A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
When Jesus said this, He was talking about how we are known by our fruit. He said in John 13:35, “By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We have spent this week talking about things that are important for our Christianity. Things like loving the Lord with all we’ve got, church attendance, a good attitude and today we are talking about our words. Let me begin by saying this is what I struggle with most.
Jesus was saying in today’s Scripture passage that what is in our hearts will flow out of our mouths. The words we use and the tone we use when we speak matters. This is especially true in times of trials. Non-believers are looking at us when we face trials to see how we will handle them. If we profess to be Christians, we should be able to come through a trial with faith in God to do what is best for us. We are told in Romans 8:28 that we know that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
God gave us two ears, two eyes and one mouth for a reason. In James 1:19 we are told to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry for our anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
There are many lost people out there who need to see how a Christian handles themselves. They need to see us have peace in times of trouble. They need to hear words that bring God glory, honor and praise.
In a recent Bible study, we talked about not taking God’s name in vain but using it only in praise and worship. It was asked if it was okay to say things like “holy cow” or “holy crap”? Well, I guess that is one to pray about and determine whether or not you are convicted when you say these things.
Holy means set apart for God. So, should we be careful how we use the word holy? Are we being too nit picky?
Well, there are also many other things to consider. We must consider how we talk to others. We must consider what we say about others. I really struggle with this one, especially when people make me mad. We are all works in progress so maybe these are things we need to be working on. I know it’s one I need help with.
What scares me is what Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” I’m afraid I could be there a while answering for every idle word.
In Matthew 5:22, Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ (fool) shall be in danger of council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
I don’t know about you, but I know my mouth is my biggest problem. Controlling it is sometimes extremely difficult for me. But Jesus makes it pretty clear that our words are a big deal. Our words flow from what is in our hearts. Unpure hearts will spew unpure words.
Do you need to clean your words up? I know I do. I pray that you will join me because what we say is a big deal to God.
Have a great day!