“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37
You have probably had people in your life who have said evil things to you, and probably a lot more who have said evil things about you. When this happens our natural reaction is to fight back. We become sucked into the evil in their heart.
The person who insults us can only injure our earthly pleasure - our pride, our feelings of self-worth; how we respond can endanger the soul. When falsely accused or insulted we can either bring forth evil or good. We can either return evil for evil or exhibit the fruits of the spirit and use the insult as a moment to imitate Christ. We can use it as a catalyst to pray and to forgive.
We often say was are saved by faith alone, but can we claim faith if we practice evil? By its fruits a tree will be known, so produce good fruit in keeping with your faith, and seek God’s forgiveness when you fail.
Prayer: Lord God, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. May the words I speak bring you glory and may they reflect the nature of Christ in whom I have my salvation, and in whose name I pray. Amen.