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A Thousand Words Paint A Picture...


Matthew 12:35-37 (NLT)
35 "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

 What do a man's words say about his heart? What do your words say about you? My words aren't always perfect. I'll readily admit my flaws and imperfection and am continually grateful for the Lord's grace. But as the work of His transforming me continues, I become ever more conscious of my words. If the words that come from our mouths identify the content of our heart, how very important it is to take care in what we say... 

 Thankfully, as we draw nearer to witness Christ's perfection, we become more aware of our own imperfections and find Him ready to work in us as we're willing to confess our weakness and really surrender ourselves to the correcting and transforming power of His work in us. But taking the time to see Christ's perfection and who He actually is as a person requires an effort that not everyone makes. His words paint a revealing picture of not only of who He is as a person and what His heart cries out for, but of Father God's heart also...

 John 14:9-10 (NLT) 9"Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me."

 If it's true that our words taken together, say something deeper, something more intimately revealing about who we really are, then is it not also true that words would speak more clearly the content of the heart of the God who created us? If what comes out of us paints a true portrait of what lies within us, then Jesus words not only instruct and guide us, but they paint for us a picture of who He really is - one that's critically important for us to see and to know. Words without a purpose are useless, but everything that Jesus said served critically important purpose - not only for our education and direction, but in His telling us about Himself and His heart. Both are critically important, but taking the time to know and truly fall in love intimately with the heart of God isn't something that everyone does. To know Him is to love Him... both intimately and infinitely.

 Jesus words to us are so important for us to acknowledge toward our growth and guidance, but look also at the heart behind them. As one tiny example consider a portion of Jesus' sermon on the mount and consider the heart revealed...
Matthew 5:3-10 (NLT)
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."

 Scripture tells us that God is love...

 1 John 4:16-17 (NLT) 16 "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world."

 So as we the redeemed stand in His grace, can we use these words in some way to reveal a portion of Father God's heart - remembering that He is Holy God?

 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) 4 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

 If you work to find yourself able to see Jesus' heart, then you've seen the heart of Father God. The kindness, the mercy, the compassion and love are all a part of who Father God is, but He is also holy, righteous and just and cannot defy those characteristics of His person either. As we begin to understand His heart and who He is, we begin to understand His movements and other things that He's said. That revelation begins to bring so many other things that we desperately want to understand more clearly into clearer focus. But it takes a desire and an effort on our part. 

 Reading the New Testament to help understand our Lord's heart and then going back to read the Old Testament - even if you've read it before, will begin to give you a much clearer understanding of His movements... and His heart in them. If you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father also.

 To know Him is to love Him desperately, but to know Him requires an effort to use what He's made available for that very purpose - what He's revealed through His many words. To know a few words from the mouth of a person is to see only an incomplete and possibly erroneous representation of a true picture. But Father God is desperate for us to know Him and has made amazing effort for us to know Him. If we don't truly know Him through what He's so obviously made available, it's only because we didn't make the effort ... and how will He view that when we see Him face to face - when we come to that day when the only thing that will matter is our relationship with Him? It's a certain thing that to know Him is to love Him. Do you know Him?
Micah 6:8 (NLT) "No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."





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