Week 22
Day 148
The Overflow of the Heart
Read Luke 6:45, Colossians 2:6-7, 10

Luke 6:45

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Colossians 2:6-7, 10

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness... and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”

We all understand the concept of overflow. It’s what happens when a child fills a bathtub to the rim and then climbs in. It’s what happens when you fill your coffee cup to the top, then try to carry it down the hall. We’ve all experienced overflow, but what does that have to do with our WORDS? 

In Luke 6:45, Jesus said that our words come out of the overflow of our heart. He is saying that all human languages have a profane component, because all languages come out of dirty human hearts. The sin of our heart is never far from our tongue, and it only takes a little bump for the ugliness that resides there to overflow to those around us. Imagine walking around ALL DAY with an open coffee cup FULL OF BATTERY ACID! Think of the physical damage we would cause to things and people around us. This is the natural state of our heart and speech – Lord, please save us! 

How DO we fix this wickedness? The answer goes beyond self-control – though that is important too! The cure is to ask God to fill your heart with something different! If our speech is to be pure, our HEART must be filled with something (Someone) pure! God has promised us fullness in Christ and as Christ fills you, your words will change. It will happen naturally… they will simply flow!

Recall the last five events where your tongue has hurt someone or got you in trouble. Now, write out what was wrong in your heart that precipitated your speech.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

How would the fullness of Jesus inside of you have made your response different in each instance?

1) 

2)

3)

4)

5)

Memory Verses

Primary Verse

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Luke 6:45
Secondary Verse

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21
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