My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:20-27)

Give Attention To The Whole Body

Serving the Lord takes the whole body. The wisdom literature weaves a beautiful picture of the man of God consumed by the word of God. He shows the importance of keeping wisdom at the forefront of life to guide the heart, protect the eyes, fill the ears, correct the tongue and examine the path of the feet. All of the body working together to harmonize the soul to the will of the Father is where the perfection of character is found. It begins by paying attention to what the Lord says. God has spoken to man from the beginning of time, and the problems arise when men stop listening to His word. Satan began his attack on Eve by challenging what God said. Listening carefully to the words of the Lord will bring health and joy to the soul. The ear must tune to the right things. Wisdom must always be before the eyes. The heart keeps the word of God in the midst of the soul penetrating deep with the grace of the Lord. This is where true life comes from. It glorifies the Father as the whole body bends to the will of the Lord. Health is found in the nourishment of the Divine.

The character of a man comes from what is found in the heart. Jesus would later tell His disciples that everything that comes out of the mouth is first found in the heart. Good water comes from good springs, and good words come from good hearts. Evil comes from an evil heart. Adultery, murder, envy, and hatred do not grow from soil fertile in the love of God. The heart is the soul’s barometer, and if it is not guarded carefully, life will end in heartache. Wisdom is found in keeping the heart with all diligence. It requires daily care to manage the heart and the courage to daily measure the heart with the word of God. The issues of life come from the heart and goodness, or evil will come from a good or evil heart. Giving attention to the heart determines the course of life.

Keep the heart with all diligence by training the mouth, perfecting the eyes, and watching the feet. The mouth must refrain from perverse talking and corrupt speech. Deceitful tongues are filled with poison that gossip, murmur, and defraud. Anger can bring sin. Lying is a grievous abomination before the Lord. A heart guided by the word of God will learn to control the tongue and become a measure of blessing to hearers. The focus of life is found when the eyes are looking straight ahead, fixed on the Father’s will. God created the body with the perfection of form for the eyes to look ahead so the feet would not stumble. Pondering the path is done when life is marked out by the word of God, seeking how the Lord wants a man to live. Staying on the safe path of righteousness brings happiness. There can be no deviation to the right or the left. God’s word is sure, trustworthy, steadfast, and will bring a man to the throne of God. Changing direction or seeking another path will not bring a man to the throne of God.

It takes the whole body to work together to bring harmony. In the spiritual world, the ears must listen to the word of God, the eyes looking to Jesus, the heart attuned to the Father, the mouth guarded with grace, lips seasoned with salt, eyes looking straight ahead, and the feet on the narrow way of truth and righteousness without variance. When the whole body, working together under the guidance of the Father’s will, conforms to the desires of God, joy, and happiness are found in this life and the life to come. Good health is essential, but good spiritual health is eternal.