My dear readers,

Source of a Happy Countenance Revealed!

Proverbs 15:13: “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

Christians are supposed to be the happiest people on earth. They have their sins forgiven in Christ. Sin is no longer their master. The result is that every born-again believer has the strength and power from God to overcome all sins. They are no longer afraid of death which is the result of sin as all their sins have been forgiven in Christ. They are not bound for hell but heaven. Therefore when a person, especially an unbeliever, sees a believer, he must see a cheerful disposition on the believer’s face that is independent of his external circumstances in life. The believer has learned to stop measuring himself by the abundance of what he possesses. He may be living in the gutter or languishing in prison, yet he is still the happiest person on earth! Are you a happy believer, dear reader?

Proverbs 15:13 reveals to us the source of every countenance. If the source is joyful, the countenance is cheerful. If the source is not joyful, the countenance is unhappy. All believers must care for the source well and they will have a cheerful disposition.

1. Source of Cheerfulness – The source of a cheerful countenance is the heart. If the believer keeps the heart happy, he will be happy. The heart is understood here as the motive of the believer. It is inward. It is where all his emotions dwell and emanate from. What ought to make a believer’s heart happy? When his heavenly Father, whom he knows is omniscient, is pleased with him he will be elated! His heavenly Father is pleased with him when he lives in holiness. Whenever he regards sin in his heart, he truly repents of his sin and comes back to the LORD. He will not allow sin to pass beyond his heart. In this state and condition, the sin he commits is between him and his heavenly Father only. He knows that well through the diligent study of Holy Scriptures. For example, he seriously takes to heart what Jesus says in Matthew 5:28-30:“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” The moment this lust enters into his heart, he sincerely repents with all his heart as if he has committed adultery already. He gets rid of whatever it was that caused him to sin this heinous sin. Holiness before God is everything to him.

Holiness alone is not good enough without godliness. Holiness and godliness are two sides of the same coin of obedience. The believer’s fervent desire to obey all the “thou shalt not” must be matched also by his fervency to obey all the “thou shalt”! For example, if God says to honour his father and mother in the Lord, he will pray and ask God with all his heart to help him do so. No matter how difficult it might be and regardless of how his past experiences might have wounded him deeply and left behind a deep emotional and mental scar that he once thought was impossible to heal, he now pleads daily to his heavenly Father for divine love and forgiveness to abound in his heart. Little by little the change begins to be miraculously felt by him and his parents, even by all his family members. He understands experientially what it means to have died to self in Christ and to be made alive in Christ. Bible verses like Galatians 2:20 are not loved theoretically but experientially with genuine heartfelt warmth that draws him closer to his heavenly Father that only obedience with a sincere heart can bring.

With such a holy and godly heart, the cheerful countenance is easily and visibly seen by all around him. He is Christ-like in all areas of his life.

1. Source of Unhappiness – The source of unhappiness is the heart. What will make the believer’s heart that has been cleansed by the blood of Christ sad and broken? It is not just unhappiness but a broken spirit! It is like a person who is walking with the darkest storm cloud hanging above his head. His food becomes tasteless. It feels like nothing on earth can light that spark of joy in his heart. His shoulders stoop. His face is crestfallen. He feels so hopeless. The light of life has been snatched from him. His sorrowful demeanour seems to show everyone that even God is dead!

The only thing that can cause such grave damage to a believer’s heart has to be sin. There is nothing else that can make a believer’s heart sorrowful but sin in his life. The Holy Spirit who indwells him is constantly convicting him. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. If a professing believer lives in sin and feels nothing but “peace” in his heart, he is probably not born again in Christ, for the Holy Spirit neither sleeps nor slumbers but will constantly convict! Therefore this sorrow of heart is a good thing. It will help the believer return to his Lord in genuine repentance and to stop sinning against God. As long as sin remains in his heart he continues to cry within. He knows he has disappointed his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As long as sin remains in his heart his spirit is broken! He may pretend to be happy but he only deceives himself.

Conclusion – The source of joy and brokenness of spirit is the heart. All believers have clean and pure hearts as they have been washed by the blood of Christ. Their hearts are hearts of flesh where the sensitivity to sin is restored. When their hearts are holy and godly in Christ, their countenance is one of great joy and gladness. When sin remains in their hearts, their spirit is broken. Dear believer, guard your heart well in Christ and all will truly be well with your soul which will be reflected in your cheerful countenance. Amen.