Read: Matthew 12:33-37

In one home, the water supply came from a spring just a few feet from the house. The water, which was pure and cold bubbled up through a large pipe about the size of a barrel that had been sunken upright into the ground. One day, as the boy in that family was about to dip out some water, he saw two huge frogs at the bottom looking up at him. No one in the family wanted any of that water until the frogs were removed and much water run over the sides for several hours. Everyone wanted to make sure it was perfectly clean and pure again.

There is something to learn from this. Those frogs represent bad thoughts, and the spring is man’s heart. If our thought-life is evil, the words and deeds that flow from within will be contaminated. Jesus said that the blasphemous statements made by His enemies revealed their inner selves. They spoke the way they did because they had allowed evil thoughts to take control of their minds.

Prov. 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” How important it is to guard what comes into the mind. We become what we think. If we permit hateful thoughts to remain, we will become cruel and heartless. If we let in lustful thoughts, we will become immoral. But when we dwell on lovely, pure, and unselfish thoughts, what flows from our mouths and comes forth in our conduct will be pleasing to God and a blessing to others. Keep your heart pure for the Lord, because nothing so threatens Christian character as impure thoughts.