesus can bring then we can ensure that our hearts will be guarded and that everything that flows from us will glorify and magnify the Father. We will be able to keep our mouths from speaking perversity and corruption and our eyes will be fixed on Jesus, looking straight ahead and directly on the righteous path He leads us on. There will be no room for sin because in Jesus, there is none. And although we are sin-afflicted, we can find ourselves in remission. It is possible but only through Jesus.

So how healthy are you today? What is the condition of your heart?

My prayer is that if you aren’t fully connected to Jesus, if He is not your one and only treasure today, then you will look to make the adjustment needed to ensure you will live healthy through each day the Father grants, living in the hope that comes with knowing that the best is yet to come as we walk hand and hand with Jesus from this life to the perfect life to come, the eternal life granted us through the love of God (John 3:16).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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