33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37

For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Proverbs 23:7 

Jesus exposed the religious leaders of the day by connecting what they said to what was in their heart. He does this with a simple analogy of cause and effect. Healthy trees produce good fruit, and the sick ones do not. In the same way, the words of a man reflect the heart of a man. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said it this way "Man becomes what he thinks about all day long." The outer man and his actions are the results of the inner man and his thoughts.

Being God's man does not require that we focus on the fruit of our lives. Far too often, men fall into the trap of trying to produce the right results while ignoring the process of becoming the right man. The fruit of a man's life will always reflect his heart. Stop thinking about trying to say and do the right things. Becoming the right man, carefully attending to your heart, will always lead you to an abundance of right action.

DO THIS TODAY: Focus on your heart by taking time to pray.