“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37, ESV)
We have all heard the lie: “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” We recognize that words have great power. They can hurt or heal. But just as much as my words can hurt someone else, Jesus says my words can be spiritually damaging to me as well.
You see, the words that I say tell what is truly in my heart. People will often try to apologize for something they’ve said by making a statement like: “I spoke without thinking.” What they do not realize is what that statement says about them. It means that whatever dirty, foul, rotten, or mean thing that was said was what was actually in their heart. It is the true reaction of the heart.
It is sad how many times you hear an individual who claims to love God use his name as a curse. Or to hear one who is supposed to bear the love of Christ spout such foul expressions as are found on the tongues of the most ungodly people. What they do not realize is that they are showing their true selves before God and man. Jesus shows that a man who is truly good will not be found cursing and swearing, realizing that everyone will be held accountable for the things they say.
What are your words saying about you?