Out of the Heart

I’d like to think that my heart is full of love, but I’m afraid it’s not the only thing in there. Do you ever wonder what is really in your heart? An easy way to tell is to examine what comes out of your mouth when a goal is blocked. If you are cut off in traffic and an expletive pops out, then you have just discovered the contents of your heart. Some would argue that the selfish driver created their anger, but that’s not true. Hate was already in their heart, waiting for an opportunity to spew, like lava boiling in the earth and waiting for a convenient volcano. Jesus put it like this: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 11:34)

The Bible teaches what the Reformers called “total depravity.” This does not mean that we are totally evil, but that every part of us is affected by the disease of sin. James points out how unnatural this is when he writes about our tongues. He says, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?” (James 3:9-11)

Now that I am aware of what is in my heart, I want to be careful about what I reveal. However, hiding the hate in my heart is not the same as removing it. Many are adept at hiding their anger, which is certainly better than letting it fly, but it’s not the same as having a cleansed heart. Controlling anger is something I can learn to do. Erasing it is something only the blood of Jesus can accomplish.