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Proverbs 17:22 - A Cheerful Heart Is Like Medicine.

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) A cheerful heart is 
good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the 
bones. 

Proverbs 17:22 (NLT) A cheerful heart is 
good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a 
persons strength. 

INTRODUCTION

The face glows with joy when the heart is 
full of light and peace. But the spirit is broken 
by continued sorrow of heart. When anxiety is 
permitted to reign, resilience is steadily weakened, 
until at last the resistance of the mind may be 
broken. The mental trouble is reflected in the 
physical condition of the body. [SDA Bible 
Commentary] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Emotional Health Leads to Healthy 
Relationships 
   When you need to be physically recharged, 
your body gives you various signs. If your 
stomach growls, its time to eat. If your eyelids 
get heavy, its time to sleep. 
   We tend to notice those signs, but we 
often overlook the other signs that say we need 
emotional recharging, such as a sense of being 
overwhelmed, a short fuse, an impatient outburst, or 
avoiding people. You also have no desire to love 
people when your emotional tank is running low. 
   To keep on loving well and doing the 
things Gods called you to do, keep your 
emotional tank full. How do you do that? 
   First, get some time alone. Even Jesus 
withdrew from crowds when he needed to recharge 
himself emotionally. Mark 6:31 says, Then Jesus 
suggested, Lets get away from the crowds for a 
while and rest. For so many people were coming 
and going that they scarcely had time to eat 
(TLB). People who are available all the time 
arent really fully available unless they set aside 
time to rest. 
   Then figure out what activities recreate 
energy in your life and recharge you. Each one of 
us has different things that recharge us 
because were all made differently. It may be 
hobbies, a sport, a craft, or games for you. Find out 
what recharges you emotionally, and then make 
time for it. 
   Jesus was the most intensive, 
ministry-oriented person who ever lived, yet the Bible says, 
The Son of Man came, enjoying life (Matthew 
11:19 Phillips). You werent made to be 
exhausted all the time. You were made to be more like 
Jesus. 
   Finally, develop the habit of laughter. 
The Bible says, Being cheerful keeps you 
healthy (Proverbs 17:22 GNT). Laughter increases the 
number of T-cells in your body, which raises your 
immunity and releases endorphins in your brain. 
Laughter is good for your health! Its Gods gift 
to you that doesnt just make you enjoy life 
more; it also helps you love others well. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

COMMENTARY

A Cheerful Heart
   Earthquakes! Prison riots! Economic 
pressures! Divorce! No jobs! Drugs! Disease! Death! 
Pretty serious scene, isn't it? Yet that is the 
emotional environment in which we live. No wonder 
someone has dubbed this the "aspirin age." Small 
wonder more of us are not throwing in the towel. 
   In spite of these bleak surroundings - or 
perhaps because of - I firmly believe we need a good 
dose of Solomon's counsel. Listen to David's 
wisest son: "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, 
but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken 
 All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a 
cheerful heart has a continual feast  A joyful 
heart is good medicine [the Hebrew says, 'causes 
good healing'], but a broken spirit dries up the 
bones" (Prov. 15:13, 15; 17:22). 
   Have you begun to shrivel into a bitter, 
impatient, critical Christian? The Lord tells us that 
the solution is simple: "A joyful heart" is what 
we need  and if ever we needed it, it is 
now. 
   By a sense of humor I mean that necessary 
ingredient of wit: those humorous, enjoyable, and 
delightful expressions or thoughts that lift our 
spirits and lighten our day. When we lose our 
ability to laugh - I mean really laugh - life's 
oppressive assaults confine us to the dark dungeon of 
defeat. 
   Personally, I think a healthy sense of 
humor is determined by at least four abilities: 
   The ability to laugh at our own mistakes.
   The ability to accept justified criticism 
- and get over it! 
   The ability to interject (or at least 
enjoy) wholesome humor when surrounded by a tense, 
heated situation. 
   The ability to control those statements 
that would be unfit - even though they may be 
funny. 
   James M. Gray and William Houghton were 
two great, godly men of the Word. Dr. Houghton 
writes of an occasion when he and Dr. Gray were 
praying together. Dr. Gray, though getting up in 
years, was still interested in being an effective 
witness and expositor. He concluded his prayer by 
saying: "And, Lord, keep me cheerful. Keep me from 
becoming a cranky, old man!" 
   Let's ask our understanding Father to 
remind us frequently of the necessity of a cheerful 
spirit and to give us an appreciation for 
laughter. 
   I think a healthy sense of humor is 
determined partly by the ability to laugh at our own 
mistakes. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

A little girl was eating her breakfast one 
morning when a ray of sunlight suddenly appeared 
through the clouds and reflected off the spoon in 
her cereal bowl. She immediately put it into her 
mouth. With a big smile she exclaimed to her 
mother, "I just swallowed a spoonful of sunshine!" 
[God's Little Devotional Bible] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Proverbs 17:22a - A Merry, Joyful, Happy, 
Cheerful Heart Is Like Medicine. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160331-1405.html 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2003/20030801-1035.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657