We Produce What’s In Our Hearts

“The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6.45‬ ‭AMP‬‬

We produce after what’s in our hearts. What’s in our hearts is the real us. And the fruit of it (our actions) follow accordingly.

In addition to Luke 6.45, Jesus also said that it’s not what goes into us that defiles us but what comes out of us (Matthew 15.11). Or in other words, what we produce.

On our best and worst days, we are what’s inside of us (our heart).

Our reactions are windows to our hearts. — Dave Buehring

There’s a saying that Christians often use to excuse bad behavior: “God knows my heart.”

Yes, He does. Even more than we do. God knows our hearts but the world knows us by our actions and the fruit we produce (Luke 6.43-44).

It’s not enough to just know what’s right — we have to desire what’s right. And specifically, we have to desire God Himself who is the ultimate standard of good and what is right.

We have to want Him, know Him, and replicate His ways. The goal isn’t to be “good,” the goal is to be more like each and every day.

It’s not always easy to put aside how we really feel or what’s attractive in a given moment or season of our lives. But that’s exactly what we’re called to do — to lay down our lives and follow Him (Luke 9.24).

Just like Jesus laid down His life for us. The best we can do is live our lives for Him (John 3.16-17).

Obedience Is The Engine of Transformation

Contrary to popular belief, the inward transformation of our hearts doesn’t begin and end with knowledge and revelation. But true transformation comes through obedience.

God reveals. We obey. We become transformed more into His image. And the end result is that we produce good fruit from within our hearts.

We are not and could never be good enough to be good on our own. But we must place Jesus at the center of our lives and crown Him as Lord over our hearts, each and every day.

Now more than ever, the world doesn’t just need to know our heart, they need to know our fruit as well. The worlds need to know who has our heart and why.

With so many voices, agendas, and distractions competing for our allegiance, our lives must be a daily demonstration of who we live for and serve.

You may be the [only] image God people see and come to know Him through. Live and love well for Him.