A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 NABRE
Jesus is concluding His teaching to His disciples, in Luke, a teaching named “Sermon on the Plain.” In the section with the quoted verse Jesus is using a metaphor comparing the good and evil that comes from the hearts of people with the fruit of a tree. Jesus says a good tree does not bear rotten fruit, and a rotten tree does not bear good fruit, in fact every tree is known by its fruit. Jesus compares trees to people, good people produce good. Jesus speaks a number of times in scripture about what is in the heart is what can defile. Guarding our hearts, not allowing evil or sinfulness to get rooted in the heart is paramount to avoiding evil. Reading the quoted verse, a good person from the store of their heart produces good and an evil person produces evil. What is in our heart overflows and comes out of our mouth. For the Christian it is always preferable to see good, to do good and live in joy. The more we pack goodness into our lives the more our heart is filled with good.
We can compare the difference between a happy person and a person full of joy. I would contrast happy as an in the moment pleasure where I think of joy as permeating the entirely of the person through life. There are many activities or things that can make us happy, a good meal, a wonderful vacation. But in order to live joy we require purpose, to seek and discover divine presence desiring our gifts to fulfill a divine need. Even if the need is difficult and not affording much happiness, working on and accomplishing the deed brings joy. It is joy that will fill our hearts with good.
Do you have joy in your life? Do you fill your heart with good?
For the Christian it is always preferable to see good, to do good and live in joy. The more we pack goodness into our lives the more our heart is filled with good. Share on X#bible’#godisgreat #jesus #christianity #dailybibleverse @youversion #BeAnEncourager #fruit #good #Luke #everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood #dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture #bibleverse #verseoftheday #pray #prayer #goodnews #loveeachother #godisgreat #thisVineyard #youversion #everythingalways