How Others See Our Heart.

Matthew 12:33-37
33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36B ut I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Sometimes it's sad at how much we judge other people. Sure, our claims may be true, but in reality, many times they may be false. When I think of judging someone I think of it being a first impression. However, day in and day out once you see someone speak or do something, it's easier to see what makes them tick. At that point, you can almost read them between their bumper stickers, for example, language, or how they respond to certain situations. They may have a good sense of humor, they may live a relaxing lifestyle, or they may be environmentally friendly. This form of judgment can take some investigative work or it can be completely preliminary, but is it really accurate?

Well whether or not it's accurate isn't so important. We all need to have intentions to watch what we say and do because in the end the world is going to judge you everyday. That's a fact. Of course, God's fair judgment will come another day, but that's a whole different topic. You just don't want a nasty rumor going around about you.

Jesus tells us that the words that come out of our mouth speak to others by telling them where our heart is. Are you holding a grudge? This resilience is without a doubt going to appear embedded within your language or even your temper. Then, there's always our friends who are the scapegoat; we use them to release our anger even though we're not really mad at them.

Make your tree bear good fruit and you won't have to worry about doing or saying the wrong thing. Be open to compassion, forgiveness, love, and grace toward others. If we get rid of the bad fruit, our words and actions can be more inspiring and encouraging toward one another much like Jesus would do.

How do your words and actions speak the nature of your heart to others? Give all the bad stuff to God. Lord, replace these qualities with the kind ones.

Here's the song "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" by Relient K. It's not really a good worship song, but I think it teaches an important lesson.



P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause. P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.