Friday, March 21, 2025

Listen to the Word

The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (Matthew 12:34b-35)

There’s an old saying: what comes up in the bucket is generally what’s down in the well. Jesus says the same thing is true with regard to the connection between your mouth and your heart. What comes out of your mouth reveals what is in your heart. Your speech reveals the condition of your soul.

We might say, “I mess up and say negative, hurtful things sometimes, but I have good heart.” But Jesus says it doesn’t work that way. We might say something ugly and then say, “that wasn’t like me at all” – but Jesus says that was exactly like you. Kind, uplifting words come from healthy heart. Destructive, complaining words come from an unhealthy heart. If you have a mouth problem, it is because you have a heart problem. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Live the Word

Ask Jesus to help you examine the words you have spoken so far today, and ask him to show you what those words reveal about the condition of your heart.