Make Over My Mouth Project 2012: Day 6

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:34b NIV

Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart. Picture an overflowing cup. What is running out of the cup? Whatever is being poured into it. 

And what I am pouring into my heart will eventually come out. The Greek word translated as overflow means abundance, what one delights in and what fills the heart. What I delight in and what I am interested in will naturally be what I talk about. (Just ask all my friends who have patiently looked at dozens of pictures of my grandsons!) 

In order to improve my speech, I need to examine my interests because they will direct what I put in my heart. And what I pour in my heart will eventually flow out.

So I ask myself:

Am I pouring good things into my heart so that what overflows will be positive, noble, holy, and God-pleasing?

Are the things I delight in the things God wants to fill my heart?

We all need to pay attention to what comes out of our mouths and determine the source of our words.

• Are angry words coming out because of what is going on in your heart? Do you need to speak to a counselor or sit down with a friend and work things out?
• Are you cutting others down because you don’t feel valuable? Read God’s Word (especially Song of Songs 4:7; Isaiah 43:4, 62:5; Zephaniah 3:17) to discover how precious you are to Him.
• Are complaining words escaping your lips? Maybe TV commercials and ladies’ magazines are breeding discontentment in your heart. It might be time to change what you watch or read.

May your heart overflow with joy and your mouth spill out the blessings!