The Abundance of the Heart

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Lk. 6:45). A wise brother in Christ once said, “If you want to know what someone is about, and where they are at, just let them talk.” That is absolutely the truth; people want to say what is in their heart, and usually will if they are given opportunity. This is not something that we want to use as a means of finding fault with someone, but rather as a means of knowing whether we are in the same kind of mind and spirit with them. Amos 3:3 asks a pointed question that can’t be denied: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Solomon observed something even more telling: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Prov. 13:20). The apostle Paul made it clear that the company we keep means much: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (I Cor. 15:33). Even the fact that someone likes talking about God doesn’t necessarily mean that they are edifying anyone around them, as God noted in Isaiah: “Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but NOT IN TRUTH, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name” (Isa. 48:1,2). There are all kinds of reasons that people talk about God, many of which are of no worth whatsoever.

Everything has a spirit that goes along with it, and that includes everything that someone has to say about the Gospel: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17). In fact, anyone that has an edifying spirit is going to be saying everything they have to say with the right kind of spirit, as James noted. But the truth is, anyone is going to gravitate their conversation toward the things that mean the most to them, and they are also going to be doing so in the kind of spirit that means the most to them. This is a very important consideration, for the scripture clearly tells us; “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). In keeping with this article of truth, the scripture right in front of that one shows us who is carnally minded, and who is spiritually minded: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5). So again we see that those who are ‘after the flesh’ are going to prioritize the things of this life, both in their lives and in their conversation. Those who are ‘after the Spirit’ will do likewise. We really can’t help but to be what we are. There’s no way around it. I can also tell you my friend that ‘the things of the Spirit’ are not the things that pertain to the traditions and doctrines of modern Christianity, or of any particular sect thereof. The things of the Spirit as Paul alluded to, are things that pertain to the edifying of the hearts and minds of God’s people in the true faith, and love, and the fear of the Lord. So the answer is to just be ourselves, but to be certain that we truly are ‘one spirit’ with Jesus, so that ‘ourselves’ are the right selves to be (I Cor. 6:17). Amen.