Nice & Wavy
Well-Known Member
Matthew 12:33-37 I thought this was a good read!
This is a strong statement from our Savior! The fundamental question is: "How Christ-like is our speech?" This is just one area out of the whole of our behavior. We will be judged for every word, even the idle ones that we may just toss off in a time of weakness or when joking around with friends. That is a pretty strict judgment.
Jesus speaks here in black-and-white terms. The tree (meaning the person) is either good—producing good fruit—or he is bad and produces bad fruit. Which are we—the good or the bad tree?
In verse 34, He says, "Out of the abundance of the heart we speak"—and we could add, "and act." Jesus says in Matthew 15:17-18 that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. What comes out of a person will be either good things like service, love, kindness, and other fruits of the spirit, or bad things, the works of the flesh, which He names there.
So, what will it be with us? What is the abundance of our heart?
The picture here is that the heart is a kind of vessel—a bowl—and things are poured into the heart. At a certain point, the vessel will overflow, and an abundance will come out of it. What comes out of our heart—this bowl or vessel—will expose the characteristics of the heart.
When we pour information into our minds, we process it. For a while, it stays in the bowl, as it were, and becomes mixed with what has been put there before. Our minds work on it for a while, and over time, it begins to gel into certain ideas. Once our minds are full, ideas break out in words, plans, and behaviors. Evil thoughts within, evil speech and/or works without. Or, we can put it the other way around—godly, kind, Christ-like thoughts within, godly, kind, Christ-like speech and/or works without.
What breaks out of our hearts? We have to answer that ourselves. Do we have profane minds that spew out profane speech? Or, is it "on [our] tongue is the law of kindness" (Proverbs 31:26) because behind our tongues are pure and kind hearts?
This is vitally important because "by those words" we will either be justified or condemned. Our thoughts are just precursors to our speech and action.
So, where do we stand in relation to this line that Jesus Christ our Savior, our High Priest and Judge, has drawn? Are we a good tree or a bad one?
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James 3: 1-12
In a small town in England, a woman came to her pastor to tell him that God had been convicting her about the sin of gossip. She confessed that she had been telling other people’s stories for years and she was now feeling compelled to make amends. The Pastor, being a wise man, told the woman to take a feather and place it on the doorstep of each home that she had gossiped about.
The woman did as she was told and then returned to her pastor. The pastor then told her to retrieve all of the feathers she had placed and bring them to him. She tried to do as she was told and after several days returned to her pastor unsuccessful. She explained to him that when she had tried to retrieve the feathers she could not for they had all blown away.
The pastor paused and then explained to the woman that the feathers were like gossip. Once the gossip has been placed, there is no retrieving it. The damage has been done.
Speaking carelessly may seem harmless at the moment. We may even feel we need to get whatever it is we are thinking "off of our chest" as we say. But once it is out it cannot be retrieved and the damage is done.
This is a strong statement from our Savior! The fundamental question is: "How Christ-like is our speech?" This is just one area out of the whole of our behavior. We will be judged for every word, even the idle ones that we may just toss off in a time of weakness or when joking around with friends. That is a pretty strict judgment.
Jesus speaks here in black-and-white terms. The tree (meaning the person) is either good—producing good fruit—or he is bad and produces bad fruit. Which are we—the good or the bad tree?
In verse 34, He says, "Out of the abundance of the heart we speak"—and we could add, "and act." Jesus says in Matthew 15:17-18 that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. What comes out of a person will be either good things like service, love, kindness, and other fruits of the spirit, or bad things, the works of the flesh, which He names there.
So, what will it be with us? What is the abundance of our heart?
The picture here is that the heart is a kind of vessel—a bowl—and things are poured into the heart. At a certain point, the vessel will overflow, and an abundance will come out of it. What comes out of our heart—this bowl or vessel—will expose the characteristics of the heart.
When we pour information into our minds, we process it. For a while, it stays in the bowl, as it were, and becomes mixed with what has been put there before. Our minds work on it for a while, and over time, it begins to gel into certain ideas. Once our minds are full, ideas break out in words, plans, and behaviors. Evil thoughts within, evil speech and/or works without. Or, we can put it the other way around—godly, kind, Christ-like thoughts within, godly, kind, Christ-like speech and/or works without.
What breaks out of our hearts? We have to answer that ourselves. Do we have profane minds that spew out profane speech? Or, is it "on [our] tongue is the law of kindness" (Proverbs 31:26) because behind our tongues are pure and kind hearts?
This is vitally important because "by those words" we will either be justified or condemned. Our thoughts are just precursors to our speech and action.
So, where do we stand in relation to this line that Jesus Christ our Savior, our High Priest and Judge, has drawn? Are we a good tree or a bad one?
---------------------------------------
James 3: 1-12
In a small town in England, a woman came to her pastor to tell him that God had been convicting her about the sin of gossip. She confessed that she had been telling other people’s stories for years and she was now feeling compelled to make amends. The Pastor, being a wise man, told the woman to take a feather and place it on the doorstep of each home that she had gossiped about.
The woman did as she was told and then returned to her pastor. The pastor then told her to retrieve all of the feathers she had placed and bring them to him. She tried to do as she was told and after several days returned to her pastor unsuccessful. She explained to him that when she had tried to retrieve the feathers she could not for they had all blown away.
The pastor paused and then explained to the woman that the feathers were like gossip. Once the gossip has been placed, there is no retrieving it. The damage has been done.
Speaking carelessly may seem harmless at the moment. We may even feel we need to get whatever it is we are thinking "off of our chest" as we say. But once it is out it cannot be retrieved and the damage is done.
I gave you 5 stars sis!
.......................nice and wavy i am giving the thread the maximum stars. This is a great thread, thanks
