You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 12:34 ESV
I know what you are thinking, "Brood of vipers"? Wow! But stay with me through this. We learn and grow together.
These are pretty strong words from Jesus but the truth is our mouths reveal what’s in our hearts. When WE LISTEN TO OTHERS, we can hear what is in their hearts. In the same way, when OTHERS LISTEN TO US, they can hear what’s in our hearts.
So here are some legitimate questions then:
• What do we talk a lot about?
• What do we focus on?
• Do we criticize and complain or do we encourage?
• Are we pessimistic or hopeful?
• Do our conversations point others to truth?
Our words reveal our relationship with God. Jesus knew this when he said those words in Matthew 12. Head knowledge is different than heart knowledge. We may know all the encouraging truths from scripture to live by but if that’s not what comes out of us then they are just what they are… words.
Let me rephrase this verse in my own words.
For out of the overflow of my relationship with the Lord, His deep love for me and my understanding of that, will my words and actions be.
We should take note also of who we are whether with strangers or family. Are we 2 different people? One who says the right things in public but then in private we speak harshly and critically. That can be very telling to what is truly in our hearts as well.
I know these are hard scriptures to read but they should be all the more motivating us to seek a genuine relationship with our God and not just religion. We desire, and God commands us, to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). There is freedom from the bondage of resentment, discontentment, anger, and defeat when we have truly embraced who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Our human thinking is constantly criticizing and never content but the message Jesus shares is that He has given us our daily bread, we have all we need when we finally understand we are loved for who we are right now and have been since we were formed in our mother's wombs. And this applies to everyone in the world. We can’t earn His love and don’t deserve it, but once that love enters our hearts it can’t help but overflow into all of who we are including what we say! That’s the Jesus we want to experience and the one we want to share!
Father, you are all loving, gracious and so patient with us. Oh, that we would fully come to know, understand, and genuinely embrace that in our lives. You are with us, even this very moment, loving us, wanting nothing more than to draw us closer to you. Thank you! Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to you (Psalm 19:14) as we wholeheartedly walk with you, in your love, every day!
- Amen.
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