“Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the
heart….For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which
defile a man…” —Matthew 15:18-20
“Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human
heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. […] If I will take an honest
look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it
to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ
said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the
wrong within me. [..] Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at
naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of
my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus
Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.” CHAMBERS
I often tell people that if you will listen to what people
say, they will expose their hearts. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the
heart speaks” Perhaps it is a critical
word, gossip, profanity, a coarse joke, a racial slur, the use of the Lord’s
name as an negative exclamation or it might be a word of encouragement, a
praise to God, the voice of compassion, the use of the Lord’s name as a
positive exclamation … if you listen long enough, you will hear the heart. Have you heard anyone, including yourself, say
“Just kidding” after making some unkind, cutting remark? What they really mean is that they didn’t
mean for that thought to come out. My
heart is the source of my actions and words … David prayed in Psalm 51 that God
would create a new clean heart in him … renew a right spirit. Our words give a glimpse of the condition of
our hearts. Are we walking after the
Spirit or after the flesh? Galatians 5
describes what you will hear and see in either case … the acts of the flesh or
the fruit of the Spirit. As Christ
followers, we are to be a light of hope … pointing people to Jesus. (James
3:10-12) “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My
brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water
and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or
a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
“Be careful little mouth what you say. Oh be careful little
mouth what you say. For the Lord is up
above and He’s looking down with love, so be careful little mouth what you say.” That children’s song seems to suggest that we
are the ones who can clean up our heart by being careful .. but it is really God by His Spirit and
Word that do the cleaning. What we do,
like David, is seek out the Spirit and the Word and submit to them …. Then like
the Lord told Joshua …. (Joshua 1:8)
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate
in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is
written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.” Think about it. ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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