This morning, during my quiet time, I was reminded of an important principle that helped me stay more focused during my writing time today. I had been reading my Bible and came across this verse:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 18:21

I hope to meditate on this verse more in the coming days to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning, but suffice it to say that words are very powerful. A quick cross-reference led me to these verses:

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
Matthew 12:35-37

I want my writing to be good. Therefore, I must have a treasure of goodness in my heart. According to Paul in Romans 3, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” But God is good and one of the fruits of the Spirit is goodness. So then, if I am filled with His Spirit, I will bring forth good things – like good ideas and good writing. And if what I bring forth is good, by God’s standards, then I will have nothing to be ashamed of when I stand before Him to give account someday. But I must never forget that good writing doesn’t begin when I sit down at my laptop and start typing. It begins in my heart.