Checking My Gauges - November 25 Readings: Luke 6:43-45

By

 

 

Give Thanks to God


Today's Reading:    Luke 6:43-45         


“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

Through the Bible Readings: Daniel 7-8, James 2, Psalm 132:1–5, Proverbs28:27–28 

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:   Checking My Gauges 

     

I'm a gauge-watcher when I'm driving down the road, constantly checking the heat gauge, the battery gauge, and of course, the gas gauge. If something is going wrong in a car it often shows up in the gauges, especially the temperature gauge. 

Luke 6:45 tells us that we have a gauge that will actively reveal to us the true spiritual condition of our hearts. 
"...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

Can't be much more plain than that, can it? My mouth is a gauge that tells what is in my heart. If my mouth is filled with criticism and complaining it is evidence of a heart that is not giving thanks to God for his blessings. A heart of praise will produce a tongue of thanksgiving. A filthy mouth is evidence of a filthy heart. A critical, gossipy, slanderous tongue reveals a selfish heart that lacks the love of Jesus. What is in my heart shows through in my conversation. 

It is not that I need to "watch my tongue" but that I need to guard my heart. I need to focus my heart on Jesus Christ, my mind on his word, and my soul on loving him. When I do this, the abundance of love and joy will bubble up in me and the praise of Jesus will be on my tongue. 

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, a replay of our conversations will tell us if Thanksgiving is a holiday in our lives, or an ongoing spiritual practice. Are we people of praise or of complaining? Do we walk in faith or in doubt and despair? If we check the gauge of our tongues we can see the truth about our lives. 

Father, may the praise of your Son be on my lips as his joy and his peace fills my heart. 

Giving Thanks:

What characteristics of God do you see here for which you can give thanks? 
What has God done for you for which you can give thanks? 

Imagine that I could play a recording of every word you spoke over the last 24 hours, or over the last week. What would it say about you? What conclusions could I draw about your character, your holiness, your relationship with God as I listened to that recording?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Battle Begins" February 9 Readings: Numbers 31-36

By
Image
   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.   The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Numbers 31-36 Background:    We wrap up our reading of Numbers today with another difficult reading. Chapter 31 tells of a war with Midian and then the journeys of Israel are recounted in detail. The boundaries of the Promised Land are spelled out - far larger than modern Israel. Then we read of the founding of the cities of refuge and the inheritance of Zelo...
Read more

"Not Many Wise" October 6 Readings: 1 Corinthians 1

By
Image
  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.   The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Corinthians 1 Background:    Introduction to the Book of 1 Corinthians Paul started a lot of churches. He had great churches like Philippi and Ephesus, who brought him constant joy, who demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit and a passion for the gospel. He had the Bereans who searched the Scriptures to see if what he preached was true. He started churches in Thess...
Read more

"He Prayed for ME!" September 2 Readings: John 17

By
Image
  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.   The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   John 17 Background:    John 17 is truly "The Lord's Prayer." This is the prayer that the Lord prayed the night before he died, pouring out his heart to the Father on behalf not only of his disciples but for all of us who would follow. Daily Devotional:   He Prayed for ME! The night before Jesus died, just before he agonized in the Gard...
Read more