Heartache crushes the spirit

“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:13)

 

This world is a place full of worries. If anyone who has no anxiety is asked to raise his or her hand, no one will raise the hand. We don’t have to pay attention to this matter, “Why are we so worried?” Rather, it would be more productive to think about how to fight off anxiety. Anxiety is of an inner matter, but it can not be hidden by appearance. While people care a lot about their outward looks, they tend to neglect their efforts to endeavor to cultivate one’s inner self. After all, what remains to them is a shabby appearance with a cold, heartless heart. To be regretted, people follow Satan’s hideous image without realizing it.

 

The chapter 15 of Proverbs refers to many different contrasting words and actions between the wise and the foolish. Everybody knows that soft and wise words matter, as the saying goes “A word is a thousand dollars.” But not many people speak correctly without making any mistakes. It seems to be a lot of people who do well on a regular basis but sometimes make mistakes once or twice. If you don’t want to make mistakes, you have to be smart. In other words, people need to act wisely in order not to make any mistakes. To be a wise man, we need to be aware of God who watches for the wicked and the good everywhere, with a prayer conscious of the eyes of Him.

If you keep your attitude of life right, you will be in the midst of a successful life. Suppose the same fortune is stacked in the houses of the righteous in God and the wicked. The righteous knows what the wealth mean, and the person knows well how to use them. But the wicked will seek to do more evil with the possessions. Both attitudes are universal to everyone. By doing so, the righteous will become rich in spirit, but the wicked will fall into a deeper state of pain. The consequence of losing one’s self-centeredness is so unfortunate compared to the another. Because the righteous stands in the wisdom of God but the wicked out of it.

Even if it’s sometimes hard, lonely, and no wealth, a person who follows the righteous way of faith will be loved in God the Lord. Know this, even the innermost thoughts of man can never be hidden from God. If the afterlife, Death and Destruction(‘Abaddon’ in Hebrew), is revealed to the Lord in the future, then, the present thoughts of own life also will be clearly revealed. God the Lord is the Creator of all things; He is the one who watches and rules over myself and yourself now. And He is the Almighty who will be with us forever after the end of this world. To believe in Jesus Christ is same to what we believe in God the Lord. To follow the teachings of the Bible with that firm belief is an accurate way of balancing oneself. A person who centralizes one’s life in the faith of Jesus will have joy in his heart.

Heart is the root of human existence made up of spirit and body. If the root of a tree is strong, the tree can absorb nutrients well. As such, joy in the heart shines in the face. But the face of a worried person is bound to look hurt. Therefore, making the mind enjoyable is more important than anything else. Even if you earn less, try not to hurt your heart. A person of faith in Jesus can be treated for the broken heart he had in the past. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, who has taken the sufferings instead of all men. He will take all your heavy burden for you. Please, have this faith. Don’t just put up a voice that you believe in Jesus. And do not leave your soul in the wealth of this world to be disappeared, if you really believe in Jesus. If you live in the faith that you offer yourself wholly to God, you will surely have solid experiences. Then, you could confess like Paul, “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” as in Romans 14:8.

 

People with makeup on their faces look pretty and bright. And people who live on good

food and nutritional supplements look like rich people. However why does the face of you who believe in Jesus look so dead? Let’s remove it in the Spirit, the spirit-damaging anxiety out of you. Let your spirit shine upon the Holy Spirit and let your face shine, as Daniel and his friends without eating the delicacies of the king became richer than the boys who ate the delicacies of the king.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Mar 8th 2020)