Bountiful Health & Wellness

There’s so much that can be shared about this topic, however I will share what the Holy Spirit led me to share. When talking about our soul (mind, will, emotions, intellect, imagination), we cannot neglect to be mindful of our heart. At one point, the practically of “keeping (guarding) your heart with all diligence” was elusive to me, which led me to seek through the Word, ask Holy Spirit and wise counsel. In reading through the Matthew Henry Commentary, I gained more clarity and, in reading the previous verses, it made me understand how versus 20-22 actually help to ingrain verse 23 into our hearts and make it part of our lives.

In verse 20-22, God instructs us,“attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

In the Hebrew translation, “attend” means “to hear, be attentive, heed, pay attention, listen”. And in going on to read verse 23, wisdom would tell us to use discretion in how we govern ourselves in keeping/guarding our hearts. Therefore, as we attend (are attentive, heed, pay attention and listen) to the word of God, we will be better equip to keep (watch, keep close, be a watchman, guard with fidelity and from dangers) our hearts with all diligence, thereby keeping it healthy and strong.

If out of our hearts flow the “issues of life”, it brings to light those who have a tainted heart, a broken heart, a bruised heart. We may not have always understood how to “keep/guard” our hearts and so it has left us in disadvantaged places and spaces breeding anger, bitterness, impatience, control, hatred, etc., but deep-down longing for healing and wholeness.

Psalm 34:18 encourages us that “the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” If you find yourself in this place, where you know you are heavy with the cares of this world that have caused pain to your soul, cry out to God!

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Below is an excerpt from the Matthew Henry Commentary, Proverbs 4:20-24 (Blue Letter Bible) for Proverbs 4:20-23,

• I. We must have a continual regard to the word of God and endeavour that it may be always ready to us.
  • 1. The sayings of wisdom must be our principles by which we must govern ourselves, our monitors to warn us of duty and danger; and therefore,
    • (1.) We must receive them readily: “Incline thy ear to them (v. 20); humbly bow to them; diligently listen to them.” The attentive hearing of the word of God is a good sign of a work of grace begun in the heart and a good means of carrying it on. It is to be hoped that those are resolved to do their duty who are inclined to know it.
    • (2.) We must retain them carefully (v. 21); we must lay them before us as our rule: “Let them not depart from thy eyes; view them, review them, and in every thing aim to conform to them.” We must lodge them within us, as a commanding principle, the influences of which are diffused throughout the whole man: “Keep them in the midst of thy heart, as things dear to thee, and which thou art afraid of losing.” Let the word of God be written in the heart, and that which is written there will remain.
  • 2. The reason why we must thus make much of the words of wisdom is because they will be both food and physic to us, like the tree of life,Rev. 22:2; Eze. 47:12. Those that seek and find them, find and keep them, shall find in them,
    • (1.) Food: For they are life unto those that find them, v. 22. As the spiritual life was begun by the word as the instrument of it, so by the same word it is still nourished and maintained. We could not live without it; we may by faith live upon it.
    • (2.) Physic. They are health to all their flesh, to the whole man, both body and soul; they help to keep both in good plight. They are health to all flesh, so the Septuagint. There is enough to cure all the diseases of this distempered world. They are a medicine to all their flesh (so the word is), to all their corruptions, for they are called flesh, to all their grievances, which are as thorns in the flesh. There is in the word of God a proper remedy for all our spiritual maladies.
• II. We must keep a watchful eye and a strict hand upon all the motions of our inward man, v. 23. Here is,
  • 1. A great duty required by the laws of wisdom, and in order to our getting and preserving wisdom: Keep thy heart with all diligence. God, who gave us these souls, gave us a strict charge with them: Man, woman, keep thy heart; take heed to thy spirit, Deu. 4:9. We must maintain a holy jealousy of ourselves, and set a strict guard, accordingly, upon all the avenues of the soul;
    • keep our hearts from doing hurt and getting hurt,
    • from being defiled by sin and disturbed by trouble;
    • keep them as our jewel, as our vineyard;
    • keep a conscience void of offence;
    • keep out bad thoughts;
    • keep up good thoughts;
    • keep the affections upon right objects and in due bounds. 
    • Keep them with all keepings (so the word is); there are many ways of keeping things-by care, by strength, by calling in help, and we must use them all in keeping our hearts; and all little enough, so deceitful are they, Jer. 17:9.
    • Or above all keepings; we must keep our hearts with more care and diligence than we keep any thing else.
    • We must keep our eyes (Job 31:1),
    • keep our tongues (Ps. 34:13),
    • keep our feet (Eccl. 5:1),
    • but, above all, keep our hearts.
  • 2. A good reason given for this care, because out of it are the issues of life. Out of a heart well kept will flow living issues, good products, to the glory of God and the edification of others. Or, in general, all the actions of the life flow from the heart, and therefore keeping that is making the tree good and healing the springs. Our lives will be regular or irregular, comfortable or uncomfortable, according as our hearts are kept or neglected.

Reading that makes me think about Matthew 7:17-20 where the passage is describing false prophets, however in the larger context, it illustrates men (and women) as “trees” (Mark 8:24). If the heart is the “soil” (Matthew 13:19, Luke 8:12), then what we nourish our hearts (soil) with will directly affect the fruit we bear. Believers are also described as “vines”, in John 15:1-8 where God admonishes us to stay “connected to the Vine” as what will cause us to “bear much fruit”.

In all this, we have to consider and take note of what we are planting in our heart. Our “fruit” is speaking for us, regardless of if we are aware of it or not.

Mark 8:22-24

²² And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. ²³ And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. ²⁴ And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

Matthew 7:17-20

¹⁷ Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰ Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Proverbs 4:20-27

²⁰ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. ²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. ²² For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. ²⁴ Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. ²⁵ Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶ Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. ²⁷ Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Luke 6:45

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Matthew 15:17-20

¹⁷ Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? ¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

John 15:1-8

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. ³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.