Spiritually speaking…

You can tell and learn a lot about people by listening to what they talk about, to what excites them, to what they want to tell everyone.  That tells you what is overflowing inside them, what means a lot to them.  And they – and God – can tell a lot about you and me by what we want to share with others as we talk.

Our Savior Yeshua (Jesus) said this and more:

Matthew 12:33-37 --- "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

One would think that especially after sabbath services, we would all be filled with the message we just heard and can’t help but talk about it while we fill our cup of coffee afterwards. You’d think everyone would be talking about something exciting in the message – or, lacking that, that we would be hearing one another discuss spiritual topics, especially on the sabbath.

But Yeshua didn’t differentiate that we speak more spiritually on one day versus other days. He simply teaches that we talk about what fills our hearts.

So again, what do our words tell God and one another about ourselves?

After services, and when we get together, sure – I get this – we have to ask how we all are, ask about the children or any sick relatives. Sure, we have to talk about many other things as well, but sooner or later does our conversation then devolve to the playoffs, or the latest crazy things the Dems or Republicans are doing, or gossip, or NASCAR, or the latest TV shows or movies, or other topics that reveal what really fills our heart?

This blog is simply a gentle wakeup call. We don’t want to be lukewarm Laodiceans. The Son of the living God says their lack of fire and zeal for the things of our God makes him want to puke. Read it for yourselves in Revelation 3. And again, what we are talking about reveals what fills our hearts and minds.

Peter, who prior to the crucifixion had denied his Savior three times, changed after he met his risen Lord. When threatened with beatings and worse – if they continued preaching and talking about the Christ – what did Peter say? It’s our model, frankly.  

Acts 4:20 –“For we are UNABLE to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

And what was Peter’s sermon about on the Day of Pentecost? Read it in Acts 2. It was all about the risen Christ and what that means to all of us. That’s what filled Peter’s heart. That is what should fill OUR hearts.

Click on “Continue reading” to read encouragement to speak up more – day by day, at church services, at home, or with friends about the things of God.

Are you a “closet believer” or “Closet Christian” – one who hides his/her true identity in the Messiah?

And it wasn’t just Peter. I love how John says it:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--….” (1 John 1:1)

This was REAL to him. It was no hoax. Can you feel his godly kind of passion here? Read all 10 verses of 1 John. It is just BRIMMING with JOY and gratitude and bright-eyed amazement of what he’s become a part of.

Can you start to feel and do as John? “…That which we’ve seen and heard we DECLARE to you …”   He’s saying, “I’ve GOTTA share all this with you! I can’t be a closet Christian or Believer! I just cannot!” And his JOY is palpable. You can feel it! You can read it. When we really understand what has been freely given to us, surely we should be overflowing with joy and gratitude and just HAVE to share it!

The early Christians (Acts 11:26) actually spoke about the risen Christ even MORE aggressively when they were forced out of Judea (Acts 8:4; Acts 11:19-21). Their hearts must have been overflowing with that good news.

We’ve just come through the Passover season when God passed over the homes of Israel that had the blood of the Lamb splashed on their door posts and lintels. That must have been a pivotal and dramatic time for the Israelites. We are the Israel of God today and we have the actual, literal blood of the Lamb of God (John 1:29) covering us, and we have passed from death to life, from darkness to glorious light.

Surely, surely we can fill our hearts with this salvation, this joy -- instead of hearts overflowing with the latest NASCAR news, or the playoffs or family gossip and all the things of this world. Surely.

Again, remember the King’s words: we will be judged by what consumes us and what comes out of our hearts, revealed by what we primarily talk about to one another.

If this just isn’t happening or likely to happen, you can take it to the Word of God and ask Jesus the Christ (Anointed One) to give you a new heart that delights in HIM, in His Word and things spiritual.

And then start filling your heart with daily Bible study. DAILY. Seeking God first is essential. Remember the Israelites had to gather their manna – picturing Christ – first thing in the morning, before it got hot and melted (Exodus 16:21). I think that’s a huge root of the problem: we’re not studying His Word nearly enough or regularly enough or early enough. Live by every word of God. Learn new insights. Get Bible “helps” that show you deeper meanings. Don’t get bored with your manna from heaven (Numbers 11:4-6).

For out of the heart the mouth speaks. So fill your heart to overflowing with things of God. What’s your heart like right now? Empty – or overflowing?

There’s little that can come out of a nearly empty vessel.

But an overflowing vessel of living waters has much to share. Out of the abundance of our hearts, our mouths speak. Out of the abundance, not out of the emptiness.

I speak of your heart and mine. Let’s give up our empty vessel hearts for a new one that is filled and renewed daily by the Word of God.

Even this website, www.LightontheRock.org , has many topics and insights that can fill your heart and give you hope in what God has in store for you. Use the over 170 sermons and scores of blogs in here to help you speak of the deeper things that come from God’s living springs of living water that will well up inside us and flow out in what we talk about.

But most of all, spend more time in direct Bible study and prayer, on your knees if you can. Some of you older or injured people have painful knees. God understands that. The Almighty is more interested in our bended hearts than our painful bended knees, IF praying on one’s knees is nearly impossible for some of you. Bow your head, and then bow your heart, as you tell God you come in spirit to him on bended knees and thank and praise him for all his glorious deeds and salvation.

Then let’s ask our God to open our eyes to see his wondrous truths and to give us a desire for dig out the gems hidden and sprinkled throughout his word (Matthew 13:44). Spend daily time seeking FIRST the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

God doesn’t just magically end up at first place in our lives. We have to consciously put God into first place in our lives. Our hearts won’t just somehow be filled with the things of God – unless we are seeking to have our hearts filled.

Sure, I know we have to talk about work, about the family, about what needs to be done today. Sure, we talk about “small talk” as well, we all do. BUT, don’t bottle up what wells up deep inside you when you learn more and more about our great God and of His Christ, who himself is also God, remember! (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:8-9; Romans 2:13-14). He was Immanuel, meaning “GOD with us”. Don’t minimize Christ by giving any credence to the voices that say only God the Father is God alone and thereby diminish the Messiah.

No, we magnify, glorify, laud and talk about God the Father and Yeshua, Son of God. And we – like Peter said – can’t help ourselves; we can’t help but speak of the Christ and all that God is doing for us by HIM and through Christ.

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.