BEING HEALTHY

"A sound heart is the life of the flesh: But envy the rottenness of the bones." (Proverbs 14:30) - What a wonderfully, powerful Scripture; Allow God to let His peace keep your heart and reap the amazing blessing of a healthy life! Let's look at this Proverb in more detail.

The original Hebrew word for "sound" is "marpe'". "Marpe'" means, "health, healing, cure, sound mind, and also, to heal of personal/individual distresses." That pretty much covers anything, and everything, that concerns our well-being, doesn't it? Thank God for that!

"Heart" originally comes from the Hebrew word, "leb". The definition of "leb" is: Inner man, mind, will, heart, and understanding. It refers to the midst of the inner parts and includes: 1) midst (of things), 2) heart (of man), 3) soul, heart (of man), 4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, 5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will), 6) conscience,
7) heart (of moral character), 8) as seat of appetites, 9) as seat of emotions and passions, and 10) as seat of courage. Read this paragraph carefully, allow this knowledge to enlighten you, and peace will follow.

"Life" originally comes from the Hebrew word, "chay" and literally means "living thing". As long as there is breath in each of us, there is life!

The original Hebrew meaning of "flesh" is "basar" and means, "the flesh of the human body or animal body; the body itself". Our flesh is our body. Without flesh, we cannot live. It is the protective barrier between our inner parts and the environment. It is a very important part of our body. Skin is our largest organ; adults carry some 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) and 22 square feet (2 square meters) of it. This fleshy covering does a lot more than make us look presentable. In fact, without it, we'd literally evaporate (since we are mostly made up of water).

"Envy" comes from the Hebrew word, "qin'ah", meaning: ardour, zeal, jealousy. Any of these three things can separate us from God if we allow it to become sin. I am so thankful for God's love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness (See Psalms 103:12)!

The final word for study today is, "Rottenness": It translates from the Hebrew word, "raqab", simply meaning, "decay".

"A sound heart is the life of the flesh: But envy the rottenness of the bones." In a nutshell, our life is in having a sound heart! Is your heart "sound"?

It was just a few weeks ago that I had to re-examine my life, re-prioritize, and beging "renewing my mind". I pray that each of you think on this Scripture and let God lead you!

God bless you!

Trusting is Vital!

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6

The book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon as he tried to enlighten the young people of his day, much like a father would have given advice to his children. He challenges young men and women to treasure wisdom above all else, and he also plainly states how to make sure that each stayed on the "right" path.

These Scriptures plainly give us three (3) simple steps to follow, with an absolute end result.

Step 1: "Trust" is defined as, "assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something and one in which confidence is placed." We are to completely depend upon the Lord with our whole being; not just part of it.

Step 2: Do not try to figure things out for ourselves. Our understanding is based upon what we know and see. Our perceptions are faulty in that we do not see the entire picture, as God does. So, for us to "lean", which means to rely for support or inspiration, upon ourselves is not a good idea. Our judgement is clouded by things of this world, emotions, etc. God's isn't.

Step 3: In everything we do, which includes speaking, we are to acknowledge God. "Acknowledge" means, "to recognize the rights, authority, or status of." We are to recognize for God for WHO He is!

End Result! This is clear: Follow the three (3) steps above, and God will direct our paths. "Direct" means, "to point out, prescribe, or determine a course or procedure". "Paths" means, "a course, a route, or a track specially constructed for a particular use".

In essence, follow three simple guidelines and God will point our, prescribe, and determine our route through life.