Topic: The Polluted Well [Thursday September 3, 2015]
Text: Matthew 12:22-37
Key Verse: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).
As the saying goes, “What is in the well will be in the bucket”. You cannot draw clean water out from a polluted well. Much the same way, you cannot expect wholesome words from a heart that is tainted with wickedness. It was the same truth the Lord Jesus Christ taught when he observed that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”.
He said this to the Pharisees whom He regarded as a generation of vipers and incapable of speaking good things. Christ had healed a blind and dumb man. The miracle caused great amazement among the common people who at once recognized Jesus as the Son of David, the promised Messiah. But the Pharisees accused Him of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub. Their malicious utterances against Christ stemmed from envy because His increasing liberating influence and acceptance among the common people meant a loosening of the inordinate grip they had on them.
They were, therefore, bent on discrediting Christ and His ministry. They were so blinded by hate and wickedness that they could not reason right. It was illogical for Christ to cast out demons by the power of Satan since his kingdom would be divided. Christ’s miracles were rather a manifestation of God’s superior kingdom which the Pharisees themselves pretentiously expect but proved they were not prepared for. The problem was not just what they spoke but the condition of their hearts from which those words flowed.
Our commitment should be to cultivate a sound heart so that the fruits of our lives – utterances and actions – will be wholesome. It is vain to try to mend our actions and words when our hearts remain carnal and corrupt. By sincerely confessing your sins, resolving to turn away from them and exercising faith in Christ’s saving power, the grace of God will flow into your heart and regenerate it.
Thought for the day: Spiritual cleansing and heart transplant are available free of charge
Bible Reading in one Year: Leviticus 8–11
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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