For Whatever Is In Your Heart Determines What You Say.

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For Whatever
Is In
Your Heart Determines What You Say.

Scripture

Matthew 12

… For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.
³⁵ A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

Observation

Kathy calls me the million-dollar man. She isn’t saying that to flatter me even though she does make me feel like a million dollars because she brags on me so much! No, what she did was she added up all of the hospital bills since my heart attack and my surgery and all the repair jobs and treatments now have goes way over the million-dollar mark!

Too bad that while the doctors were in there fixing things that they couldn’t have worked on and repaired my old spiritual heart too.

Over the past few days I have been grouchy and difficult for Kathy to put up with. I blame it on chest pain, but the real problem is my spiritual heart, not my damaged physical heart!

Squeeze a lemon and what do you get – Lemon juice! Squeeze Eddy and what should you get – the Fruit of the Spirit, but lately it has been lemon juice.

It is easy to blame people, it is easy to blame an illness and/or even physical pain, or even blame our rotten behavior on our circumstances, but the truth is that when I act ugly, when I act mean and hateful, and when I am short and cutting with others, it is because I have a spiritual problem!

What it shows me is this: I am selfish. I am a sinner, and when the old Eddy comes out it means that Eddy’s desperately wicked heart is in control!

 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

Here is the first that I want Kathy to remind of this week when I say anything that does not edify or build her up:

Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing.    Proverbs 12:18 

 Application

I will ask the Lord to help me to only say things to Kathy that build her up and not tear her down, or hurt her feelings. Maybe you need to do the same with your spouse, kids, and/or co-workers? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, when I speak to people this week and especially to Kathy may it be evident that Your Holy Spirit is controlling me. What I want to come out is the Fruit of the Spirit, which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:1-2, 10

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14



Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 30,31; 1 Chronicles 10; Matthew 12

Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!