what goes in comes out

Anna and I took a devotional together to Kenya with us, and the same authors just started to put out a daily devotional online. For the next few days, I am going to pick a few good ones to share for food for thought and for a hook to hang my prayers on for you for the day.... 

By: Robbie Jackson

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in him. Matthew 12:34-35 (NIV)

When you go to a vending machine and push the button that says Coke, what happens? Coke comes out, right? Why does Coke come out of the machine? You are probably thinking, “That’s a silly question!” Coke comes out because the machine is full of Cokes. Exactly. Coke comes out because someone filled the machine with Cokes.

In just the same way, God tells us that what comes out of our mouths is exactly what we put into our hearts. When we fill our heart with God’s Word, His thoughts and His ways, then God’s goodness will naturally spill out of our mouths. What goes in will come out. There are many ways that we can fill our heart with God’s goodness like reading His Word, spending time with Him in prayer, gathering with Godly friends, enjoying the beauty and blessings of His creation, reading good books, and learning from adults, teachers, and family members.

In this passage, God reminds us to store up good things in our hearts. We can do this just like the animals store up food for the winter. They search for good food to store for a time when they will need it. Just like animals are ready when the cold winds of winter come, we want our hearts to be full of God’s goodness so we are ready for it to spill out of our mouths every day. God also tells us to “Guard our hearts for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). God knows that what goes in will come out. What we put into our minds and hearts matters to God.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to fill my heart with Your goodness so that Your love will pour out of my mouth and bless everyone I see today.