You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.†Matthew 12:34-35 (NIV)
I have continued to meditate on my pastor’s words and John Wesley’s this week. Remember the three rules for Christian living that Wesley listed?
1. Do no harm.
2. Do good.
3. Attending upon all the ordinances of God.
My pastor had some difficult questions for me also. Today I am looking at two more:
Am I seeking to bring God’s goodness into everything I do? And is loving God a focus of my life? I am adding two others that have been on my heart today: Am I allowing GOD’S love to fill me? Do I accept His love?
I believe that I must allow and accept God’s love into my own heart before I can bring it into the life of others and have it be a focus of my life. Remember the two greatest commandments that Jesus gave? Love God and love your neighbor as yourself? Too often I grab the “love God†and “love others†and forget or discount the last. Too often I allow the rewind button on the negative words spoken about me by people that I love to be played over and over. God wants to tell me the truth of TODAY. God wants to show me where He has brought me—not rehash the mistakes of the past. Even Paul said that we can but begin to know how much God loves us. (Ephesians 3:14-21) But what a wonderful journey to receiving the love of God!
Worship is a wonderful way to give AND receive God’s love! As I speak/sing my love and thankfulness, praise Him for ALL that He is – He shows Himself. And where God is – there is His love!
Obedience is a wonderful way to give AND receive God’s love! As I walk/answer God’s call, we are together and, again, where God is – there is His love!
Bringing God’s goodness into all that I do means that I bring God’s excellence, His virtue.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV, my emphasis)
It feels like I have come full circle in my meditation. I started thinking about the ‘evil’ that I allow to creep into my life through my choices. God has given me everything that I need to escape the corruption or ‘infection’ of evil. God has given me promises and has saved me by his goodness and that ‘goodness’ is an infection that I want to catch and pass along to others. I want it to overflow out of my heart and be spoken out of my mouth!
