MAY OUR GOOD WORDS AND OUR HEARTS MATCH

Proclamation:

"These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.  They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Matthew 15:8-9 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, and recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  In response to some Pharisees who had questioned the behavior of His disciples, Jesus said that the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah was right when he prophesied about them saying that they were honoring God with their words, but their words did not reflect what was in their hearts. (Isaiah 29:13)

Application:
We need to be very careful when we speak.  God knows exactly what is in our heart, how we really feel, and what we truly believe.  It is not good for us to say one thing when we actually believe differently. (Mark 7:6)  Maybe we should just say "yes" when we mean yes and say "no" when we mean no, and not say very much else. (Matthew 5:37 and James 5:12)  We talk a lot and frequently say things to impress people.  The more we talk, the more likely we are to say something that is offensive to God.  If we truly believe in The Lord God, then our thoughts, words, and actions should reflect our beliefs.  It is sinful when we say something, knowing that we really believe something totally different.  Let's be true to our belief in God, let's make sure that our good words and our hearts match each other.

WE SPEAK THAT WHICH IS IN OUR HEARTS

Proclamation:

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.  People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."  Luke 6:43-45 (NIV)

Explanation:

These Holy Spirit inspired words were written by Luke, the physician and traveling companion and recorder for the Apostle Paul.  He wrote that good fruit does not come from bad trees, and bad fruit does not come from good trees.  Likewise, the same is true for people.  The good or evil that is in a man's heart will come out of his mouth.

Application:

For as a man thinks, so is he. (Job 24:13-17)  "We may not be all that we think we are, but what we think, we are." (Author Unknown)  It has been said that it is not what a man does when others are watching him that determines his character, but it is what he does when he is alone and thinks that no one sees him that determines who he really is.  We should be mindful of the fact that God sees all that we do (Job 34:21) and He knows our intentions. (Matthew 9:4 and Hebrew 4:12)  Since it is also possible to sin by thinking sinful thoughts, ( Matthew 5:28) we need to ask God to cleanse us of all of our sins and to forgive us for our sinful actions, words, and thoughts.  We need for Him to create within us a clean heart and a clean mind. (Psalm 51:10)  That is why we should pray like King David prayed, that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable in the sight of God. (Psalms 19:14)