The Unfolding

     There is a verse of Scripture in Matthew 12:34 that says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” These were Jesus' words spoken to the Pharisees.

     I have always thought that the heart must think and lo, and behold, I saw a medical program on T.V. that said the heart does think. It sends neurons to the brain telling it what to think and do. Interesting thought isn’t it? The following is the definition for heart in the Strong Concordance. “Heart, mind (seat of thought emotion) The heart was thought to be the seat of the inner self (composed of life, soul, mind and spirit) “Heart’ is similar in meaning to “soul”, but often the “heat” has a focus on thinking and understanding. 

     As I was researching I saw there were many verses that spoke of an evil or wicked heart and in Matthew 15:11 Jesus in answering the scribes and Pharisees who were criticizing Him and the disciples for not following the tradition of the elders, saying “You they said transgress the tradition of the elders, for you do not wash your hands when you eat bread.” So Jesus told them (It’s) “Not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

     There is a lot of venom coming out of some people’s mouths lately. Enough, already! Get over it! Makes you wonder, “just what IS in some people’s hearts.” 

     I think the following is a fitting ending for this article. It’s taken from the Message Bible, in Matthew 12.

     “It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a flight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. “Words can be your solution. Words can also be your damnation.” 

So? What’s in your heart? I like Ephesians 4:29 that says, (paraphrasing) “Let every word (and remember, where do they proceed from) that comes out of your mouth give grace to the heart.”

REPRINT from 3/1/2017 “A Different View”

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