what's in Your Heart?

Scripture:

James 3:9-18 (NASB)

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.   Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Devotional:

If you fill a jar with dirt and rocks there isn’t any room for diamonds and other jewels.  The jar simply cannot be filled with junk and treasures at the same time.  You can fill it with either one or the other but not both.  In this same way our hearts cannot be filled with both things of this world and of God.  We either fill it with the love of this world and what is in it or we fill it with God and the Holy Spirit.  What is in our hearts will be what comes out of us.  We are a wellspring that the Holy Spirit pours through into this world.  If we clog the spring with sinful thoughts and deeds we prevent the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.  Other people will see us and not Christ.  If we fill our hearts with God the Holy Spirit will then flow through us into the world.  Others will see Christ in us.  It is then that we can make a difference in their lives.

Filling our hearts with God takes an active effort on our part.  What must we do?  We need to read the scripture.  We must constantly be in prayer.  It is also important to fellowship with fellow Christians.  God has given us each other to help us keep on the straight and narrow path.  We can give encouragement to one another as well as hold each other accountable.  As the saying goes “Many hands make light work.”  In the end however, no one can change your heart but you.  Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and help you change your heart.  Keep your focus on God in all you do.  You just might be amazed at the difference it can make.  Eventually you will notice your heart is no longer filled with things of this world but instead filled with things of God.  For me at least this is a constant struggle that I have to work on every day.  If I am not careful I find worldly things tend to creep back in.