Your Bones are Rotting

Proverbs 14:30New International Version (NIV)

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.

         
           The next few paragraphs below are not written by me. They are written by an author that works for Proverbs 31 Ministries. The paragraphs are from one of the devos. that was written awhile back. The devo. is called "Coming Apart at the Seems". The link is at the bottom of this entry you can click on it or if it doesn't work, then copy and paste it on top.

            Our key verse in Proverbs reflects this well, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” This verse may seem pretty straightforward. Envy keeps you from experiencing peace. While this is true, a dig into the original Hebrew language gives us even a more vivid snapshot of its intended meaning.

            Envy here doesn’t just mean that initial, “Must be nice” thought that dances through our minds when we spy the blessings of others. It means “passionate and zealous jealousy.” This indicates our emotions are involved. Our hearts go through the ringer as we spend energy dwelling on the increasingly envious feelings that come from seeing someone else who seems to have a better life than we do.

              And the word “rots” means decays. It brings about not just a rotten state — like fruit that is starting to spoil — it ushers in death. In this verse, that means the figurative death of one’s very strength of life. However, let’s not just dwell on the dreary picture painted here. What about the other half of this verse?

             The heart that is at peace literally means one that is sound, wholesome, healthy and cured. So, the way to have a healthy heart emotionally and spiritually is to keep envy at bay.

             We do this by switching our thinking and fighting against the “poor me” mentality. We may not be rich, but do we have a roof over our heads? We may not dine out at expensive restaurants, but did God provide enough to eat today? Our bodies may not be supermodel fit, but are we still alive and able to move, serve or at least pray for others? Thankfulness chases envy away and settles our hearts in God’s perfect peace.

             So the next time we are tempted to come apart at the “seems” while staring at the pics on our phone, let’s log off for a moment — or a week! — and start counting our many blessings. May we be grateful to God for what we do have, and stop wanting someone else’s life. Then, we’ll discover that true contentment isn’t having what you want. It is wanting nothing more than what you already have.

- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/coming-apart-at-the-seems/#sthash.N7olnOSq.dpuf