“Love does not envy.”“A tranquil [or healing] heart gives life to the flesh, but envy [or jealousy] makes the bones rot.”
I love reading through Proverbs. The contrast between good and evil, wisdom and foolishness, light and dark, obedience and rebellion, love and hate — it’s all laid out in, well, black and white. Here we have a classic example: the writer of this proverb, Solomon, is making a comparison between having a heart that’s filled with peace, tranquility, soundness, healing, and a heart that’s corroded by envy, jealousy, competitiveness, mean-spiritedness, self-centeredness, a “what’s in it for me?” attitude. The former brings life to your flesh, nourishment to your body. The latter makes your very bones turn to dust.
This teaching is pretty clear. If you want to live a healthy, successful life, seek God’s peace and healing. If you want to live a life doomed to sickness and destruction, follow your negative emotions into the pit. Guess what? That’s what I did. There was once a time when I focused on myself. I blamed others for my own failures. I allowed anger to rise up within me when I saw others more successful than myself. I looked for ways to boost my own standing rather than help my fellow man in a sincere manner. I wasn’t a source of healing in my life or others. Rather, I desperately NEEDED healing!
Thank God for God! He is the Healer! He longs to restore our hearts and drive out the demonic forces of envy and jealousy that would seek to destroy us. I don’t know about you, but cultivating cancer in my bones doesn’t sound too pleasant. Maybe learning how to walk along the path of true love — cultivating a peaceful and tranquil heart — would be a far more beneficial endeavor!
How are your bones?
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