Devotions From Calvary

By Pastor Greg A. Steinke

It is said that a man’s heart reveals who he is by his outward actions, whether by his speech or appearance.  Though in some cases, it may not reveal in totality who he is, but may reveal what he is, or even what he or she is doing.

For instance, when I mow our grass, I find it somewhat uncomfortable and, in all actuality, out of the norm to wear a suit and tie, and if you see me doing that, you will also say whether to yourself or to someone beside you, he is a crazy man.  Therefore, I will dress accordingly. By that, you know my intention, which would be to work around the yard. 

Just as we may see the outward appearance, we can also see the heart of an individual, and in many cases, what we see or even hear will speak loudly. If there was a volume knob on our heart, I’m certain that we all would like to turn it either down, or completely off so no one would know what is in our heart. However, and unfortunately, that is not the case.

The Bible tells us twice by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew and in Luke, “...out of the abundance of the heart the mount speaketh.” In other words, whatever the heart is full of, and even in this case, overflowing with, will come out of the mouth. And I know that we all have found ourselves cupping our mouth with embarrassment or coming back and apologizing for what seemingly spilled out of our mouth. Why? Because that was the overflowing of our heart, or the abundance of our heart trickling out.

I have been to many restaurants in our area and have enjoyed each one. I am a stickler when it comes to keeping my drink full, and by that, I normally get water with lemon in it for two reasons: first, it’s better for you, and secondly, it’s free. However, there was one place that they seemingly prided themselves on filling your cup. Every time my cup was filled, it was to the very rim, almost spilling over. In trying to bring it to me, what was in it began to spill out. Why? because it was overflowing, or it had an abundance of water.

Our heart is the very same way, and whatever we fill our hearts with will eventually spill over. The heart is the tank from which our life runs. Whatever we fill our tank with is how our life will conduct itself. Filling your heart with anger, resentment, bitterness, and hatred, your vocabulary and even body language will display like a billboard in your heart. If we fill our hearts with compassion, love, empathy, and even patience, then our lives will distribute those qualities. 

My challenge to each is to be careful, mindful, and aware of what goes into our hearts, for out of the abundance of the heart, our lives, by vocabulary or actions, will speak loudly.

INFO BOX

Pastor Greg A. Steinke

Calvary Baptist Church

1045 Monroe Concord Rd.
Troy, Ohio 45373
Office: 937-335-3686

Service Times:

Sunday

Men’s Prayer Meeting - 8:45 a.m.

Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship - 10:30 a.m.

Evening Worship - 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night

Prayer Meeting and Bible Study - 6:30 p.m.

Kids4Truth Club - 6:15 p.m. 

(The nursery is available for all services)