Healthy Bones

March 04, 2022

Proverbs 15:30

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart: and a good report makes the bones fat. 

The fresh morning light shining through the windows on a summer’s day is universally seen as a sign of renewed optimism and hope. Very often, those who life in perpetual darkness find themselves in deep depression. That is the experience of some who live in the northern reaches of Alaska during the winter time. That is also why it is important for the blind to receive encouragement from those who can see the light. 

When we seize the light of the Gospel of Christ with our mind’s eyes we receive an even deeper and fuller sense of hope in an otherwise dark and sinful world. Men cannot live without optimism and hope. For the Christian, nothing is more encouraging than to know that Christ has conquered death and redeemed His people from the bondage of the fear of death, as well as the powerful captivity of sin. When this light reaches the eyes of our hearts, we are overwhelmed by feelings of great joy!

A good report makes the bones fat. There must be 100,000 theories flying around on what it takes to live a long and healthy life. Because of the millions of possible causes and effects, it is completely impossible to determine which snake oil diet or lifestyle choice could produce the highest probabilities for good health. It is a generally accepted fact that smoking is unhealthy. But many smokers have lived in excess of 100 years. What were the things they did that might have counteracted the negative effects of smoking? Again, there is no certain way to find these things out. It is just too difficult to perform lifelong experiments with human beings, all the while controlling all of the environmental factors that could confound the data.

So the populace will forever debate every scientific hypothesis, alternative health plan, and old wives’ tale that issues from the experts of the hour. Some approaches to diet and physical exercise may work better for some people than for others. Even so, it is hard to draw conclusions with very much confidence. There will always be a measure of guesswork in health treatments. 

There are still some universal principles regarding health that come to us by divine wisdom, and they ought to overshadow all of the thousands of man-made theories. Verse thirty provides one of these principles. A pessimistic life filled with nothing but complaining, worry, and fear of circumstances will kill you!   But wherever a spirit of optimism envelopes homes and church communities, you will find a general state of good health. I say general, because God uses illnesses in our lives to sanctify us as well. 

Now this is not to say we do not deal with bad news from time to time. But if the bad news is not swallowed up with the good news of the resurrection of Christ, the conquering of sin, and the expectation of the consummated kingdom at the end of this weary war, then we have failed to apprehend and communicate a good report! 

Proverbs 15:31

The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise. 

Wise men will reprove—that is what they do when they encounter foolishness and sin. Many young people today do not like to spend much time with fathers, elders, and mentors because they do not appreciate this reproof. Peer group socialization is the norm, largely because teenagers cannot tolerate being around wise men, and wise men usually do not want to spend all that much time with people who won’t listen to them. 

May God bring back more age-integration into our families and churches, in order that healthy, cross-generational relationships would develop, and young men and women would be nurtured into spiritually-mature, wise adults. With each successive generation since the 1940s, we have seen a breakdown of practical wisdom, maturity, and character. It is only our technology that salvages the economy, for now. But this also will break down. Until young men and women will humble themselves and be willing to be reproved by their elders, there will be no substantial improvement in the character of those who make up our communities and church congregations. What Paul presents in Titus 2:1–10, is a framework where older men disciple the younger men to be sober, sincere, grave, and wise. The older women are also to teach the younger women. This is God’s age-integrated discipleship system in the body of the church. 

Family Discussion Questions:

1. How optimistic and hopeful is this home? When we talk about the accomplishments of the wicked, or the loss of our freedoms, or sinful problems, do we lace these conversations with confidence in the resurrection of Christ? 

2. How much are our young men and women living with wise, older men and women, and really being discipled as Paul instructs in Titus 2? In what ways can we improve on this and see to it that more mentorship takes place in our families and churches?