Aug 15 - Today from Proverbs 15 we look at verse 30
"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones."
A little effort goes a long way in a relationship. Consider the following two scenarios of the same situation:
You are meeting an acquaintance for lunch. When you arrive, the waitress informs you that your party is waiting. She leads you to the table. As you arrive, your acquaintance briefly looks up from the menu and says, "Hey, how's it going?" and continues to study the menu as you seat yourself.
- or -
As you arrive, your acquaintance put down the menu, rises with a beaming smile and a robust handshake and says, "Hi (your name). I am so glad we could get together like this. I've been looking forward to our time."
Few people demand to feel important. But all people respond well to feeling important. That's what a cheerful look does - it makes the other person feel important - like their life and presence actually has some value. Add some good news to the cheerful look and there is great emotional health happening to the recipient. What kind of good news? Simple things like "I am glad we could get together," or "I've been looking forward to our time." That's good new for anyone.
The gospel is called "good news". Imagine God sitting at the table waiting for your arrival. When you approach, do you see Him looking up with a stern face and a lecture ready on His lips? Or do you see Him smile, rising to greet you with an embrace and saying, "I am so glad you are here. I so enjoy spending time with you." The good news is that the second scenario is the heart and character of our Father. And, it is through Christ that we can experience such joy in our heart. We are fully excepted in Him.
If we can grasp this truth and live in this joy, we can become God's agents of cheerful looks and good news in the lives of those around us every day. Have you ever passed by a stranger on the sidewalk or in a hallway and they caught your eye for the briefest moment as they flashed you smile and gave you a word of good news like "Nice day, isn't it?" It gives you a little lift. They made you feel important. Yes, the day is a little nicer. If a stranger's smile and kind word can lighten one's day, think of what a friend or family member can do! Think of what you can do! A little effort goes a long way.
Since Nov 08
About Me
- Ken
- While mentor-ing a couple of young men late in the year 2001 , I told them that if they agreed to read a chapter of Proverbs each week-day as a part of their devotions, I would choose one verse from the chapter and share a meditation by email. They agreed. I continued to write the meditations at my desk in my home for the next two and a half years. They began to forward them to their friends and I received requests from those friends to be placed on the email list. My personal email bundle was to about eighty people. Many of those people forwarded them to friends all over the country – and some over the world. Only the Lord knows how extensive the writings traveled. I am not a professional writer, and each meditation was spun off in a relatively short period of time during my own personal devotions in the morning. In April of 2004 I assembled 366 of the meditations into a calendar year. As I now bring up the Proverb of the Day to send on to my friends, I am surprised at how fresh each of them is to my own heart – and often how they speak to me in a completely different way than when I first wrote them. . . . . Ken Sweers
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