Description:

Our purpose in this study is to identify the difference between a heart dedicated to God and one dedicated to self. Based on the Word of God, we all start out as sinful. As David said in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Message from Marsh: “May your personal walk with the Lord lead you to be transformed, renewed, and blessed.”

Marsh

Founder/President

Thank you for coming to: mensgroup.org

Men and Matters of the Heart

LESSON 2 – The Peaceful Heart
Healthy Body, Soul, and Spirit

(www.mensgroup.org – “Original Study”)

Lesson Focus: We will discuss the connection between a peaceful heart and a peaceful life.

“Blessing on you for searching after a peaceful heart, one that is not circumstantially evoked but is focused on God’s love and His ways.” – C. Marsh Bull.

Starting Prayer: Father, we are here to make better choices than we have made before. Help us to understand the peace with God which happens in salvation and the peace of God than can be with us for our lifetime.

Opening Questions:

1.      What does your doctor say to you about having a healthy heart?

2.      How did a friend of yours create a health problem for himself by the way he treated his heart?

Scripture Passage:

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. (Proverbs 14:30)

Phrase Explanation:  

Located in the depths of our soul, our heart can be peaceful, calm, and content, even if life is swirling around you. In this state, it can bring hope and fulfillment to your life.

But a heart that is fearful, full of doubt, and hateful, has only fleeting peace, if any. Even sleep may fail you in your swirling times and a new morning will not guarantee life without pain.

Solomon, King of Israel, a very wise person praised for his wisdom said:

A heart at peace gives life to the body. (Proverbs 14:30a)

He was a busy man who loved the world God placed him in, was trained by his father, David, and was guided by God to great heights of power. He was always making decisions, pressed by the circumstances of Israel, and aware of forces trying to destroy him. It seemed like he would have a heart in turmoil, but this is his proverb on peace which suggests benefits to all his body, soul, and spirit from having peace.

He said that a peaceful heart inside his soul led to health for his whole body, soul, and spirit. A peaceful heart is one “in which all emotions and appetites are in a healthy equilibrium.” “It has an absence of selfishness and rejoices in other’s happiness and honor.”

Solomon goes on to contrast the first phrase in the verse to the second. Read all together it says:

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. (Proverbs 14:30)

Envy, a form of jealous idolatry, creates problems beyond the heart, even into the bones. Selfishness wounds the heart and brings irreparable damage not only to the heart but also to the rest of your soul. There can be fretting and disgust over others’ joyous successes.

God offers two types of peace. The first is the peace with God expressed by Paul:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

We have been adrift on the sea of life and unanchored but when Christ is accepted into our lives, we see the tension between our sin and God eliminated. Peace is brought to our soul and spirit.

The second is the peace of God which relates to our daily life. Paul said:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Anxiousness and peacefulness cannot abide together. God is ready to respond to your needs raised to Him in prayer knowing He is on your side and desires the best for you. You can be at peace even when you don’t fully understand it when you allow God’s peace to guard your heart and keep you peaceful.

Which heart do you want, the healthy peaceful one or the unhealthy pitiful one? Your decisions will make that determination for you.

Discussion Questions:

1.      When have you felt your heart was peaceful?

2.      How did you achieve this peace?

3.      How long did that peace last?

Application:

1.      What is going through your mind when you’re not peaceful in your heart?

2.      What are steps you can take in your heart to continue to have peace?

3.      What would you say to a friend who doesn’t have peace in his heart?

 

Closing Prayer: God, we thank you for the gift of a peaceful heart. We understand it starts with our relationship with Christ and it continues into eternity. Help us depend on you for our peace and keep us from the distractors that rattle it.

 

Suggested Additional Resources:

Similar passages: Php. 4:6-7; Col. 1:20; Col. 3:15

Statement on a “healthy equilibrium” is from Barnes Notes, Proverbs, pg. 44.

Statement of “absence of selfishness” is from Exposition of Proverbs
by Charles Bridges, pg. 190.


Continue to Lesson 3 – The Joyful Heart – Expressed in Your Face and Outlook

Or use these links to navigate to various parts of this study:

Intro | Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Lesson 6

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