Day 199, Year 1

Is Your Heart Treasuring Good or Evil?

Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Luke 6:45 NASB)

Following up on yesterday’s devotional, some people may ask: If we separate ourselves from all our thoughts, desires, or emotions, then who are we? First, human core value depends on God’s creation and redemption, as endowed and affirmed by Him. If being a human is determined by one’s thoughts, desires, or emotions, then those who are unconscious or whose brains are seriously injured would be considered to be incomplete, even worthless human beings. Thus, what makes humans human should not be defined by one’s thoughts, desires, or emotions. Besides, people’s unbelief is insufficient to deny the fact that humans are created by God, just as no one can deny that they were born to their parents, even if they do not acknowledge them. 

Looking back at today’s verse, Jesus proposed two types of people: the good and the evil, who speak two different kinds of words, respectively. In the preceding passage, He talked about two types of trees and their corresponding fruits. But in fact, good trees could bear bad fruits as well. For example, Peter, who followed Jesus for three years, also denied the Lord under fear and pressure. Pests, malnutrition, damaged branches, etc., can all cause a good tree to bear bad fruit. Similarly, those who intend to do good but bring forth evil or foolishness need to be mindful. 

Today’s verse raises questions about whether the things people often welcome and treasure in their hearts are truly good or evil. It implies that what people usually treasure within them would readily manifest in their speech. Hence, we should pay attention to what we welcome, reject, and treasure in our inner thoughts, as well as what we express. Building on the last paragraph, if we who aspire to do good are about to bring forth evil within, we need to understand the reason behind it. This is one way for us to achieve greater progress in faith. If we realize our foolishness, where does the foolishness come from? As it is often not until adolescence that people have the intellectual ability to deal with the things they accumulated in childhood. Evil things mostly come from parents, friends, teachers, society, etc. After believing in Jesus, these things need to be examined one by one according to His truth, relying on Him to either strengthen, retain, or discard them.

Reflection questions:

1) What do you habitually store up in your heart? Are they more good or more evil, according to Jesus’ words?

2)  Do you need to understand one by one the root causes of the remnants of foolishness, filth, or evil within you? If yes, where is your starting point?