Heart

Series Break • Proverbs 15:13-15 • July 25, 2021 • English Service 10:00 AM

Sermon Introduction

In Proverbs 15:13-15, the author presents a Biblical picture of a glad, a wise and a cheerful heart. The author wants to impart the importance of our response to life situation that whether if we are experiencing pain and downcast we should manifest in ourselves the Proverbs 15 heart. Let us remember that God can heal our physical, emotional or spiritual brokenness. Ask God for healing and let the Holy spirit minister to us. And as we continue to desire knowledge and wisdom, let us believe that through Christ we have eternal peace, joy and satisfaction in Him. That all of these should be enough for us to have a continual feast.

Dr. Steve Bonilla Elder

Proverbs 15:13-15 NASB

13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the needy are bad,
But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Notes

A glad heart makes a cheerful face (v. 13). The condition of a person’s heart significantly affects his spirit and appearance. The outwards countenance (facial expression) of a person reflects the inner state of his or her heart and spirit. The author wants to impart the importance of our response to life situations.
A wise heart seeks knowledge (v. 14). A wise person is never satisfied with ‘some’ knowledge - he or she would naturally want more. He or she values knowledge & wisdom; a foolish person never considers his or her knowledge or ignorance. A fool feeds on his or her own foolishness.
A cheerful heart has a continual feast (v. 15). The author is perhaps referring to a person’s perspective or approach to life in general. A person may decide whether to go through life being afflicted and looking at life as hard, difficult, bad or miserable. A person may also decide to have a cheerful heart - he or she knows how to celebrate or be joyful even in a difficult circumstance.

Application

Let us not be afraid to show or make our emotions known. It is okay not to be okay, yet it is also okay to be okay. However, it may not be okay to say we are okay when we are not. Denial is often the first defense mechanism of every person during a painful or difficult situation. Because a person can be understood through his or her emotional expressions, let us develop the skill of keen observation.
Let us not say that we already know many things or worse, that we already know everything. Let us not be content with the limited knowledge that we have. There is always something new to discover and learn. Let us share our knowledge and skills with others. Let us learn from one another. Let us keep reading, learning, and studying the Bible individually, in small groups, and as a congregation as well.
When we face a problem or a problematic situation, let us be reminded that God is sovereign. And let us seek lessons from such cases. Even in difficult situations, we can find gladness in Christ.
Believing that we have eternal peace, joy, and satisfaction in Christ and through Christ should be enough for us to have a continual feast. Let us praise and worship God when we are blessed or when we are downcast.

Discussion / Reflection

How is your heart today?
Is your desire for knowledge and wisdom so great that the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom are priorities in your life?
Know that pains, problems, disappointments, disease, disorders, evil and chaos - all occur in this sinful world we live in. Do we focus or dwell in them?
What’s on your mind during a painful or difficult situation?
What do you do during a painful or difficult situation?