"As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man." (Proverbs 27:19 NAS95)
What is in you heart will come out in words and in actions. Jesus uses parables to teach his disciples that he has called in the character that is needed to follow him in Luke 6.
"For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.
44 "For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.
45 "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. [1]
Therefore what is in your heart will be evident in your life. The fruit of your labors and the words of your mouth reflect this. This is why the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 19:4, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer." This is after one has confessed known sins and asks God to seek his heart and to reveal his hidden faults before him. This is needed for as Jeremiah 17:9-10 shows us, "That the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds."
This leads to ask then what can I do to strengthen my hearts condition? The answer is the obedience to God's word. We need to be doers and not hearers only. This will lead to seeing the good fruit in ones life and the words reflecting what is in ones heart. This should lead us to liking what we see. God's word will help us to see what we may not like about ourselves and help us to see where we can grow and be better followers of Jesus Christ.
Reflection Questions:
1. Where is my treasure? What is my treasure?
2. How do others see me? Do I see myself this way?
3. What sins and faults to do I need to bring before the Lord to repent?
[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Lk 6:43–45. All scripture will be NASB unless noted differently.
