Consistency can be a great indicator for someone’s life. For a couple years I had a roommate, and after a while we began to learn each other’s habits. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, the way he reacted one Thursday night when I came home right after work. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be at Young Adults?” 

In the same way what’s true of your character should be constant, and not just a one-off. Jesus peels back the layer a little further. He says in Luke 6:46, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” 

Prior to making this rather profound statement Jesus uses a binary analogy to show the link between the heart and the mouth: a tree and its fruit. Figs don’t come from thornbushes, it doesn’t work that way. Often we can be guilty of looking for the quick-fix to become a more patient or a more generous person. 

But, the reality is that these methods typically don’t last, and we’re back to square one. In typical Jesus-fashion, he challenges us to consider the root before the fruit. What’s planted in the garden of your life will determine its harvest. So let your words be the test for what it is that is stored in your heart.