When Jesus cast the demon out of the man that was blind and could not speak, the Pharisees accused Him of being in league with Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. Jesus informed them that if He was in league with the devil then the kingdom of the devil could be divided and anything divided loses effectiveness. Later in the text he says the following:
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” Matthew 12:35(NIV)
What’s inside your heart will eventually manifest itself, sooner or later! The Bible says that the thing that corrupts, and destroys a man comes from the inside of a man or from the seat of his soul. “You are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Matthew 15:11b (NLT)
In the verse, Jesus makes a comparison between a good man and an evil man; the difference between them is what each of them is storing up in their life. Those two words are key to the lessons Jesus is teaching.
To store up something is to keep a surplus of that item so that you can use it later. Some of you may or may not remember the Y2K situation; many experts believed that we would face a breakdown in our way of living because computers could not recognize the change from 1999 to 2000. They believed (wrongly) that cash machines, banks, the stock markets and industry would shut down. Meaning the dispensing of money, food and other basic necessities would be difficult to receive. Some people panicked, and others began preparations by storing up cash, water, and food just in case there was a widespread breakdown in the distribution of the necessities of life.
What you store up in your life will determine the type of person you are! When God created man, He gave him the ability to choose. The choice is up to us of what we choose to store in our hearts or our memory banks. We can choose to store good things such as love, forgiveness, goodness, understanding, compassion, wisdom and knowledge. We can also choose to store the word of God in our hearts. “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11 (NASB) When good things are stored in your heart then what comes out of your heart is goodness, kindness, compassion, wisdom, and knowledge.
On the other hand, if you choose to store up bitterness, unforgiveness, hate, malice, disappointment, discouragement, harsh words and the memory of every hurt you have ever experienced, then what comes out of you will be the things you have stored up. Remember, Jesus said that the difference between an evil and a good person is what’s stored up in their hearts!
One of today’s popular commercials asks this question, “What’s in your wallet?” I want to ask you this question, “What’s stored up in your heart?”
This is what I love about the Lord – His compassion and mercy. If you have stored up evil in your heart, God can set you free; you just need to repent and believe in Jesus. When you say yes to Jesus, you become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the process of storing up good things can begin.
Be Blessed,
Bishop Jemmott