Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Our hearts are the deepest pockets we have. They are a kind of storage space for things both good and bad. They can hold and hide a multitude of sin, or we can give them to God and allow them to be filled up with His treasures. Sometimes, though, we bury things deep inside that we hope will never see the light of day. Maybe it would be good for us to allow God’s long arms to reach down deep and pull out some of the hurtful things we keep there. Maybe it’s a fear that has entrapped us. Maybe we carry an attitude of bitterness or resentment. Perhaps it’s a deeply rooted sin that we’ve allowed to fester in the darkness. Maybe it’s a pain from a long-ago hurt that we’ve held on to for years.

There is still fresh mercy for whatever we’ve held in the pockets of our hearts. God’s grace can penetrate as deeply as we will allow it to go. God’s touch of love can break the hardest heart and allow healing to begin. Sometimes we forget what we have in our pockets until we reach in and pull something out. Sometimes God will prod us by His Word and by His Spirit about things we’ve forgotten about, neglected, or tried to hide from Him. Let’s not be afraid to reach in and pull out the bad things taking up space in our hearts and allow God’s Spirit to fill the empty space left behind.

When we are walking closely with God, spending time with Him, reading His Word, and pursuing a life of faithful obedience to Him, we allow our hearts to be filled with good treasures. Our desires change, our attitudes change, our words and actions change, all because God is working to fill our hearts with those things He would want us to have. If we are storing up good treasures, we will have a stockpile of good things to pull out when we need them. We’ll be able to have grace with people who attack us. We’ll have patience during trials. We’ll have love for lost sinners. We’ll have forgiveness for those who have hurt us. We’ll have comfort during suffering. We will be useful treasure chests to share God’s love with those around us.

On the other hand, a heart lived far from God and the things of God accumulates evil treasures. And when these kinds of things build up in a heart, surely there is no peace there, no joy, no contentment in life. And a heart full of evil will only provide evil attitudes, sinful actions, unkindness, selfishness, and words that tear others down.

Let’s be on guard about the kinds of things we allow into our hearts. Our hearts are deep and can accumulate a lot of things over the years. Sometimes we may need to empty them out and examine carefully the kinds of things we are carrying with us. Let’s allow God’s Word room to work in our hearts, for surely that itself is a great treasure. And when we allow only good things to fill our hearts, there won’t be room for the evil things to dwell.