Key Passage
"If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good then it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it makes. You snakes! You are evil people! How can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. A good person has good things saved in his heart. And so he speaks the good things that come from his heart. But an evil person has evil saved in his heart. So he speaks the evil things that come from his heart."
— Matthew 12:33-35 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
Blasphemy is what you would expect from Jesus' opponents, because their hearts are evil. They have demonstrated this again and again by their actions. But what about us? Is there a cynical, fault-finding heart that is always skeptically looking to cut down those who do good things? Is there an arrogant, hypocritical heart that allows us to find the faults in others but not deal with our own? Is there an undiscerning, rebellious heart that allows us to see no need for standards or morals? We must remember that our mouths speak of what is in our hearts. Our deeds display the values of our hearts. We must guard our hearts and seek after truth, and in particular, seek after Jesus.
Prayer
Purify my heart, O God, so that I may faithfully and honorable serve you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures
The most important thing is for you to be careful in the things you think. Your thoughts control your life. Don't bend the truth and say things that are not right. Don't tell lies. Don't let yourself turn away from the good and wise goals that are before you. Be very careful what you do. Live a good life. Don't leave the straight path—the way that is good and right. But always turn away from evil.
— Proverbs 4:23-27
The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, "If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures say." Jesus was talking about the {Holy} Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet {died and} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.
— John 7:37-39
Good advice is like getting water from a deep well. But a wise person will try hard to learn from another person.
— Proverbs 20:5
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
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"If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good then it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it makes. You snakes! You are evil people! How can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. A good person has good things saved in his heart. And so he speaks the good things that come from his heart. But an evil person has evil saved in his heart. So he speaks the evil things that come from his heart."
— Matthew 12:33-35 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
Blasphemy is what you would expect from Jesus' opponents, because their hearts are evil. They have demonstrated this again and again by their actions. But what about us? Is there a cynical, fault-finding heart that is always skeptically looking to cut down those who do good things? Is there an arrogant, hypocritical heart that allows us to find the faults in others but not deal with our own? Is there an undiscerning, rebellious heart that allows us to see no need for standards or morals? We must remember that our mouths speak of what is in our hearts. Our deeds display the values of our hearts. We must guard our hearts and seek after truth, and in particular, seek after Jesus.
Prayer
Purify my heart, O God, so that I may faithfully and honorable serve you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures
The most important thing is for you to be careful in the things you think. Your thoughts control your life. Don't bend the truth and say things that are not right. Don't tell lies. Don't let yourself turn away from the good and wise goals that are before you. Be very careful what you do. Live a good life. Don't leave the straight path—the way that is good and right. But always turn away from evil.
— Proverbs 4:23-27
The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, "If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures say." Jesus was talking about the {Holy} Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet {died and} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.
— John 7:37-39
Good advice is like getting water from a deep well. But a wise person will try hard to learn from another person.
— Proverbs 20:5
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
