Devotional

Mouth Speaks What the Heart is Full of – Luke 6:45

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” – Luke 6:45

Sometimes, it is very hard to remain loving and gentle to everyone we meet. The best thing we can ever do is to give them the benefit of the doubt. What this world is telling us everyday is to normalize bad actions because there might be a good reason behind it. The world will tell us to normalize bad actions and stop romanticizing judgemental persons. However, the Bible is telling us  differently for it is not written to please all of the people but to become our guide, our instructions and our personal communication with God. So, it is harsh, on point and frank. 

Our verse today reminds us of how frank it is and it is really coming from Jesus’ mouth that a good person will produce good actions and good words but a bad person produces bad actions and bad words. Now, as we reflect on that, we are then reminded of how many times we pardoned many people because we think that maybe there is a reason behind it. Even if we admit or not, we are giving many people the benefit of the doubt, wider than we think we are doing. 

The desire to not judge other people based on their words and actions, has led us into compromising what we truly believe. We must remember what Jesus said especially when He said that we can judge a person’s character through looking at their actions and words, just as how we judge a tree, we look at its fruits. If the tree is good, then it bears good fruits, and if the tree is bad, then it produces bad fruits. Just like people, if what is inside their hearts is good, it will produce good actions and good words. While if what is inside of their hearts is bad, it will produce bad actions and bad words. 

Now, it is indeed very challenging for us because if we judge people’s characteristics based on their actions and words, we know that we will see the people we have been pardoning the whole time. In doing so, we are also setting the anger of the world towards us for they will brand us “feeling righteous” for judging other people. However, we must understand that as Christians, it is more important for us to think about what God might see or think about us than what the people of the world think about us. Pleasing God and glorifying His name should be our main priority. 

Therefore, we must really reflect on this and be reminded that the mouth speaks whatever the heart is full of. So if it is full of evil, we can expect people to be saying evil and doing evil. Yet if it is full of goodness and grace of God, it will speak about goodness and do good. Although we can also say that not every Christian speaks good for they still sin, indeed it is true. That is why we must ask God for help to distinguish who is good and who is bad. It is true that Christians still sin but Christians should know that it was bad and will instantly reflect and repent. While the latter will continue to be sinning and will never recognize it as sinning but just something they do because they have “deeper reasons”. 

Indeed we can see here that it is harsh and painful for we cannot judge other people for we are not also perfect. Agreed! However, we must understand that Jesus did not say this for us to be so completely obsessed with judging others, but He wants to remind us that it is not just for others but for ourselves. Jesus said this to make us aware, for our own benefit so that we will assess our personal lives and check if we are a good tree that bears good fruit? Or are we a bad tree that bears bad fruit? Our eyes should not focus on others, but we should focus more on ourselves and check if what comes out from us is good and pleasing to the eyes of the Lord. We must assess ourselves to see that we are not just claiming that we are Christians but not living a changed life. If we are just claiming that we are Christians shallowly but still produce bad fruit, then we are truly not Christians. We are hypocrites and the wrath of God is still in us. 

True Christians, true disciples of Christ will know the deeper understanding of His salvation. Once we know it, our hearts will be full of goodness and grace that it will overflow from us. Therefore, it is Christ’s salvation that will make us good trees, not ourselves. Thus, this just shows that we really assess ourselves and check it everyday and pray to God to fill our hearts with goodness, gratitude and grace so that we will bear good fruit. We must funnel what our mouth should speak for it reflects what is inside us. Let us remember to rebuke instead of compromising but we should do it with love and gentleness.

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