THE
MOUTH DIVULGES THE HEART
BREAD
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree
bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You
brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the
overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The
good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man
brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I
tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every
careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be
acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37 (NIV)
10 Jesus
called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and
understand. 11 What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but
what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” Matthew 15:10-11 (NIV)
3 When
we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the
whole animal. 4 Or
take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong
winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small
part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is
set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the
parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his
life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:3-6 (NIV)
26 If
anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his
tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 1:26 (NIV)
9 “And
you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with
wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive
behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you
forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
9 For
the eyes of the Lord range
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to
him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)
30 The
mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. 31 The law of his God is in his
heart; his feet do not slip. Psalms
37:30-31 (NIV)
24 Pleasant
words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 (NIV)
14 May
the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalms 19:14 (NIV)
BUTTER
“There must be a practical outworking of our
faith here in this present world, or it will never endure in the world to
come. We need fewer words and more charitable works; less palaver and
more pity; less repetition of creed and more compassion.” Billy Graham
“Each day offers us an
opportunity to build or to tear down. We do both with our actions, attitudes,
and most of all, with our words. Wherever you are today, the critical question
to ask yourself is, ‘Am I building or am I tearing down?’ We build our legacy
one choice and one day at a time. Hudson Taylor once wrote that there are three
phases to any impossible project, ‘Impossible...difficult...done!’” Donna Evans
“Words and ideology on a page are cheap. Grace and incarnating the love of Christ isn’t.” Ann Voskamp
“The most important thing in life isn’t what we think about ourselves or what others think about us, but what God thinks about us. He is the final Judge. When He examines and evaluates our motives, words, and actions, are we commended, as was Abel, or are we condemned, as was his brother Cain? ‘The Lord does not look at the things man looks at,’ God told the prophet Samuel. ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7). Warren Wiersbe
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Mother Teresa
“Cold words freeze
people, hot words scorch them, and bitter words make them bitter. Kind words produce their image on men’s
souls; and a beautiful image it is.”
Blaise Pascal
“Though it might be easier to say nothing, how much better to say something. To get our focus off ourselves and on others. To look for ways to lift up rather than tear down. To whisper words from God and bring refreshment to a parched soul.” Liz Curtis Higgs
“On Him
then reckon, to Him look, on Him depend:
and be assured that if you walk with Him, look to Him and expect help
from Him, He will never fail you. An
older brother, who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this,
says for your encouragement that He has never failed him. In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest
trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but
because I was enabled by His grace to trust in Him, He has always appeared for
my help. I delight in speaking well of
His Name.” George Mueller
“--Blazingly,
Jesus illustrated this with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). No self-respecting Jew of that time would
speak to a Samaritan. But Jesus, caring
more for the person than the tradition, knew she had an unquenched thirst. He sought her out, found common ground -- and
the rest is history. It’s a model I’m
seeing lived out all around me - people finding common ground, taking risks,
running toward instead of away from threat. Being brave to love and heal and bless -- no
matter the cost to self. Daring to hold back, or to step in to forge a way for
peace, stem a destructive tide, or build a river in a desert. I’m seeing that being salt and light means
engaging our world precisely where we are placed. Wherever we find ourselves,
there, living simply, profoundly, giving our best at all times for Jesus’ sake.
Upfront or behind the scenes, whether
like me you are a helper, or whether you are a leader; a doctor, an executive,
a parent, a principal, a granny or a golfer, it matters not -- only that we are
givers and love at all times.” Paula Kirby
HEART
SAVOR
- · My words matter – they can soften a heart or break one.
- · I want my words to be healing and pleasant – this please God.
- · My words are merely the overflow of my heart (ugh!).
