Speak From Your Heart

It flowed from my fingers, just a few days ago, and it has not left my thinking.

I wonder what our personal world would be like
if we would speak life from our attitude
instead of death from our tongue.
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Of course, this thought comes directly from the words of Jesus, and the context is larger, but his warning instructs us that the the words we speak, and how we choose to use flow from the heart. And that’s the core of the matter. (Matthew 12:33-37)

The heart is deceitfully wicked…who can know it? Only one.

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD,
and whose hope the LORD is.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters,
and that spreadeth out her roots by the river,
and shall not see when heat cometh,
but her leaf shall be green;
and shall not be careful in the year of drought,
neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:
who can know it?
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” 
 Jeremiah 17:7-10 (KJV)

This is why, even when we think someone is speaking from the heart, we simply do not know the contents of another person’s heart.

Equally, our attitude does not always match our words. We can use smarmy language to bamboozle even the best, but God knows. Always know.

Here’s My Thought Today

It was back in the beginning, you know. Adam. Eve. Cain. Able. It’s after expulsion from the garden, and somewhere in the recent past, paradise. What was it like? I can only surmise. But now, labor, hard and heavy, trying to find new ways to please God.

But the sin of pride that began in the garden carried forward to the next generation. Cain, a farmer, did not have the approval of God at sacrifice time. Abel, a Shepard, had God’s approval. Anger flowed from the rejected toward the accepted. Hmmm…. It sounds like Human Nature!

“The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?
And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.
Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”” 
 Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV)

There was something wrong with Cain’s offering. I’m not here to delve into this, but it seems he knew better but did not do anything about it. God talks to Cain and warns him about sin, crouching as a tiger might crouch, just outside the door. Which door? His home? Heart? Daily life? Or even the place of sacrifice?

My focus revolves around this. Everywhere you turn, at your very next step, their is right at your feet a crouching devilish sin just waiting to pounce. You may wish one thing, but it’s desire is its own.

What is the status of your attitude? You know, that ver core of your being? Your words may not match your attitude, good or bad, but the attitude wins out!

Watch Out! You have the power to Rule over it!

Making Wrong, Right

We are constantly reminded how we are to live. A constant battle of what we ingest against what we face in life. A constant rejection of what comes against us, and living on the internal presence of God that gives us ability to stand up to the enemy.

What’s not right? It’s that never ending feeling of not being able to live right.

If it were all about attitude, then how does scripture direct us?

Think about Jesus teaching the “Beatitudes” – not even a word found in the scripture, but it simply means “blessedness”, and we know Jesus is telling us how to be blessed. (Matthew 5:1-12)

We must contain and exhibit the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), let the gifts of the spirit reign (1 Corinthians 12), and finally, express Faith, Hope and Charity in all we do (1 Corinthians 13).

Is this all? No. But it’s a good start! These are all expressions of life following the path of Christ. But did you notice? Most of the instructions came from a man who was not part of the original set of disciples! Paul, was an apostle to the Gentiles as appointed by Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1, 11:13).

What comes from the original disciples?

After all, did not they write words to cement our view of how we are to live in Christ? Sure. They were simply not as robust as Paul, nor was their audience as trained as the Jews to understand the Word of God.

Peter gives us characteristics of an effective and productive life (2 Peter 1:5-8). James tells us how we are to speak, and not speak. Very key! (James 3:10) From John we learn about our walk and words.

“This then is the message which we have heard of him,
and declare unto you,
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”  
1 John 1:5-10 (KJV)

This morning. I’m thinking about attitude, and speaking from our attitude, and not letting our tongue speak Death from our emotions.

Learning to do better is always with us.

Will we accept this challenge? Work on making the inside better, and let what we produce be from the pattern of Christ which we claim to be.