October 19, 2022 HAVING A PURE HEART
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
1 John 3:3 “And everyone who hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.”
Philippians 1:9-10 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”
Timothy 1:5 “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
One of the greatest blessings available to us is that of having a pure heart. The condition of our heart is all important as we see in Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of the heart flows the issues of life.” In a spiritual sense, the heart is considered the ‘seat of our strength-the mind, soul, spirit, or one’s entire emotional nature and understanding.’ There are many scriptures that admonish us to have a pure heart. The good news is that no matter how impure we may have been in the past and no matter how often we have sinned in the past, God has made a way for us to have a pure heart. The first primary step in having a pure heart is to confess and repent of those things in our life are not pleasing to God-and then receive forgiveness from God, and also forgive ourselves. Forgiveness frees us from the chains that bind us. Having a pure heart is not automatic-it is our responsibility. Another basic step in gaining a pure heart is to turn our hearts to God. Turning our hearts implies that we desire to know Him and to learn of Him; and it implies that we are turning from our ways to His ways. It is a no-brainer; if we want to learn of Him, then we must read His word, and adjust our life to live according to what we learn in His word. The good news is that gaining or having a pure heart is not difficult; it is a matter of living out of the new heart that God has given us. As we grow in the Lord and as we discover who we are in Him, our hearts will be pure. As we examine our hearts, we must ask some critical questions; such as, what are my deep-seated desires in life; what is it that motivates me; am I primarily looking out for myself. We do not need to be consumed with self-introspection; just be aware of the direction of our heart. Let us focus our thoughts and our hearts on the things of God, whatever is excellent; be quick to reject any impure thoughts that try to land in our minds and spirits; let us be honest; be about blessing others because God has blessed us; make sure our motives are pure and pleasing to God; let us acknowledge our wrongs. A basic truth we see in the scripture above is that if our hope is truly in God alone, we will be purifying ourselves because He is pure. No matter our past, we can have a ‘pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.’ Remember, Jesus said that ‘blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
2 Timothy 2:22 “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed