Today's reading

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. –Luke 6:45 ESV

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117

A Perfect Recipe

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. –Luke 6:45 ESV

There’s no better judge of a person’s heart than the words that come out the mouth. Luke 6:45 says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. By our words, we are either justified or condemned. A tree is judged by its fruit, and words are the fruit of our lips. Idle words are empty, futile, void of life, and can bring pain to others. While words of life, bring joy, encouragement, and refresh the soul. One prayer we should pray each day is, “Father, put a watch over my mouth and a guard over my lips that I might not sin against You.” It would be better not to speak at all, than to use our words as harpoons to inflict pain on others. However, we can exercise self-control and determine in our hearts to use our words as a healing balm instead of as a harpoon. By refusing to break off a piece of our pain cookie and give to another, we can build up, encourage, and speak life into them. When we season our words with grace, steep them in love, and baste them with forgiveness, it’s a recipe for perfect peace. Martha Stewart couldn’t do it better.

prayer focuses

Begin each day praying Psalm 141:3 (NIV), “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

” Holy Spirit, help me notice when I am speaking words that are contrary to the Word of God. Help me to season all my words with grace.

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about the

Author

Brenda Beattie

Brenda Beattie is a retired letter carrier and an active Chaplain for the USPS. She and her husband retired to Bradenton because they loved their church, Bayside Community Church. She has self-published two books, "Finding Sacred Ground In The Daily Grind," and "The Case Of The Missing Letter." She is also a repeat author for "Chicken Soup For The Soul." Her articles appear monthly in the "Mountaineer," a postal publication. Her hearts desire is to encourage and to give hope.