Out of the Abundance of the Heart His Mouth Speaks

Following is our final discussion board for this class. The assignment was to read Proverbs 10, 12, 15, and 16 about the use of the tongue/words.  Make a chart of at least three topics (such as “Wise use of the tongue”).  What do you believe is the key that determines what comes out of a person’s mouth?  Discuss.

I have tried several times to attach the chart, but this site is not able to read the format.  However, a quick reading of these chapters reveals the vast differences between the heart and words of a righteous and wise man compared with a wicked fool.
Here is the remainder of my response:

In Luke 6:45 we read, “⁴⁵ The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.”(Amplified)  Jesus is telling us in unambiguous language that what comes out of a person’s mouth is determined by what he has stored in his heart.

Further, we are exhorted in Proverbs 2 to seek godly wisdom and to incline our hearts to it, to search for it, to hide his commands in our hearts, to “understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God.” (Prov 2:5) We are to not lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him so that He will keep our paths straight. We are to be filled with the abundance of God and His Word, His commands, His righteousness.  Only then may we be assured that what comes forth from our mouths is pleasing to Him.

We must be continually filled with the Holy Spirit in order to bear His fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of the SPIRIT, not the fruit of us. “¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Matthew 7:16-17 I do not wish to be known for my fruit.  That would be pitiful fruit indeed. I would much prefer to be known for bearing an abundance of His fruit, and out of that abundance, speaking forth His knowledge and His wisdom.

(I apologize for the discrepancies in font and color. They were consistent in the original document, and I am not able to change them here.)

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