Matthew 5:8 “Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous – possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” Psalm 24:3-4 “Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord/ or who shall stand in His Holy Place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.”
Sometimes the tide of filth in news media, entertainment, and in places that were previously clean is overwhelming. The innocence of childhood is under continual assault – drag queens being allowed in public libraries, lewd pornographic figures being generated from children’s computer games – it’s incredible. How can we achieve purity of heart or maintain purity of heart once we have achieved it? Are we straining after the unachievable?
If purity of heart were unachievable, why would Jesus have bothered to teach about it? Surely there is nothing more frustrating than having a teacher hold up a standard too high for any pupil to achieve as the measure of success in learning. In the end, pupils just become discouraged and cease trying altogether. At the same time, all of us realize that there are times when our hearts are far from pure. Oh, we might not access pornography on the internet, but how may of us keep anger and bitterness in our hearts? How many of us even almost cherish the thought of the offenses others have committed against us?
Purity of heart can only come from God. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Love…takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].” Certainly, we can avoid obvious evil influences. We can choose which TV programs or movies to watch. We can choose which books we read. We can avoid choosing to be involved in obviously evil. But still how can we cleanse our hearts and minds from bitterness and hatred?
The bad news is that we can’t cleanse ourselves! Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right , but no power to carry it out.] But the good news – the very best news – is that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God wants us to have pure clean hearts! God wants for us to be “happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous – possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions.” What we cannot do for ourselves, God will do, if we will only ask Him.
PRAYER: Father God, today we are ashamed of the state of our hearts. Our hearts are full of bitterness, resentment, hatred, irritation, and all kinds of horrible things. But you have promised that if anyone comes to you and asks, you will give them new hearts so that they can serve you and see you. Please clean our hearts and make us pure. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.
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