“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: And a word spoken in due season, how good is it! The way of life is above to the wise, That he may depart from hell beneath. The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: But he will establish the border of the widow. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: But the words of the pure are pleasant words. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; But he that hateth gifts shall live. The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: But the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things. The LORD is far from the wicked: But he heareth the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: And a good report maketh the bones fat. The ear that heareth the reproof of life Abideth among the wise. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: But he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; And before honour is humility.”
Proverbs 15:23-33 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.15.23-33.KJV
Don’t Lose Heart
As we start getting older, our bodies begin to change.
Muscles might ache. Hair might gradually turn gray. Vision and hearing might eventually get less sharp. And we, or someone we love, might even struggle with significant or devastating health challenges.
The apostle Paul once offered some ageless wisdom to the believers in Corinth, Greece, which can still be helpful for us today:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV
Paul knew what it was like to face hard things; he’d been beaten, shipwrecked, snake bitten, and imprisoned.
Earlier in the letter, he’d said, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)
The ripple effects of sin’s existence in the world might frustrate us physically, but it ...