By Jerry D. Ousley
Have you ever been guilty of speaking before you think? If you answer that honestly, I’m certain the answer would be, “Yes.” I know it is for me.
We are quick to express our belief, conviction, or opinion. But we aren’t always right, are we? Of course not.
Jesus addressed the words that we speak in Matthew 12:34-37, which says, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
We need to be careful when speaking about this subject. I know, that I have been in the presence of people who are so insistent on saying just the right thing that I was nearly afraid to say anything. If it wasn’t always positive, or what they thought were good words, you were in immediate danger of being corrected. It is frustrating being around someone like that.
What Jesus was addressing when He spoke these words is made clear in the verses just before those we quoted. In Matthew 12:33 He said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”
Ah, yes, He’s talking about our life and attitudes. Not that we are so guarded that we always say only what is good, but that our lives will reflect our good.
When we go to an apple tree, if it is in season for ripe fruit, we expect to find good, crispy, and juicy apples. That is an example of our own lives. Not that we are so positive that we are annoying, but that when we encounter people, they are glad to be around us. We are encouraging, happy, and fun to be around. When we give advice, it is good advice that builds up others, not tear them down.
We don’t want to go around saying that everything in our lives is always good, happy, prosperous and bringing sunshine and daisies. Life happens. Bad things do happen to good people. We don’t lie and say that things are great when our lives are falling apart.
But on the other hand, we don’t want to be like Winnie the Pooh’s donkey friend, Eeyore, who always complains and always looks at the negative side. We don’t want to have a nice susshiny day and say, “I wish we had some rain to cool things off,” then when it rains, say, “Rain again! Don’t we ever get a sunshiny day?”
We’ve all heard the old adage, “Garbage in – garbage out.” It refers to what we are putting into our minds. If all we cram in our heads is garbage then guess what comes out? Yep … garbage. But we also are allowed to be entertained.
My late wife, Debbie, used to say that what is on the inside will eventually come out. And folks, she was right. What we are thinking about, what we silently believe, and what we are suspicion others of, will one day find itself being articulated in words coming from our mouths.
Is there a cure for these flaws in us? Yes, there is. It first must be addressed in our lives. Is what we are thinking, what we are believing, actually the truth? Can we find Biblical support for our opinion? Are we right or are we just justifying our wrong?
Being honest with ourselves must always come first. Once we know the answer to these things, and only then, should we tactfully address the situation with others.
When we let it come out in the right way, then we are bringing treasures from our hearts. But when we speak before we know or think, we usually erupt with evil. Sorry, just the way it is.
The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he …” What’s going on inside is who we are. Will we spew evil things or will we give treasure with our words?
What’s inside of us, that’s what we are talking about!
—————
Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional," and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.
Have you ever been guilty of speaking before you think? If you answer that honestly, I’m certain the answer would be, “Yes.” I know it is for me.
We are quick to express our belief, conviction, or opinion. But we aren’t always right, are we? Of course not.
Jesus addressed the words that we speak in Matthew 12:34-37, which says, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
We need to be careful when speaking about this subject. I know, that I have been in the presence of people who are so insistent on saying just the right thing that I was nearly afraid to say anything. If it wasn’t always positive, or what they thought were good words, you were in immediate danger of being corrected. It is frustrating being around someone like that.
What Jesus was addressing when He spoke these words is made clear in the verses just before those we quoted. In Matthew 12:33 He said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”
Ah, yes, He’s talking about our life and attitudes. Not that we are so guarded that we always say only what is good, but that our lives will reflect our good.
When we go to an apple tree, if it is in season for ripe fruit, we expect to find good, crispy, and juicy apples. That is an example of our own lives. Not that we are so positive that we are annoying, but that when we encounter people, they are glad to be around us. We are encouraging, happy, and fun to be around. When we give advice, it is good advice that builds up others, not tear them down.
We don’t want to go around saying that everything in our lives is always good, happy, prosperous and bringing sunshine and daisies. Life happens. Bad things do happen to good people. We don’t lie and say that things are great when our lives are falling apart.
But on the other hand, we don’t want to be like Winnie the Pooh’s donkey friend, Eeyore, who always complains and always looks at the negative side. We don’t want to have a nice susshiny day and say, “I wish we had some rain to cool things off,” then when it rains, say, “Rain again! Don’t we ever get a sunshiny day?”
We’ve all heard the old adage, “Garbage in – garbage out.” It refers to what we are putting into our minds. If all we cram in our heads is garbage then guess what comes out? Yep … garbage. But we also are allowed to be entertained.
My late wife, Debbie, used to say that what is on the inside will eventually come out. And folks, she was right. What we are thinking about, what we silently believe, and what we are suspicion others of, will one day find itself being articulated in words coming from our mouths.
Is there a cure for these flaws in us? Yes, there is. It first must be addressed in our lives. Is what we are thinking, what we are believing, actually the truth? Can we find Biblical support for our opinion? Are we right or are we just justifying our wrong?
Being honest with ourselves must always come first. Once we know the answer to these things, and only then, should we tactfully address the situation with others.
When we let it come out in the right way, then we are bringing treasures from our hearts. But when we speak before we know or think, we usually erupt with evil. Sorry, just the way it is.
The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he …” What’s going on inside is who we are. Will we spew evil things or will we give treasure with our words?
What’s inside of us, that’s what we are talking about!
—————
Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional," and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.
