In Luke 6:45 Jesus said that, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Jesus here addresses the character of man and its relationship with the words that proceeds out of his mouth.
A man’s heart holds the contents of his character. This is displayed by his thoughts, words and behaviour. Who a man really is can be determined by his conversations and actions. A good man produces that which is good; an evil man produces that which is evil.
While many great efforts have been made toward behaviour modification, I am convinced that the more urgent need is authentic life change. Yes, we can change our behaviour, but as long as we don’t change who we really are, as a person, we would eventually revert to the same undesirable behaviour. If, however, we truly become a better person, our thoughts, words and behaviour would definitely change for the better.
It is, therefore, very important for us to honestly examine the contents of our heart to know the character of our person. This requires sincere assessments of our thoughts, words and actions. It would also require us getting feedback from persons close to us, who may see aspects of our character and personality that we may be blind to.
This personal self assessment and feedback would give us an understanding of what is really in our hearts. From there we can genuinely surrender to Christ Jesus and begin the trek toward authentic life change.