“I didn’t mean what I said.”
“Please don’t read into that. I was just upset when I said it… ”
“They’re just words—it’s not that big of a deal.”
In our lifetimes, we’ve likely all said things we regret out of habit or in the heat of the moment. And perhaps we’ve followed up our ill-tempered words with excuses, like the ones listed above. I’ve certainly been there.
But Luke 6:45 reminds us that, no matter how we try to downplay them, our words are weightier and more revealing than we realize. It says:
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, WEB)
This verse should both convict and encourage us, as Christians. It reminds us of two important truths:
One. The litmus test of our tongues is worth paying attention to.
Jesus’ words here remind us that the words we speak do not come out of thin air. They come directly from what is happening in our hearts.
- Our words reveal what we treasure most. Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil…” (emphasis mine) Whether or not we realize it, our speech reveals what we value and treasure most in this life. The things we choose to brag about, the things we criticize or complement, the things we ask for, defend to others, or even just fill our conversations with…they all reveal what we think matters.
Maybe it’s money or appearances. Maybe it’s a political party or a person we love. Maybe it’s ourselves, our plans, our accomplishments. Or maybe it’s the Lord. In any case, the words we speak are a helpful litmus test for identifying what we treasure most—because then we can hold our values up against God’s to see if they line up.
- Our words reveal what we’re consuming and feeding most. That word “treasure” of the heart, from the first part of the verse, can also be translated “treasury” or “storehouse” of the heart. In other words, our speech reveals what we are taking in and storing up in our inner beings.
When crude jokes, harsh criticisms of others, or steady streams of negativity begin to flow from our mouths, most likely it is backwash from what we are consuming. And we can say the same about any kind and gracious words we speak, too.
- The content we feast our eyes, ears and minds on,
- the people we surround ourselves with,
- the thoughts we grab onto and entertain…
our hearts are consuming and stockpiling all of it. And the startling truth is, everything we consume is either feeding our godliness or our worldliness. The content of our speech gives us a glimpse of what is growing in us.
As Christians, the litmus test of our tongues is worth paying attention to. It can be encouraging when we find our growth in God reflected in our speech. But even in those moments when we find ourselves convicted by the things we say, we shouldn’t be discouraged. After all, God’s conviction is not a condemnation. It is an invitation to transformation.
Two. There is hope for a transformed heart and a tamed tongue.
You know, in this verse Jesus talks about two kinds of people—good and evil. But apart from Jesus and His work on the cross there is only one kind of person. Scripture tells us “there is no one righteous,” (Rom. 3:10) that “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23) and so not one of us is “good” on our own. Yet when we placed our faith in Jesus, He transferred His record of righteousness to us. In God’s eyes, we are now good—even though, in practice, we may still mess up sometimes.
So, when we read Jesus words here, that “the good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good…” we should realize: that is what Jesus makes possible for us. No matter how habitually we have cursed, bragged, spread negativity, or even lied, our speech can be transformed because, as Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart, [the good man’s] mouth speaks.”
As people made righteous by Jesus, our hearts really have been filled with abundance—the kind that far outweighs our sin-habits and tendencies. You see, when we accepted Christ, He sent His Holy Spirit, to live inside our hearts—and He brought with Him more good than we can keep inside.
The Holy Spirit…
- Pours God’s love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5)
- Gives us a childlike spirit that cries out “Abba, Father!” to God (Gal. 4:6)
- Creates a new heart in us, filled not just with knowledge of God’s Word but the ability to understand and obey it (Heb. 10:15-16)
- Helps us live into the goodness God has given us and makes us more like Jesus. (2 Cor. 3:18)
- bears His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in and through us (Gal. 5:22-23)
Out of all that God-given abundance, our mouths will speak—because the Spirit gives us new and better words. He gives us:
- words of faith in place of our old negativity,
- words of kindness and patience instead of our old harshness and intolerance,
- word of purity instead of crudeness,
- words full of praise for God instead of our own bragging rights.
God wants to transform us from the inside out—from the depths of our hearts to tips of our tongues. We just need to cooperate with Him.
May all the good our Savior has given overwhelm our hearts and saturate our speech this week.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
