“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:3).
This one always provokes an “OUCH!” when I read it. Purity is so hard in such a polluted world. In my younger days, this verse convicted me, leaving me feeling condemned, guilty, and ashamed. I was certain I had to try harder to be good or I would never make it to Heaven to see God.
Having traveled with Jesus for more than 50 years, I’ve learned a few things about God’s character. The best thing I’ve learned is that He truly loves me, even more than I love my husband, my children, and my grandchildren. Knowing this reassures me that, no matter my mistakes, He will ALWAYS love me and want what’s best for me. Today, a discussion about purity still checks my heart. However, I now see purity as a CHOICE; not so much CHOOSING to DO right, as choosing to BE right.
Am I saying we shouldn’t worry about doing the right things? Nope. I’m just admitting that I’ve gotten my cart before my horse too many times when it comes to obedience. I’ve done the right things to win God’s favor instead of God’s favor inspiring me to do the right things. (Read that one more time.)
If we’re honest, we all have a long way to go toward becoming pure in heart. Yet when we made the CHOICE to follow Jesus and obey His commands to love, we were made right with God, and our souls received a free ticket to eternal life. That ticket never expires.
Humbly CHOOSING to ask God to test our hearts, know our anxious thoughts, and reveal our impurities (Psalm 139:23-24) invites Him in with a hefty broom, a mop, and a bucket. Prayer activates the purifying process.
Then, CHOOSING to step into God’s word every morning trains us, step by step, to remember who He is and what He’s already done. There, we find the path laid out for us, and we receive the blessed assurance that motivates and energizes us to live for Him.
Charles Spurgeon emphasized being right when he said, “This one [beatitude] strikes the very center of the target as he [Jesus] says, not ‘Blessed are the pure in language, or the pure in action,’ much less ‘Blessed are the pure in ceremonies, or in raiment, or in food’, but ‘Blessed are the pure in HEART.’”
CHOOSING to devote ourselves to prayer and reading God’s word every day removes the grimy film from the eyes of our hearts, granting us a crystal-clear view of God in the here and now. We don’t have to wait for Heaven. We begin to see Him everywhere. We see Him in creation, in divine appointments, in answered prayers, and in His perfect timing. The more we see Him, the more we want to see Him.
Jesus made the most expensive CHOICE to offer us the most extravagant gift. The CHOICE to love Him back should be an easy one. Pray. Read. Love.
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)
