What Lies Beneath…
Have you ever given some thought to the power of words? It’s really incredible when you consider how God initially used words to create, to guide, and even to scatter. Since then words have been used to build up and tear down–to create great and momentous stands for truth, and to promote great cowardice and evil. People magically use words to pontificate, to posture, and to propagate ideas, theories, agendas, and everything in between. They draw us to people or they push us away. Words also are what we use to decipher meaning. Take the Rosetta Stone–that one piece of granite had words etched on it in three different languages, and it was the key to unlocking the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Incredible. Words. They are mysterious.
But, there’s more to words, isn’t there? In reality words are simply a reflection of something else. They are a reflection of a message, but it’s got to be more than just that. Yes, at the core of words is a reflection of a messenger. And not just the messenger, but the character of the messenger, the substance of the messenger, and the essence of the messenger. That is why deceitfulness is so insidiously destructive.
Jesus provides clarity on this topic…
“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.”
Matthew 12:34-35
Jesus, rebuking the Pharisees, unveils the reality of our words–they come from the heart. The words we speak, the words others speak, the words that have been spoken throughout history have originated from the heart of a person. They might be flippant, they might be exaggerated, they might even be spoken on behalf of someone else, but in any case they reflect the heart of someone. Behind every word is a source–there is a heart that lies beneath those words…
So, what difference does this make? If what lies beneath words are the heart, who cares? These questions are good questions, and should be asked–and then answered. Two bottom-line reasons why this matters:
- To the skeptic: God will not only look at your words on the day of judgment, but will look at your heart. Were you made a doer of His will? In the final analysis, what you say will be brought into the light, but even your most powerful words will not stand juxtaposed to the condition of your heart. Saying a prayer does not save you. God saves you so that you can say a prayer of repentance and longing for Him. Look to His gospel, to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Transfer your trust for being made right with God from yourself to Jesus.
- To the Christian: Guard your heart so that your words will be established in and used as a promotion of righteousness…
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
According to D.A. Carson, the heart means the whole-person not just emotions or affections. So, when Solomon says, watch over your heart with all diligence, what he is saying in effect is, be careful what or whom you love, be careful what you treasure, be careful what you set your thoughts on, be careful what you let into your mind, put a watch over your wants, take precautions to guard your passions and gazes, take the proactive steps to protect where you invest your life, and so on.
But, why might this matter? It matters, because the heart is the wellspring of life. That word in the Hebrew means the origin of life or original source. And from that point or source the waters depart; or in the case of this discourse, the source from which words flow. Therefore, the heart directs our life–entirely. In other words, your heart determines where you go and what you do–it is your source of life that directs the decisions in your life. Thus, whatever it is that occupies your thought-life, your passions, your emotions, your desires, will shape your life. You are where you are today, your speech is what your speech is today, you spend your time on what you spend your time on today, you think about what you think about today, and you love what you love today because of your heart.
“If above all else you see it to be your duty to guard your heart, that resolve will translate itself into choices of what you read, how you pray, what you linger over. It will prompt self-examination and confession, repentance, and faith, and will transform the rest of your life.” – D.A. Carson
Gospel Truths…
Christ came to die in our place to pay the penalty of our sins so that we would be given a new heart and have fellowship with Him. And it is with this new heart (indwelled by the Holy Spirit and daily walking in the restored fellowship with God) that we are empowered to guard our heart with all diligence…for from it flow the springs of life!
O God, help us!
— March 18, 2016