33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
(Matthew 12)
Once again, context is so important. Who is Jesus calling a bunch of snakes? He was till addressing those who accused Him of operating by the power and authority of Satan - those who within were resisting the pull and call of the Holy Spirit to repond in repentance and faith. Here he says: "Let your true colors show. Don't be a fake. Don't act pious when within you are bitter and jealous and hateful." In particular, the things they were saying about Jesus were wrong, evil, and careless. Their words revealed what was in their hearts: a rebellion and resistance aganst God. Do we ever stop and listen to ourselves? Do we hear what we say about others? What does that reveal about the depths of our hearts? Do we really want to hear them replayed in God's presence?
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