Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 204

July 23;       Luke 6:45;       50/260(III);       ‘The Abundance of the Heart’

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

Once we become a Christian, it is vitally important what we ‘feed on’.  The Holy Spirit deposits the love of God and the fruit of the Spirit into our spirit.  The Holy Spirit also comes to live in our spirit when we are Born Again.  We have the capacity to manifest the character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.  But that does not mean that we will manifest Jesus’ nature.  The Christ like characteristics will lie dormant if you choose not to bring them forth.  Anger, unforgiveness, sinful lusts, etc. can override God’s love and the fruit of the Spirit.  A major contributor to a Christian not manifesting the nature of Jesus Christ is what we watch, what we read and who we associate with.  There are  inappropriate things and people that Christians can consume our time with, that greatly hinder our character.  Notice, Jesus called what is in our heart a treasure, good or evil.  A treasure means that what is inside of us is important to us.  When you do ask Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, it means that you understand the basic gospel message and gratefully thank Him for saving you.  Understanding the incredible importance of salvation should impact us to the degree that what we treasure changes.   We can manifest God’s love and the fruit of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will help.  Though it may seem difficult initially, the more we do this the easier it is.  Filling your heart with good treasure, Christian treasures, will greatly help you do this.