TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
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
Listen: Luke 6
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Jesus delivers a sobering reality call when he says speech reveals the condition of the heart. He sets up his point by talking about fruit trees. He’s so smart when he says something we all know—that we recognize trees by the fruit they produce. He parallels the ridiculousness of expecting figs to come from thorn bushes with people who claim to have a good heart but lack generous speech. It’s silly to think either could be true.
It is impossible to be generous with our speech and totally self-absorbed at the same time. We usually tear others down when we are self-absorbed. We can be great at rationalizing our behavior to think it is no big deal. But it is a character issue deep down inside. We don’t refer to people as mean-worded, but mean-spirited. Jesus says we wear our heart on our lips. We cannot be self-centered, self-focused or self-protective and be generous with our speech. Generous speech isn’t automatic—we need to develop it. This happens when we put the needs of others in front of our own.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
To become a person of generous speech, we need to change our heart and not just our words. The best way to do this is to have regular conversations with God about it. In your journal, write the question: “How’s Your Heart Today?” Journal honestly with God about that question on a regular basis. Read Day 12 in the book Dream Big, Think Small by Senior Pastor Jeff Manion to learn more about the importance of this journaling activity.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
