Matthew 12:34b "...out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."
We all know that our actions speak louder than words. People may say they love us but until that love is acted out, the words hold little meaning, they are just words.
When we read the Bible we find that Jesus talked a lot about serving others and acting out our love. I think that when you get right down to basics, our life of service is the way we say thank you for our salvation. So yes, our actions do speak louder than words; however, if you will indulge me for moment, I want to come at this statement from another angle. I believe that “Our reactions not our actions speak louder than words"! Our reactions speak volumes about who we really are and what we’re made of.
You see, usually our actions are planned; however, our reactions are spontaneous and off the cuff. Our actions, most often, are well thought out and deliberate, but our reactions spring forth from within. It is in those intense moments when we react through our actions or words that our real beliefs, values, or feelings come pouring out. Ouch, the truth hurts sometimes.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:34b that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Our reactions are the combined total of all that we’ve stored up within our body, soul, and mind. If we spend the majority of our time filling our bodies, souls, and minds with garbage, you can imagine what our reaction and responses will be full of. (Indifference, hatred, judgment, ridicule, hurt, condemnation, partiality, preferences, etc.) But if we spend the majority of our time with Jesus and engaging our body, soul, and mind with pure, holy, uplifting venues then our reactions will display the likeness of Jesus to others. And only then can He use us to draw others to Himself.
Through the years God has helped me to walk and talk cautiously knowing that what I say and do is a reflection of my Savior to those He puts in my midst. I am privileged to be a child of the King but along with privilege comes responsibility. I want to challenge all of us in these days and months to come to not only question our actions but to check our reactions. Our reactions in every circumstance and to every person are truly the sum total of whose we really are and what we truly believe.