A Good Heart

Author: Joseph

Date: February 28, 2021

The words we speak and the condition of our heart is interconnected. When we speak evil, it is because our heart is evil. When we speak what is good (according to God, not the world), it is because our heart is good. But what exactly does a good heart look like?

First, let’s start with what an evil heart looks like. An evil heart is one that has not been redeemed by God; it is the natural state of all human hearts. While explaining a parable regarding the human heart to His disciples, Yeshua states that the heart defiles a person. The condition of the natural human heart makes a person impure and corrupt. Specifically, Yeshua states, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matthew 15:19). It doesn’t matter how much charity a person conducts. It doesn’t matter how many selfless deeds are done. If a person still has a natural, unredeemed heart, their thoughts and actions are evil – no matter the outer appearance. Even if no one else sees how evil their heart is, when someone comes before God after they have died, everything will be laid bare before Him.

Does this mean that when we, who have been redeemed, commit an evil act or speak evil that our hearts are now corrupted again? No. What it does mean is that we have allowed sin to make our hearts sick, though only temporarily, by willingly choosing to sin. When we repent, the sickness of our heart goes away and the heart is healthy again (ex. 2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:25).

What does a good heart look like then? A good heart is the opposite of an evil heart; instead of bringing forth evil, it brings forth good (ex. Matthew 12:34-35). A good heart meditates on what is good (Philippians 4:8), has compassion for others (ex. Matthew 14:14), is faithful (Proverbs 3:5), is kept in purity (Psalm 51:10; Matthew 5:8), gives cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7; Ephesians 4:28), speaks truthfully (Proverbs 14:5; Zechariah 8:16), and speaks graciously to others (Ephesians 4:29, 32). Each characteristic given here is the exact opposite of what an evil heart lacks. A good heart is full of goodness, redeemed by God.

So, how does someone get a good heart? First, they must be redeemed by God, confessing and repenting from their sins, receiving the salvation that only comes through Yeshua. Then, secondly, they must be receptive to God’s goodness, which will overflow from their hearts and cause everything they say and do to bring forth goodness. God’s goodness and righteousness will overflow from a person’s heart when they allow Him to fully take hold of their redeemed heart. We have to be vigilant in protecting our heart from the things that can corrupt it and make it sick while at the same time be completely vulnerable to God, Who has redeemed us.

"God’s goodness and righteousness will overflow from a person’s heart when they allow Him to fully take hold of their redeemed heart."

What do your words and actions reveal about the condition of your heart? Have you allowed sin in your life that has made your heart sick and unable to bring forth good? Or perhaps you have guarded your heart from what is evil, but have you been completely vulnerable toward God so that His goodness can overflow from within you?

Matthew 15:15 - 20

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright by The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org).