Topics: Heart; Temper; Tongue; Words
References: Matthew 15:17–20; James 3:1–12
I needed to do some last-minute Christmas shopping but was having difficulty finding a parking space. I finally spotted an old couple walking very slowly to their car. I thought, “If I can follow them down the aisle and wait for them to get into their car, that parking space will be mine!” So I waited patiently with my blinker on.
The couple put their gifts in the trunk, and he opened the door for his wife. I thought, “This is no time for chivalry. Get in the car and go!”
They pulled out slowly, and as I was ready to turn in, a beat-up old van pulled in front of me and stole my space. I got out of my car and had a chat with the driver. Had my mother been there, she would have washed my mouth out with soap. I chatted with such interesting words that he backed out of the parking space.
I felt good initially. I thought, “I’m good. I stood up for my rights. I’m pretty feisty.” But then the verse came into my head that says, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’ ” (Matthew 15:18).
The painful truth is that the Bible says the condition of my heart is reflected by what comes out of my mouth and how I live my life. Many days later, I came to the conclusion I was wrong. I told God my actions and words did indeed reflect the condition of my heart, and I wasn’t proud of it.
—Nancy Ortberg, in the sermon “Matters of the Heart,” Willow Creek Church Seeds Tape Ministry, South Barrington, Illinois