In A New Hope, after the Millennium Falcon was captured and brought on board the Death Star, Han had everyone hide in his smuggling holds as Storm Troopers searched the ship.
After the Storm Troopers leave, Han laments about what they will do next and says, “Even if I could take off, I could never get past the tractor beam.”
Obi-Wan calmly replies, “Leave that to me.”
To which an irritated Han replies, “Damn fool. I knew that you were going to say that!”
Han is a man who is easily riled and quick to speak his mind.
In Proverbs 29:20, we read, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
How often do we rush to say something without genuinely thinking through what we will say?
Even when held captive by a moon-sized Imperial base, Obi-Wan can remain calm and avoid doing something impulsive.
Why is Obi-Wan able to do that, and Han is not?
Jesus answers this in Matthew 12:34-35 when He tells Pharisees, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”
What we say comes “out of the abundance of the heart.” Does this encourage or convict us?
If what we say convicts us, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
To become a new creation, see what Paul said in Romans 10:9-10. “… if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Do it today.
