Scripture Verse
“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 (NKJV)
Reflection
Have you ever gone to visit someone who was physically ill, but you came away feeling joyful because that person’s spirit was joyful?
When we have good health and vibrant life in our spirit, we radiate joy despite our physical suffering. Folks who come into our presence will feel that joy. They will leave feeling uplifted, rather than down. When our spirit is lively, often we recover more quickly from our physical ailments as well.
Yet if our spirit is not healthy, if our heart is despondent, folks will feel sad and hurting in our presence. Our physical recovery will be slower.
I will never forget the honor of praying for a young lady suffering from brain cancer. Her family surrounded her during the prayer time, and I felt that the heavens were open. I felt the Spirit of the Lord, and His joy, radiating from her. I was lifted to a better place for having prayed over her.
Shortly after that she did pass away. I was saddened for her family, as they grieved the loss of their precious loved one. But to this day, I remember the joy she shared so unsparingly with all of us. Despite her illness, and the suffering I know she experienced, her spirit was alive and well … and is to this day.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the gift of our spirit. Despite our physical suffering, we can experience life and joy to the fullest, by Your Holy Spirit in us. Help us to stay healthy in our spirit life, so we may thrive and be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Thought for the Day
Can you remember a time when someone blessed you by the life and joy they carried in their spirit? Ask God to help you live from that deep well of spiritual joy.
Adventures with God 