WHAT SPILLS OUT WHEN YOU’RE BUMPED?

“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)

Imagine holding a cup of coffee. Someone jostles your arm, and the coffee spills. Not tea. Not water. Coffee. Why? Because that’s what was inside.

Life works the same way. When we’re bumped -- by stress, disappointment, criticism, or unexpected hardship -- what spills out reveals what’s been stored within. If we’ve been steeped in grace, patience, and truth, those will overflow. But if we’ve been harboring bitterness, pride, or fear, that’s what will leak out.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about preparation. We can’t always control the bumps, but we can choose what fills our cup. Daily time in Scripture, prayer, and reflection pours in the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These aren’t just virtues -- they’re spiritual reserves for life’s inevitable spills. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™, compiled from a variety of sources 

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THE POWER OF THE INDWELLING LORD

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

It is amazing how few Christians today have claimed the power of the indwelling Lord. They believe in Him as Savior but side-step His lordship over their inner hearts.

In his book “Can I Know God?” W. E. Sangster put it pointedly. “It is not enough to have Christ near to us. Oh, it is wonderful, of course, in contrast with not even believing in His existence at all or knowing Him only as a name, but, for the highest spiritual life, it is not enough. You see, we do most of our living inside us. Our thinking, feeling, and willing are all within. External events press upon us, but they have meaning only by our internal interpretation. We discover that when we are dealing with the troubles of life. The important thing is not what happens to us but what happens in us. The same thing can happen to two different people and a precisely different thing happens in them… If, therefore, we are to be helped in our battle against temptation and in our war with fear and worry, selfishness and greed, we must have help within. Not there, but here! Not outside, but inside.”

-- Lloyd J. Ogilvie in “If God Cares, Why Do I Still Have Problems?”

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GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART

Recently I read about a woman who, on the advice of her doctor, went to see a pastor to talk about joining the church. She had recently had a face-lift, and when her doctor dismissed her, he gave her this advice. "My dear, I have done an extraordinary job on your face, as you can see in the mirror. I have charged you a great deal of money, and you were happy to pay it. But I want to give you some free advice. Find a group of people who love God and who will love you enough to help you deal with all the negative emotions inside of you. If you don't, you'll be back in my office in a very short time with your face in a far worse shape than before."

What happens on the outside is only a reflection of what's occurring on the inside. A face-lift won't disguise a faulty heart. Solomon said, "As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person" (Proverbs 27:19, NLT). God sees past your face and into your heart.

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians


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