A Peaceful Heart

(Prov 14:30 NIrV) A peaceful heart gives life to the body. But jealousy rots the bones.

This morning we continue our series in the last verse Solomon warned us against losing control of our emotions and allowing anger to get the best of us. In this verse he tells us about the benefits of having a peaceful heart. When you at peace with God and you have the peace of God, it promotes physical, mental and psychological health. However, those who are overly consumed with others are robbed of their inner peace and they physically, mentally and psychologically pay for it.

The word translated “heart” in this text is the Hebrew word leb. Strong’s dictionary says that leb is primarily used for one’s feelings, but it is also used to address one’s will and their intellect. Several others translations use the word “mind” instead of heart in this text. For example, the Good News Bible reads:

“Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer.”

Is your mind at peace? I have met many people that have peace with God (a reference to the status of their relationship with the Father), but not the peace of God (a reference to the internal condition of your heart). The Father wants us to have both. Once we have peace with God, we have access to the peace of God, which passes all comprehension (Phil 4:7).

So how to do tap into the peace of God? Let me give you three ways.

1) Cast all your cares/concerns over to God. Peter said, “Cast all your worries over to him. He cares about you” (1st Peter 5:7).

2) Pray about whatever is troubling you. Paul said, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything… Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand” (Phil 4:6,7).

3) You take control of your thoughts. Paul went on to say, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Phil 4:8).

When you do these things and you fill your mind/heart with sound principles of truth, righteousness, and holiness, you will be internally happy and the state of your spirit and soul will spill over to your body. Later in proverbs Solomon said,

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (17:22).
When your heart is glad, when you are at peace with God, and you have the peace of God, it is like medicine to your bones.

The latter portion of the text gives us the opposite side of the story. Jealousy/envy is a feeling of inadequacy and bitterness rooted in the perceived superiority of the possessions or qualities of another. Envy and jealousy come as a result of not being satisfied with who you are, what you have, where you are going, and whom God has made you.

People that live this way definitely do not have the peace of God. The peace of God promotes contentment. Those who operate in envy and jealousy are robbed of contentment and peace. They are never satisfied and their dissatisfaction eats away at them like a consuming disease. Envy will not only eat away at your relationship with God, but if not checked, it will eventually lead to physical maladies.

So what does this mean to you? It means you have a choice. You can either focus on what you do not have and allow your life to be consumed by the perpetual pursuit of ‘keeping up with the Jones,’ or you can thank God for who you are, what you have, where you are going, and all He has done for you.

If you take the latter route your life will be happier, and your inner peace will spill over to physical health, so you can live long and live strong!

Father, thank You for reminding me of how blessed I am. I don’t have to allow myself to be consumed with the life of others and what I don’t have. I am thankful for what I do have and my most prized possession is my relationship with You. I am at peace with my God and I also have the peace of God, which enables me to face my future with contentment, excitement, and great anticipation. My heart is merry and the joy of the Lord is health to my bones. I declare, by faith, that I am mentally, psychologically, and psychically healthy. I shall live long and strong and enjoy every step of the way! In Jesus’ name. Amen!