“LORD, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say.”
Psalm 141:3 (NCV) How does God help us manage our mouth? By going directly to the source: the heart. Have you ever said, “I don’t know what got into me—I’m not that kind of person”? Well, the truth is, it wouldn’t be coming out of your mouth if it wasn’t in your heart first. In other words, it’s not your mouth that gets you in trouble; it’s your heart! The stuff that’s inside of you is what comes out. The Bible says, “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (Matthew 12:34 NLT). Your words demonstrate your heart’s condition. That means that someone with a harsh tongue is demonstrating an angry heart. Someone who brags a lot is revealing an insecure heart. A person who is overly talkative has an unsettled heart. Critical words reveal a bitter heart. On the other hand, when you share encouraging words with others, it reveals a joyful heart. When you offer gentle words to people when they’re down, it shows you’ve got a loving heart. If you say kind and comforting words to people, it shows you’ve got a heart of peace. What you say shows what you’re like on the inside. Contamination can only be eliminated at the source. When God helps you control your mouth, he changes you from the inside out. God specializes in heart transplants and is ready to transform anyone who comes to him, no matter what has happened in their past.
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A Teachable Heart, taken from Thoughts From The Diary Of A Desperate Man.
'Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me.' John 13:20 Some argue that they are willing to learn from Jesus, but not from others. Such reasoning is specious and a guise for an un-teachable heart. Jesus said that your willingness to learn from others indicates a willingness to learn from Him. Those unwilling to learn from others are unwilling to learn from Jesus. Learning is always self-initiated. You may teach me, but I must learn. It is grammatically incorrect to say, "You learned me." Responsibility for learning rests with the individual, not the teacher. You must learn to continue building the discipline of a teachable heart. You learn to live and you live to learn. Unused muscles tend to become stiff and atrophy; exercise keeps them strong and limber. One of the ingredients ensuring a strong and limber spiritual life is a teachable heart. View every day as a school day and every relationship as an opportunity to learn. There is no such thing as an accidental encounter. Each person you meet has been sent by God for your edification. The tendency will be that the older you get the less teachable you will become. Few people remain teachable in their old age. When you find them, you know it is because they have prepared themselves to learn and have trained themselves to maintain a learner's heart. You can be one of them if it is important to you. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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