Series: Overflow
Message: Overflow
Preacher: Jessyka Dooley
Reflection: Jessyka Dooley
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Purpose: Kyle Smith
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Luke 6:43-45 in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: Have you ever said something and been immediately shocked by the words coming out of your mouth? Maybe it was because they were shocking words. Or maybe the statement simply didn’t sound like something you would say. Or maybe you said something you didn’t even really believe yourself.
In Luke Chapter 6, Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. I’ve taking this as a personal challenge for this week—to reflect on the words I’ve used, the stories I’ve told, the people I’ve talked about. Have my words been positive, negative, or neutral?
Recently, someone asked me why I think women use over 20,000 words a day and men only use about 7,000 words a day. I’ve heard this joke before, so I knew the answer was, “Because women have to repeat themselves more than once!” (Sorry guys, this really is a gross generalization).
Of course the amount you speak, text, or type might depend on your type of work, how large a family you have, whether you’re male or female, etc. But what are your words adding up to? I challenge you today, and maybe even for a whole week, to reflect on the words you say, the texts you send, the sentences you write. What do they point to? How much of what you say is of value? Are there things you wish you hadn’t said? Things you wish you had said?
As you spend time reflecting on this, go back and read Jesus’ words: “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
What is your heart full of today? Can you tell by the words you have spoken? What would it look like to have a heart overflowing with God’s love?
Recalibrate: How do your words reflect your relationship with God?
Respond: Ask God to fill your heart with His love so that it pours out in all that you do.
Research: Read Dr. Hyder Zahed’s article The Power of Spoken Word.
Remember: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45, NIV).
Jessyka Dooley is associate pastor at Boulder Adventist Church, leading Live Wonder (ages 0-3), Live Adventure (ages 4-11), and Live Purpose (ages 12-17), along with their supporting ministries. She grew up in Washington State and has a degree in theology from Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Jessyka has served in various areas of ministry, but her passion for discipling kids has taken center stage in her career.
Fill up on how much God loves us. He loves us even when we don’t know who He is. That is what love does. While you watch this video with your little one, think about how much you loved your child before you even laid eyes on them. Know that Jesus’ love for us is so much bigger than we could ever imagine. Fill up on love this weekend.
Read the text for this week out loud and imagine the voice you can hear is Jesus. Tell Him all about your week. The good stuff, the bad stuff, and the stuff you just don’t understand. Empty your heart out to Him. Watch these videos again (Video 1) (Video 2) and choose your favorite. Put on your favorite worship song and fill your heart up with words of love. Jesus’ love can change who we are, just like it did for Zaccheaus.
We are so quick to judge. Scroll through a news feed and you will catch yourself saying, “Look at that person! They are so messed up!” We love to decide who is good and who is bad. Sometimes we do it without even thinking. Many people have used the passage we studied this week to point out when someone isn’t the Christian they think they should be. Many times I have heard Christians confidently say, “You know a tree by its fruit, and that person must not saved because look at their fruit!” I think we need a change of perspective when we read this passage. When I read this text, I no longer read it as a warning from Jesus telling us to stay away from the rotten, bad-fruit people. Rather, I believe He is teaching us how to be people who bear good fruit! In comparison to Jesus, we are all bad and rotten people. Yet Jesus doesn’t want us to stay that way. He wants us to treasure Him and cause others to treasure Him through our example.