Friday August 16, 2024
Matthew 12:34
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
When Jesus speaks to us about our sins, He always directs our attention inward.
Our words reflect our heart-life, He says. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
The great amount of false, flattering, wheedling talk of our day corroborates this. The falseness of people’s hearts comes to expression in their false words.
If you will give heed to your words, if not for more than one day, you will learn to know the condition of your heart. Because there is this inner connection between our words and our hearts, Jesus speaks to us with such earnestness about our tongues.
Let us listen to Him carefully as He speaks, and prove ourselves.
The generation of Christians to which we belong is a superficial and thoughtless generation. We could perhaps without exaggeration use an even stronger expression: a frivolous generation. I believe that our speech is irrefutable proof of this.
The Christians of the past generation were quite different in their daily speech and in their social relationships; they were exceedingly careful. They took cognizance of Jesus’ statement about every idle word. There was a certain seriousness and dignity about them in all their ways and in all their conversation.
Our generation of Christians thinks that the older Christians were too serious and legalistic. Whereupon they proceed to show their Christian liberty in their associations with others and in their speech. And, it is true, a Christian should be happy and jovial. However, the line between joviality and frivolity is not always easy to observe. And then we have so much nonsense and worldliness, so much thoughtless and frivolous speech, when Christians meet. Both among the clergy and the laity.
Lord, forgive us! Lord, teach Thou us how to speak!
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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