Proverbs 14:29-30 Amplified Bible
29
He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].
30
A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 14:30
Proverbs 14:29-30 The Message
29 Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding;
a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.
30 A sound mind makes for a robust body,
but runaway emotions corrode the bones.
The heart is physically one of the most important organs of our body.
If the heart is stopped the body will die.
But what we read in today’s proverb is not dealing with the physical heart.
It speaks of the heart as the innermost region of our lives. The Hebrew mind looked at the heart as the central, spiritual, inward aspect of our souls.
So when we examine today at the issue of the heart and whether it is tranquil and strong – or whether it is tossed about and weak – means everything to the blessedness of the individual who struggles with issues of the heart.
The tranquil heart is the quiet one.
What God is saying here is that this person’s heart is strong and quiet.
Their inner life is like the clear, mirror-like, state of the water in the early morning on a lake.
This person’s peace and calm is not disturbed by things that happen around it.
The “soul-life” is strong and they can deal with problems and difficulties.
There is an ultimate sense of peace here, because this one knows that God is sovereign over all things.
They know they are in God’s hand no matter what their circumstances look like.
The Word of God is their comfort – they’ll hold to it no matter what information in life seems to contradict it.
Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And I did not hide my guilt;
I said, “I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [e]in a time when You may be found;
Certainly in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You keep me from trouble;
You surround me with [f]songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will advise you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 The sorrows of the wicked are many,
But the one who trusts in the Lord, goodness will surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
On the other hand there is a person who has “passion” in his life.
The proverb tells us that this passion is like a rottenness in his bones.
Things like jealousy, anger, over-zealousness, and envy run rampant in this one’s heart.
As a result there is no stability in him.
These things run roughshod over his peace and contentment.
There is a constant passion running wild within this man – almost pushing and pulling him, as in a tug-of-war, from one extreme to another.
And like a rottenness in his bones – he feels more and more like all stability and peace is gone from him.
Isaiah 43:1-4 The Message
When You’re Between a Rock and a Hard Place
43 1-4 But now, God’s Message,
the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.
One might wonder the source of such a peace.
John 14:25-27 The Message
25-27 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
It’s our knowledge of the gospel, our experiences, our disciplined prayer life, that quickens us moves us, guides us, brings us to that place of peace with God.
James 5:16-18 The Message
16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
If there is peace between us and our God, then we are at peace with Him – and we know there is peace in our souls.
I’ve watched, witnessed, as strong believers have gone through the most trying of times, but they do so with tranquility.
That is what the gospel of Jesus Christ looks like – even more what it produces.
James 5:16-18 The Message
16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
If our sovereign God holds us and holds all the universe – we can trust Him.
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit ….
Praying …
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 